Guest Column
The new topic is Three Bands You May Not Know About But Should, and we asked that each guest writer jot down a brief description of what makes each band worthy of our attention. Today, we are excited to continue this ongoing series with an entry from a band we love, Aosoth.
Since we decided to each come up with some band names to mention in this column, I had really three names in my head. From Iceland, Svartidaudi has to be one of those acts really growing fast and having an intense live performance. Depending on where you are located, I guess you might not be familiar with them since they’re mostly active on European shores but should get the exposure in the U.S. And similar situation for U.S.-based Kommandant. The first track I heard from them a while ago got me hooked; their whole aesthetic is just perfectly arranged and I do relate to their work.
Those two acts would be considered established by most though, yet not enough for my taste. And now here we go for the main band I would focus on. VI from France. From my close area even. If I would have been asked if any worthy underground black metal act would rise from around here (state or province) I would never have considered any being created by someone outside our closed komrades. And yet I was proven wrong; this act did deliver an expected sick black metal and despite a very limited presence in zines and no distribution, they’ve managed to have a CD out and then repressed on Debemur Morti.
We did get along on a personal level and the main guy behind this act got to join Aosoth as live guitar player at first, and now is our permanent bass player. I honestly thought he would never come up with a new recording of his own band, being busy with us and also being unpredictable, so having heard a few tracks from his forthcoming album got me convinced I had to mention the very impressive album that is about to be released in the near future.
For those into later Deathspell Omega, with hypnotic riffs and sickness aura, go check VI out. — MkM
When my partners proposed me the project to write a short article about a band that never had, in my opinion, a decent recognition, I instantaneously thought about that inhuman German band named Tsathogguah. Obviously one of the most fucked up thing I had the opportunity to experiment, alongside with really bad drugs.
In theory, nothing was there to delight me: vulgar synth sounds, high vocal range and woman chants and yet without even trying to set back that band in its context — the mid 90′s — their first album remains a monument of violence, a condensed of aggressiveness and furious madness. I’ve definitely never heard something similar to date.
The compositions are unsettled, they evolve always further down into nothingness. Its a highly oppressive listening but so savory at the same time. It is the materialization of those moments in which you’d like to cross the line. They do for you whatever you have in mind and give you rest for a moment. After a solitary listening of this hosanna bizarre, it’s often hard to let things go, staggered by such intensity. I would love to write more about this but, I have to realize that this won’t be possible. The best thing is still to make your own opinion, at your own risk. — INRVI
Daethorn… I found out about that project from the Parisian area when they released a split tape in 2002 with French ambient noise act Wakboth entitled He Owns Us All (Dae Mortis Productions). Only very recently have I realized Daethorn is the solo project, and the alias, of a former Antaeus member, and the current Merrimack bassdude.
I remember back then being struck by the fact that even on a low-fi format like this, there transpired real maturity and talent as well as a form of professionalism. It sounded tighter than most of those bands, had a pretty aggressive sound, yet very clear, and the songs were the perfect mix of nasty and catchy… Also it had a vibe that reminded me of Antaeus’ early work, some mean stuff.
If I’m not wrong, that band set the basis of what later began Purge, who are still active at the moment. They’re definitely worth checking out, although I still wish Daethorn would actually release something more one day. — BST
[Editor's note: No video exists of any Daethorn song, so here's Merrimack.]