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Dissonance has been popping up in some extreme metal (and hardcore) for decades, but the past few years have seen a lot of bands embrace dissonance as a defining feature of their music. Whether these groups come from a death metal or black metal background, I hear a good bit of stylistic convergence going on, so I'd like to gather them under one big disgusting umbrella here and post some links. A lot of this music is intentionally, almost perversely impenetrable, and isn't well-suited for casual listening; if that sounds appealing, awaken your inner masochist and dive in. In the spirit of maximum disorientation (or because I'm impulsive and lazy?), I've posted these in no particular order. I have several more bands to add to this thread when I have time, but feel free to post anything else that fits. ____ Gorguts - "Obscura": from late '90s Canada comes one of the essential founding documents of dissonant death metal. This album (their third full-length) was a bold shift away from tradition for Gorguts, and at the time it was very much an outlier. Brazenly fragmentary blasts, sickly churning grooves, gloomy melodies, haggard and frantic yelling, what's not to love? Gorguts - "Pleiades' Dust": I have to give Gorguts another entry here. The brilliant "Pleiades' Dust" is Gorguts back in their prime with a new lineup, eighteen years after the release of "Obscura". It's not as consistently aggressive as their earlier material, but the common thread is apparent; intricate musicianship, rich atmosphere, and refined, dynamic songwriting show a band eager to push their own boundaries. Ulcerate - "Destroyers Of All": Hailing from New Zealand, this band has been at the forefront of dissonant DM for nearly a decade, putting their stamp on the genre with twisted guitar lines and almost inhumanly complicated drumming, offering long and dismal songs that create a sense of slow, brooding menace despite remaining in nearly constant motion. This album is the one that drew me in, and it's still the one I enjoy the most, with drawn-out melodic ideas and post-metal textures reminiscent of later Isis. Deathspell Omega - "Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum": another one of the most influential bands in the style, this French black metal band is consistently jarring, abrasive, and chaotic, with excellent musicianship. Plebeian Grandstand - "False Highs, True Lows": while we're in France, this group should appeal to DSO fans; I could use the same adjectives to describe them. Tons of energy and aggression on display, with a bit of a hardcore edge at times. Apparently this album was recorded live, which is very impressive to me. Ad Nauseam - "Nihil Quam Vacuitas Ordinatum Est": an Italian band with a lot of similarities to Gorguts and Deathspell Omega, with vocals that often remind me of Marten Hansen (of A Canorous Quintet/October Tide). They've found their own voice in this style, and their energy and dedication to songcraft is obvious; this album manages to be complex and brutal while remaining consistently enjoyable. Mitochondrion - "Parasignosis": dark, murky black/death from Canada, with swirling guitar lines and a vibe that's somehow both hypnotic and pummeling. Portal - "Outre": Remember that time you got hit by an earthquake in the middle of a sandstorm? Almost the definition of murk, this Australian group offers very little to grab onto, basically forcing you to live this record from moment to moment. Abyssal - "Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius": black/death with fragmentary, bludgeoning riffs that are more involved than the overall dark and distorted sound might suggest, conjuring both anger and a sense of melancholy. There's a lot going on here if you dig for it. This album and their debut are fantastic, although I found myself underwhelmed by their latest. Jute Gyte - "Night Is The Collaborator Of Torturers" (from the album "Discontinuities"): microtonal experimental black metal, a solo effort from the impossibly prolific American musician Adam Kalmbach. Unique, unsettlingly bent guitar parts that inhabit an uncanny valley of almost-recognizable tunefulness, with tortured screams that recall Rainer Landfermann's classic performance on "Dictius Te Necare". Most of Jute Gyte's albums are available as name-your-price downloads on Bandcamp; my personal favorites are this one, "Vast Chains", "Verstiegenheit", and "Isolation", but take the plunge for yourself. Krallice - "Ygg Huur": a group of musicians truly on their own path, NYC's Krallice combine discordant riffs with snatches of broken melody and intuitive but precise shifts in meter and tempo to create an immersive journey for anyone who's willing to follow along. The organic sound, melodic sensibility, and passion of black metal with the technical accuracy and structural flexibility to which death metal often aspires. This was recorded live, and watching them perform it live remains a highlight for me. Zhrine - "Unortheta": another phenomenal live act. I was unprepared for how crisp and powerful they would sound; I don't think this recording quite does them justice. Hailing from Iceland, they play an atmospheric and moody brand of blackened DM reminiscent of Ulcerate, but more accessible, with more of a focus on melody and groove. EDIT - full album stream got taken down, here's the opening track. Setentia - "Darkness Transcend": these guys are another group that could accurately be described as "like a more accessible and melodic Ulcerate", and as a result (especially since they're also from New Zealand), I think they tend to be overshadowed. That's a shame. This album has its own voice, apparent in their melodic sense as well as their songwriting style, despite obvious textural similarities. The work and energy they put in shine through. Mortichnia - "Heir To Scoria And Ash": a gloomy Irish group. Melody-driven but discordant post-black metal with pained shrieks, lumbering bass, and crushing atmosphere. Skaphe - "Skaphe 2": Originally from America but now apparently based in Iceland, this duo plays cavernous yet suffocatingly dense black metal shot through with atonal, delay-drenched leads and ghastly howls. Patterns resolve only to disappear, and somehow it remains captivating throughout.
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Some of our current acts Act of Entropy https://actofentropy.bandcamp.com/ an avntgarde jazz/noise/math black metal fusion that started in 2017.... kind of sounds like a blend of John Zorn, Sakoto Fujii, Behold the Arctopus, Imperial Triumphant, Sigh (new album due out end of yr https://arlyxkqwr.bandcamp.com/ an avantgarde noise/disso meets blackened death metal meets pyschedelic war metal. Kind of is reminsicent of Portal and Impetuous Ritual (new album beign recorded now) https://zvylpwkua.bandcamp.com/ an avantgarde jazz death crossover. Kind of is reminsicent of Portal, Gigan, Abhorrent Expanse... (new album due out late summer) These artist you'll find on our BC page Void Meditation Cult - Disso DeathDoom FFO Ulcerate, Void meditation Cult Lux Sine Lumine - Doomgaze, Disso Doom, Doomnoise FFO Later Nadja https://www.instagram.com/centipedeabyss/ (we are trying to get our FB page back due to 2 factor authentication error at FB not sending us log in codes - so have omitted the link until thats sorted) we hand out codes on the IG page from time to time, there should be some Ar'lyxkq'wr - Ss'unnhl codes on there currently https://arlyxkqwr.bandcamp.com/
