TOP 14 ALBUMS OF 2015

STATEMENT ABOUT STU'S REVIEWS

There have been no reviews posted since October 6th, that is due to serious health problems which have left me in constant physical pain and resulting in a fair amount of depression, this is still ongoing.

All review copies sent to me since that date have been deleted and no further promos have been downloaded, this will remain the situation until my health returns, i have already spoken with a numer of record company pr people on this subject.

So until i can sort myself out, there will be no more posts after this one.

TOP 14 ALBUMS OF 2015

So been a good year for music, quite a lot of interesting and original albums being produced, these are my personal choices from what has landed in my inbox or been sent to me.

STU

01.GALLEY BEGGAR - SILENCE & TEARS

02.PYOGENESIS - A CENTURY IN THE CURSE OF TIME

03.WITH THE DEAD - WITH THE DEAD

04.THE DAY OF LOCUSTS - FROM THE GUTTER TO THE GODS

05.THE DEEP - PREMONITION

06.NORSE - PEST

07.LUCIFER - LUCIFER 1

08.VALENTINE WOLFE - THE NIGHTINGALE: A GOTHIC FAIRYTALE

09.SOLDIER - DEFIANT

10,AGUE - POWERED BY EFFLUVIA

11.AL B DAMNED - FOR OLD TIMES STAKE

12.DESERT - NEVER REGRET

13.MEKIGAH - LITLOST

14.ALBATROSS - FEAR FROM THE SKIES

Mekigah - Litost (CD Review)

01.Total Cessation Of One
02.The Sole Dwelling
03.Arangutia
04.By Force Of Breath
05.Sa FII Al Dracului
06.Wurrmbu
07.Circuitous Revenge
08.Mokuy
09.An Overbearing Insanity
10.Bir Yun

Vis Ortis (Vocals/All Instruments)
T.K. Bollinger (Vocals)
Axiam Ziltch (Guitar)

Mekigah is a unique act from Australia formed in 2008, creating a mixture of Black/Doom/Metal and ambient soundscapes.
The record company adds; "It will not appeal to everyone - but at the same time people who appreciate many underground or metal sub-genres will be impressed by this".

So we begin with 'Total Cessation Of One', strange synth sounds and weird vocal f/x, nothing else but layer upon layer of sound.

Heavy distortion chords and more synth weirdness and i am starting to get an understanding of what Vis Ortis is creating here.'The Sole Dwelling' keeps the noise in the background and adds some doom drum patterns and more guitar then comes in an eveil sounding vocal, borderline avant-garde funeral doom, but creates something you can barley listen to.
Now that is not a bad thing here, back in 2006 there were 2 cd's by Occupier, music that was described as a soundtrack to a torture chamber and unlistenable, except that it was listened to in the same way that Merzbow is.

So this music is very difficult to review without sounding negative (which it is not menat to be) you see each of these pieces are long slow, torturous, have little than you can pick up on in the way of a hook or chorus, they are not even nice to listen to, its a nightmare of the worst kind made real through sound manipulation.
Yes there is the occasional piece that has a solid rhythm played out on a cymbal or drum beat.

Some may view this as just a series of noise layered upon more, but its not, the more you listen the more you can see the method in the madness and a solid structure forming.

Think of the werid/spoken passages in the early Axis Of perdition albums, its that kind of style but as a whole body of work.

Rating 10/10
For fans of: Merzbow, Exorium/Occupier, Axis Of Perdition, Zweitstein