Many Nightwish fans, myself included were not quite sure how to take this new addition to the band. Anette’s constant bubblegum pop infused singing saturated the album and didn’t quite suite its aesthetic features. It constantly down played the seriousness of Tuomas Holopainen’s majestic and at times, eccentric and childlike story telling. In a way it seemed almost cliche as Anette tried so valiantly to fit into Tarja’s shoes, whilst offering something unique in her own right to Nighwish fans.

Many of the band’s adoring stalkers fans however, saw differently and hopelessly gripped onto the last remaining fragments of Tarja Turunen before she disappeared into obscurity. What ensued was constant bickering and die-hard fans spreading viral hypocrisy across Facebook and beyond.

‘Imaginaerum’ is the precursor for Nightwish’s upcoming blockbuster movie of the same title. Which should be made available sometime this year. After speaking with Tuomas Holopainen on the phone a couple of months ago in regards to the new album. It would seem quite obvious to motivate the man to mix his vivid imagination and the creativity of cinema together. When first speaking to Tuomas, he seemed somewhat odd, albeit conservative. Yet, I held nothing against the man as his imagination and musical aspirations have brought both clarity and happiness to many. If anything, Tuomas Holopainen isn’t afraid to share his imagination with the world. He is a self proclaimed incarnation of Peter Pan made physical.

After much procrastination I finally put on ‘Imaginaerum’, sat back and an hour and fifteen minutes later emerged in disbelief. What I heard was in fact the true essence of Nightwish. Every aspect of ‘Imaginarum’ from the delivery of each song to the evolution of Anette’s now present versatile vocal range is leaps and bounds ahead in comparison to the previous album.

The album literally plays out like a movie, defined with attention to detail. Offering some very memorable orchestral arrangements, accompanied by some explosive heavy riffs, symphonic breakdowns and catchy choruses. The opening number, ‘Taikatalvi’ literally means “magic winter” in Finnish which introduces the snow flake theme. A theme which continually emerges throughout the album and movie.’Storytime’ is the first single off the album offering up some tasty riffs and an upbeat chorus. Its typical Nightiwsh through and through.

Bassist, Marco Hietala seems to be more involved this time round than in the previous album. He offers a good variation of vocal styles between Anette’s now present multilayer vocal range. As both add depth and contrast to tracks ‘Ghost River’ and ‘The Crow, The Owl and the Dove’, which Marco solely wrote. ‘Slow, Love, Slow’ tips its hat to 1930′s jazz inspired nightclub music. A first for Nightwish, which I’m sure will surprise many new and old and is a prime example of Anette’s vocal evolution. ‘I Want My Tears Back’ infuses Celtic elements. Adding an upbeat nature to the song’s sombre backdrop and is a prime example of the band’s more approachable songs for first time listeners. ‘Arabesque’, an instrumental piece. It plays out much like an intermission of a movie. Giving the listener a much needed break from the intensity and nightmarish visions of ‘Scaretale’.

‘Turn Loose the Mermaids’ is prime example of a great Nightwish ballad done well. Its spaghetti western influence nearing its end reminds me so much of the Sergio Leone Dollars trilogy, made famous by Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef throughout the 1960′s. ‘Songs for Myself’, an epic fourteen minutes in length, divided into four parts. Is a homage to American poet Walt Whitman, expressing his beliefs in Transcendentalism and Romanticism. The crisis of our own identity. There is truth that beauty is in all of us, regardless of how ugly the world can be sometimes.

What remains is ‘Imaginaerum’, an outro most likely conceived for the movie’s end credits. Its Tim Burton ‘esque influence and the reemergence of the snow flake theme is a fitting end to an enchanting story and the power of one’s imagination. 9/10

Band: Nightwish
Album: Imaginaerum
Year: 2011
Genre: Symphonic Power Metal
Label: Roadrunner Records/Nuclear Blast
Origin: Finland
Website: www.nightwish.com

Track Listing:

1. Taikatalvi
2. Storytime
3. Ghost River
4. Slow, Love, Slow
5. I Want My Tears Back
6. Scaretale
7. Arabesque
8. Turn Loose the Mermaids
9. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, the Owl and the Dove
11. Last Ride of the Day
12. Song of Myself
13. Imaginaerum

But, in this rare case, it just doesn’t matter, because it’s all done so well. Just have a listen to the romantically titled “Suck Shit, Get Fucked”.  After opening with almost black metal sounding ferocity, it drops back into a more standard-metal riff, before a vocal stutter leads into a monster breakdown. None of it is anything new but it’s all drenched in what is simply raw energy, and the riffs are changed up enough that they never get tiresome (which is something special for an album of this style, or any “real metal” album for that matter). That last bit might actually be the key to their successful sound; the music never sits still. It’s constantly changing pace and little nuances are being added or removed from the riffs all the time, and there are clearly influences from various different metal styles, but never to the stage where it becomes messy or loses its moshability. They don’t simply return to the same riff after a breakdown, they move on and throw something fresh at you.

Vocalist Josh Sardana has some serious grunt too, with his deeper yells somewhat reminiscent of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor in parts (before he started losing it), and equally impressive higher screams. And all of this is tied together by a ballsy, thick production that is overflowing with pure power, but still gives each instrument its own clarity.

Dying Is For Fools isn’t likely to convert any hardcore-haters, but nor was it intended to; it’s a party mosh album complete with humorous song titles. It is, however, likely to shoot Ashes of December towards the top of the Australian -core scene. They just do everything that bit better. 7.5/10

Band: Ashes of December
Album: Dying is for Fools
Year: 2011
Genre: hardcore/metalcore
Label: Independent
Origin: Brisbane, Australia
https://www.facebook.com/AshesOfDecember

Track listing:
1. Not At The Table, Carlos
2. Dead Tanson
3. Thank You, Mr Sheen
4. Suck Shit, Get Fucked
5. Only Batman Is Forever
6. Dying Is For Fools
7. In Medias Res
8. In The Absence Of Humanity, Press 3 & Hold
9. “Is This The End?”, She Asked

Heavy metal has probably been the biggest contributor to this cross over and collaboration phenomenon. Locking heads and instruments with some of the world’s biggest artists – spread across a kaleidoscope of musical genres.

The much loved Anthrax and Public Enemy anthem of ‘Bring the Noise’ circa 1991 to the recent abortion that is Metallica and Lou Reed‘s mash up, ‘Lulu’. A musical collaboration can be both a blessing and a curse in disguise.

KORN‘s latest escapade, ‘The Path of Totality’ is something quite unique as it forms a synergy of musical talents plucked from the tree of successful dubstep, drum and bass and electro musicians including, Skrillex, Excision, Datsik, Noisia, Kill the Noise and 12th Planet. Each branch of this musical tree represents a unique branding of Korn‘s down tuned and gritty brand of nu-metal. The best way to describe it would be if Korn and The Prodigy had sex is a seedy nightclub restroom whilst intoxicated with an assortment of illgeal drugs, ‘The Path of Totality’ would the result some 6 – 8 weeks later.

The fruit from each branch doesn’t always represent an appropriate taste. After forcing myself to swallow down ‘My Wall’ and to a lesser extent ‘Sanctuary’, which honestly put me to sleep with Davis’ monotone vocals and monotonous beats. I was left with a bland aftertaste. However, things do pick when the more ripened of the bunch ‘Get Up’, ‘Narcissistic Cannibal’, and ‘Let’s Go’ left me content as Jonathan Davis and company offers more upbeat chorus’ and variation in beats.  Out of all the pairings,  I believe Excision and Skrillex work best. They offer more than just repetitious beats and lackluster execution.

Jonathan Davis and the rest of his vegetable ensemble have attempted a different approach to their common “wash, rinse and repeat” blend of nu-metal. The final execution is one of a balancing act. Which at times does sway hopelessly, leaving many, myself included a little confused and disorientated.  The end result does offer a solid variety of music from two separate musical universe’s, creating a hybrid album marked with great highs and disappointing lows.

7/10

Band: Korn
Album: The Path of Totality
Year: 2011
Genre: Nu-metal/Dubstep
Label: Roadrunner Records
Origin: America
www.korn.com

What might not have been expected is a song that was originally intended to be broken up into three parts has become one epic song with a hefty duration of over 27 minutes where the music changes with the flow of the narrative and glimpses of their past majesties abound.

Considering that their repertoire has always consisted of long songs from their first major release “Symphonaire Infernus Et Spera Empyrium”, an eleven minute song, it’s not like this is uncharted territory but it’s the sheer scope of the music that makes it different.

A song such as this obviously isn’t  something to put on as background music, there is far too much involved, as it works best with a degree of focus where the tale of the Barghest, “a supernatural entity hell bent on revenge” set on the Yorkshire moors, can envelop the listener.

Rather than try to describe the song in its entirety it is fair to say that the opening sounds of wind, thunder and rain sets the scene perfectly. Guitar and violin introduce a plaintive voice and what follows is an amalgam of their finest moments from the harsh aggression of “As The Flower Withers”, the gothic majesty of “Turn Loose The Swans” through to their most recent works.

If you couldn’t guess, this review is coming from someone who has been an avid supporter of My Dying Bride since he caught the video for the aforementioned “Symphonaire…” on Rage many years ago and loves doom in general. That aside, the composition of “The Barghest O’ Whitby” lends itself to repeated listens for those who can get past the length and it also clearly demonstrates that, twenty years on, My Dying Bride have a great deal more to offer.

8/10

Band: My Dying Bride
Album: The Barghest Of Whitby
Year: 2011
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Peaceville
Origin: United Kingdom
www.mydyingbride.org

Where Symmetry (In)Sanity  boasted a series of massive grooves that would force your head to bang along, Mind is Key features an insane arsenal of tech-death riffs that will instead cause your head to simply explode. The bulk of the album is a frenzy of Psycroptic-style riffage that will drop the jaws of any guitarist or drummer. The strings and skins work in tight unison to create a razor-sharp sound; blazing runs up and down the fretboard are backed by unstoppable footwork and a multitude of crazy little frills and tweaks from the guitars are carefully matched by the genius drum work of David Horgan (also of Ouroboros). While the complexity of the music is completely off the wall, each riff still continues to push each song on to create its own unique sound and very rarely does everything slip into just wanky ‘showing off’. The lead guitar work from Jimmi Ivanyi throughout the album is applied intelligently and appropriately, all the while remaining nothing short of incredible. The solos follow the melodic motifs of the songs for the most part but are carefully built up to huge shredding crescendos which again and again demonstrate Ivanyi’s ability to stand among the best of the best.

The album is far more than just tech-death madness however. The interludes woven throughout the songs feature soft, atmospheric guitar layers building carefully upon each other, clean melodies accompanied by jazzy lead work and sweet guitar harmonies. More impressive than the diversity of the album however is how intricately these elements are woven into the fabric of the songs. Unlike many progressive metal acts that are very stop-start with their dynamics, Paradigm weave everything together so carefully that you will often not notice the shift from heavy to soft. As you move through the album the diversity becomes only more apparent- nearly half an hour in (that is, after two tracks) “Atmosphere” is a lumbering monster of a song stuffed with huge, groovy and doomy riffs (and gets this reviewer’s pick of the album) and following straight after it “Visions” is a seven-minute all-acoustic affair. After this point the listener is again treated to more Psycroptic-riffage before the album closes with quite the melodic number in “Wish Us Light”.

The standout vocal performance from Thomas Arcadi really deserves special mention. Whereas most of the last album saw Arcadi alternating between massive roars and soft cleans, Mind is Key predominantly features a style that seems to be an amalgamation of these two sounds. This new melodic growling style gives Paradigm a truly unique sound, setting them well apart from being compared too closely to Psycroptic on the technical side of things or the likes of Opeth or (god forbid) Dream Theatre on the prog side of the spectrum. Where many technically gifted bands tend to often lose their vocalist in the mix to either an inability to keep up the quality or intensity, Paradigm certainly do neither. Arcadi’s vocal assault screams alongside the technical madness of “Written in Blood”, tears through the creepy atmospheres of, ahem, “Atmosphere” and his cleans easily soar high above the melodic work of “Portals” and close out “Wish Us Light” in truly epic fashion.

With all that said there is one thing that unfortunately holds the album back. “Visions”, an all acoustic affair is the only dud song Paradigm have put out to date and the drop in quality at that point in the album is really noticeable. Of course there is nothing wrong with having an all-acoustic track but this one is certainly no “Harvest” (Opeth) or “Desert of Song” (Between the Buried and Me). The soft, peaceful finger picking pattern set down by Ivanyi starts things nicely but the vocals over the top really don’t match. The soft singing works just fine but every time Arcadi attempts to raise the intensity in the first half of the song it comes out sounding pretty awkward. The power of the song increases as it progresses and the guitar and vocals eventually match up much better and the song ends up working out fine but it is hard not to cringe during the first half. Aside from that, there is really little to complain about with the album as a whole- there are a few moments when the vocals soar a little bit too high for their own good, but given the quality and astounding diversity that the vocals otherwise display this is easily forgivable.

Mind is Key is an absolute monster of an album. It is brutally heavy and astoundingly technical, yet sophisticated, mature and ambitious. Half a dud song will certainly not be enough to stop most metalheads jamming this one again and again and again. 9/10

Band: Paradigm
Album: Mind is Key
Year: 2012
Genre: Progressive Metal
Origin: Sydney, Australia
Label: None/Independent
Website: http://www.facebook.com/paradigm.australia

Tracklisting:
1. Android
2. Portals
3. Atmosphere
4. Visions
5. Written in Blood      <—- Reviewer’s Choice
6. Wish Us Light

There’s no fucking around here either. Randomorder straddle the line between classic thrash and the more blackened variety, and that’s exactly what you get from every track. Things kick straight into gear with opener “Desecration Is Your Name” and it doesn’t really stop, with the exception of a brief part in “Exiled” featuring clean guitars and spoken vocals.

While there isn’t exactly an abundance of variety, each track is solid in its own right, with no real low points. “Forgive Me For My Hatred” stands out with a really cool underlying groove that makes you want to move, and the demonic chorus of “The Dark Science”. There are blistering solos spread all throughout, destroying any possible doubts about Sean and Gabe’s guitar skills, and despite clear influences from Slayer and the other greats, everything is well-executed enough for it to never sound like blatant worship.

If you’re looking for anything other than well-written, well-played thrash then you’ll be disappointed. But if you want something to grab a beer and mosh to, then The Forbidden Knowledge is worth a listen. 7/10

Band: Randomorder
Album: The Forbidden Knowledge
Year: 2011
Genre: Thrash
Origin: Tasmania, Australia
Label: Independent
https://www.facebook.com/pages/RANDOMORDER/143763249239?sk=wall

Track listing:
1. Desecration Is Your Name
2. Bloodlust
3. Forbidden Knowledge
4. Caught in the Crossfire
5. Salvation
6. Exiled
7. The Dark Science
8. Bleeding Misery
9. Forgive Me For my Hatred
10. Ghost Demons

The overall sound of Katabasis is hard to pin down and the uniqueness of the compositions make comparisons tough to find. One of the few that leaps out would be with Opeth’s very early material (think Orchid and Morningrise), though taken in a more atmospheric direction. What they share on the heavier end of the spectrum is the interplay between low death growls and more black metal styled shrieks and riffs constructed around chords used to build feeling and atmosphere rather than focusing on technicality or brutality. On the softer end of things the listener is treated with clean guitars plucking out soft melodies that the keyboards and vocals carefully expand upon, slow acoustic interludes backed by the sounds of falling rain and long passages dedicated to building dark, brooding atmospheres that transition slowly back into the heavier sections. Vocalist Shane Wall’s clean voice suits the band’s sound well, turning the ambience of “Aphelion” into downright creepiness, soaring along the melancholic midsection of “Avernus” and driving forward the slightly more upbeat “Hierophant”. The band really seems to work well as a unit with no one member really seeming to dominate the sound. Labelling a group as “greater than the sum of its parts” is bandied about far too loosely, but this is one instance where it is quite apt.

With that said, it is with the atmospheres of Katabasis that truly set them apart from other bands of similar style. The midsection “Avernus” sees Wall’s sorrow- laden voice murmur over nought but very soft guitar, with the keys building very subtly in the background, before the drums signal everything to shift into one massive, brooding episode with the vocal whispers soaring higher and higher and the drums getting faster and faster before everything transitions back into the heavy main riff. “Aphelion”, which gets this reviewer’s pick of the album, is a slow, morbid affair with all instruments moving everything carefully and deliberately. The samples and keys flickering in and out build the intensity of the track very slowly, and the overall atmosphere achieved is distressing, sorrowful and intensely haunting. This is not the sort of thing one wants to listen to quickly or lightly, nor if one plans to be feeling happy afterwards.

For all the intensity that certain parts of the album achieve, there are certainly aspects of the release that pull down its overall quality. First of all, the mixing and production on the album are certainly not up to professional standards. While this may seem something of an unfair thing to say of an up and coming band’s debut, it can become irritating when the drums are sitting far too low in the mix and when the guitars end up just getting lost in their own distortion. Moving on from this however, the only major issue with the writing itself is that some of the sections go for way too long. While of course there is nothing wrong with songs going longer than ten minutes (in fact I personally love really long songs) there is something wrong with having songs go so long simply because the band causes certain sections to well outstay their welcome. The main riff to “Avernus” for example, while very cool, hangs around for a long time every time it is come upon, and it is repeated more often than it should be. Katabasis have demonstrated that they are more than capable of using one section repetitively to great success (see above regarding “Aphelion”) so it would seem they just need to be more selective in their use of repetition.

None of this should inhibit fans of progressive or atmospheric metal from getting their hands on this release. The complaints listed above are minor stains on an intricate, diverse and captivating album. If Katabasis continue to produce music of this depth and substance they will rise far beyond their current status. 7.5/10

 Band: Katabasis
Album: Katabasis
Year: 2011
Genre: Progressive Metal
Origin: NSW, Australia
Label: Independent
Website: http://www.facebook.com/Katabasis

Track Listing:
1. Avernus
2. Path to Ruin
3. Hierophant
4. Aphelion    <—- Reviewer’s Choice

Absu

The album kicks off with a ripping thrash riff and a mighty scream, before the Absu vocals their fans know and love kick in; blackened, harsh and furious as always. The pace of the first track, “Earth Ripper”,  is unstoppable as the song tears through riff after riff,  however some of the changes seemed forced and unnatural.  The next track, “Circles of the Oath” has a brilliant melodic riff, but Absu refuse to play it for any longer than a minute at a time. It’s a brilliant song, but it needs more space to breath, though credit must be given to its fantastic acoustic outro.

All the ideas and riffs on this album so far have been great, however, Absu seem to have stuck them together with scotch tape and called it a day. Things slow down just a touch on “Abraxas Connexus”, and the band locks into a rather excellent groove as the song rolls into riff after riff. The song is less disjointed than its predecessors, but is still lacking a certain musical adhesive.  “Skyring in the Spirit Vision” is the only track on the album with any guitar solos, and features some mind bogglingly fast riffs and an awesome turn around about two-thirds of the way through the song, as Absu head into an apocalyptic riff to end the song with.

“Ontologically, it became space and time” starts with a build towards riff madness, as the drummer pulls off a couple of rather interesting and cool fills before the one minute mark, and the song streamlines into a rhythmic instability that has been prevalent on this record. The song’s ending is a favorite moment on this record, dramatic and layered, and leads nicely into the last track, “A Song for Ea”.

“A song for Ea” starts with some fast paced riffage, but as it’s a fourteen minute track, it’s expected that there will be a slow, melodic counter balance to this intro. Sure enough the song slows down for a rather dramatic section with tom drum based fills and a sound of marching emanating from every instrument, before they shift into a riff slightly similar to Slayer’s “Season’s in The Abyss”, but layered with keyboards and arpeggios. Suddenly, it seems if the song is over, but it’s only been three minutes. A new riff springs from nowhere, and it becomes apparent that Absu haven’t really written a fourteen minute epic, they have poorly glued a bunch of three minute songs together. Sure enough, like clockwork, a new song seems to emerge at the six minute mark. While most of the riffs and ideas here are good, it is disappointing, as a properly constructed fourteen minute Absu song would be awesome.

This album is enjoyable to listen to, but there are a few problems. It seems like most attempts at structural coherence in the songs were abandoned, and the last song is really four songs strung together. While there are many excellent moments and riveting riffs, there’s no really instant favourite, nothing comparable to say “Amy” on Absu’s self titled 2009 release.  If you’re feeling a bit strapped for cash, but craving some Absu this summer, you’re better off spending it on tickets to see Absu live as they hit up Australia in January.  7/10

Band: Absu
Album: Abzu
Year: 2011
Genre: “Mythological Occult Metal”
Label: Candlelight
Origin: Plano, Texas, USA
Website: http://absu.bandzoogle.com/mythologicaloccultmetal.cfm

Track Listing:

1. Earth Ripper
2.  Circles of the Oath
3. Abraxas Connexus
4. Skyring in the Spirit Vision
5. Ontologically, It became Space and Time
6. A Song for Ea

You know that you’re in a bloody good band if Lemmy Kilmister of all people has handpicked your band to open for Motorhead at one of their shows. That’s how I first heard of Tasmanian metallers Taberah, and a few months after that show they released their debut album “The Light of Which I Dream”. I also never knew about the album until I was reading a review about it in Blunt magazine, however, the review was nothing about the music. The first line was just quoted lyrics, and the rest was a hilarious rant on power metal.

When I was sent the album to listen to, I could see why Lemmy picked the band to open for Motorhead. Taberah have thrown stylings from a wide range of bands into their music, and added their own modern twist to it, creating an aggressive, dynamic piece of music. The production of the album is fairly raw, which to me makes it sound a lot heavier, and you can hear every instrument clearly, even the bass.

The intro to the album is an instrumental build up, which starts off as a quick minute sound clip of horses running, followed by some synth, a nice drumbeat and guitars chugging the low E string to the drumbeat. “Brothers of the Fire” opens with a tough, face punching riff highly influenced by Metallica, and at first listen it gave me a little bit of a shock when the vocals kicked in. With a riff as tough as what I’d heard, I was expecting to hear lower, less clear vocals, but instead I heard the complete opposite. Either way, I still like the vocals, and the lyrics are very easy to pick up, as the singers voice is very clear. The traditional heavy metal sound with Manowar influenced lyrics were a treat, aswell as the catchy lyrics to go in the powerful chorus (“Metal in our hearts, fire in our veins, do not fuck with us, you’ll never be the same.”)

The album softens a bit throughout the middle, as the acoustic guitar is pulled out for the beautiful “Ballad of Ruby Joy”. It’s very heartfelt, and I can only presume that it was written about a loved one. The acoustics follow into the title track, but the chords change and sound darker for the 7 and a half minute epic. The first two minutes is another instrumental build up, and going into the verses show some Iron Maiden like guitar work, as well as a chorus that sounds like a mixture between Queen and Stryper.

Just like they’ve been labelled as, Taberah are not a power metal band, but there is no doubt some influence from power metal, and my favourite track of the album “Freedom or Death” shows that. The solos in it are a good example of the power metal influence, with help from Lord Tim and Mark Furtner of Australian power metal giants LORD, so if you know who that band is, you probably already have an understanding of how outrageous the solos are. More influence is shown on the next track “Requiem of the Damned”, which is flat out fast the whole way through with over-the-top intensity.

There’s a lot to expect from Taberah, a lot more than just sticking to one genre, and definitely a lot more than a group of “metal purists who argue about guitar tones over games of Warhammer” (as quoted by Blunt Magazine). They’re a band that will definitely have a love or hate relationship, but if you listen to it well, I’m sure you’d enjoy it. 8/10

 
Band: Taberah

Album: The Light of Which I Dream

Year: 2011
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label: Unsigned
Origin: Tasmania, Australia

Track listing: 
1. The Descent
2. Brothers of the Fire (reviewers choice)
3. The Call of Evil
4. Fearless
5. Stormchild
6. The Ballad of Ruby Joy
7. The Light of Which I Dream
8. Freedom or Death (reviewers choice)
9. Requiem of the Damned
10. The Reaper

Despite the acoustic nature of opener “Baxwbakwalanuksiwé” (pronounced “the one with the really long name”) and the first few minutes of “Han”, which are bound to trick you into a false sense of safety, Huxwhukw is a fairly aggressive beast. The Sydney-siders have that same air of complete insanity that bands like Dillinger Escape Plan do, but with slightly more room to breathe. Frantic, progtastic riffs and confusing-in-a-good-way drumming play games with little acoustic noodlings; there’s a touch of grind, a hint of funk, a sliver of country, a splashing of punk rock, and the list goes on. However, where some bands of a similar description end up with a series of erratic musical train wrecks that can be difficult to tell apart, Serious Beak have crafted ten completely individual songs that end up working together as an undeniably whole album.

“Swagger”, a five minute riff-attack with an extra injection of technicality, is followed by a mostly-acoustic two and a half minute track that’s focused more around atmosphere than actual music. While “Sporãs” is an explosion of schizophrenia, “Fljóta” is a minimalist piece with some sort of chanting and/or wailing, and “Han” is an eight minute track with a hint of Baroness to some of the guitar work. And in the end the fact that the tracks differ so much is quite handy, seeing as you’re certainly not going to remember the song titles.

Huxwhukw is one of the most intriguing instrumental releases to have been born in a long time. Despite the amount of influences and time-changes crammed in there, it remains catchy, and undeniably memorable. The somewhat thin sound can be a tad irritating at times, but it’s a small flaw that’s worth pushing aside to experience everything else. And to top it off, it’s packaged with some of the most stunning album artwork I’ve seen in quite a while. Serious Beak, you done good. 8.5/10

Band: Serious Beak
Album: Huxwhukw
Year: 2011
Genre: rad music
Origin: Sydney, Australia
http://artascatharsis.bandcamp.com/album/huxwhukw

Track listing:
1. Baxwbakwalanuksiwé
2. Han
3. Swagger
4. Gödel !Xun
5. Tuī / Tuō
6. Anhrefn
7. Sporãs
8. Lähendama
9. Fljóta
10. Taheu Nadryvy, Taheu!