Justin Broadrick keeps himself busy enough releasing music and touring as Jesu, it’s hard to believe he has time for anything else.  Yet Broadrick has somehow found time to form a new project with Jarboe, with the duo releasing their debut EP "J2" in mid-March.  The music on "J2" for the most part bears no resemblance to the rest of Broadrick’s work with Jesu and Godflesh, abandoning any heaviness and ambience for Jarboe’s worldly vocals.  In certain passages one can almost hear a trace of Jesu’s sound in the background, except with Broadrick’s vocals replaced by the floating tones of Jarboe’s voice.  

Fans of Jesu’s shoegaze-influenced ambient metal might not take to "J2"’s experimental nature, but they can always turn to Final, Broadrick’s experimental ambient project.  2006’s double-CD release "Final 3" sounds very much like Jesu with the vocals removed: blissful ambience with subtle melodies worked in, sluggish and simple yet emotional and expressive.  "Final 3" and the previous two albums are available through Amazon.com, as well as Broadrick’s own Avalanche Inc store.

According to Avalanche, Final will also be releasing a limited-edition picture disc vinyl LP titled "Afar" this year.  You can keep up with the latest news on all things Broadrick-related through the Justin K Broadrick news blog. 

Like France’s genre-bending Alcest, the U.K.’s one-man band Caïna blends elements of black metal with elements of post-rock and shoegaze, creating a style that is completely his own.  While Alcest’s music has an enveloping, dream-like quality, Caïna’s style is more deliberate and contemplative, with long melancholic acoustic passages giving way to sections of anguished ambient blackness.

Caïna’s lone member, .A., is quite forthcoming about his musical interests and influences.  He maintains a blog detailing his listening habits and musical history, although it now appears he prefers to post on the Caïna MySpace page, where you can check out his Top 20 albums of 2007, among other things.

Both of Caïna’s releases last year, the "Mourner" album and the "I, Mountain" 3" on God Is Myth, are now sold out.  Amazon.com still appears to have a few copies of "Mourner" in stock though, and you may be able to find some other Caïna releases over at Aquarius Records.

Caïna has quite a bit of new music planned for 2008.  A new full-length titled "Temporary Antennae" will be released in the fall on Profound Lore, and two splits, a 7" with Krieg and a 10" with Process of Guilt, are both slated for late Spring/early Fall.  Caïna’s MySpace page currently has a sample up from the "Temporary Antennae" album.

 
Fairly well-known in their own country but severely underappreciated everywhere else, Poland’s Kobong was a highly original progressive metal/math metal band active in the mid 90’s.  Resembling Meshuggah both vocally and in their penchant for polyrhythmic mayhem, Kobong produced songs full of jazzy chords, thrashy technical riffing and spastic time-changes well before it became ‘trendy’ to do so.  Add in crazed, heavily-accented Polish vocals, and you get something that’s both heavy hitting and just plain fun to listen to.

Kobong disbanded after recording two albums, 1996’s "Kobong" and 1998’s "Chmury Nie Bylo."  After much searching, I’ve concluded that it’s basically impossible to purchase a copy of either album, at least in the U.S, so I don’t feel too bad posting download links.  These may or may not work:

Kobong - "Kobong"

Kobong - "Chmury Nie Bylo" Part 1

Kobong - "Chmury Nie Bylo" Part 2

The song ‘Przeciwko’ was apparently used in the Polish soundtrack for "Trainspotting."  Check out the video for ‘Przeciwko’ on YouTube.  Several members of Kobong have also formed a new band called Neuma, which plays a similar style of music.

Hailing from the same country as metal giants Behemoth and Vader, Poland’s Lux Occulta somehow managed to slip under the radar despite releasing one of black metal’s most original records, 2003’s "The Mother and the Enemy."  Pulling together a mixture of various styles in a way that’s almost unheard of in black metal, the album mixes blasting black metal passages with stop-start jazz rhythms and numerous other influences.  From the band themselves:

"Half of the album is sick and technical extreme metal and the other half is trip-hop and some contemporary avant-garde stuff. People either love it or hate it. Us included."

Their label did nothing to promote the album, and eventually folded, leaving the band scrambling to find a new label or perhaps just release the album for free.  Finally in 2007 the album got a proper re-release, and is now available worldwide.  Fans of technical metal should definitely check this out, and open-minded black metal fans should dig it as well.   

Apparently the band is now on hiatus, but may put out more work in the future.  You can check the Lux Occulta MySpace page or the Lux Occulta Official Website (less frequently updated) for the latest news on the band, along with some sample songs.

Before 1998’s experimental technical metal masterpiece "Obscura," Canadian death metallers Gorguts released two quality albums with almost a completely different lineup - 1991’s "Considered Dead" and 1993’s "The Erosion of Sanity."  The latter album began to show a bit of the experimental direction that the band’s sound would take, but both albums generally keep to a much more conventional death metal style, more on par with what Suffocation, Cryptopsy and others were doing around that time.  The opener ‘…And Then Comes Lividity’ on "Considered Dead" is also one of the most menacing acoustic songs I’ve heard.

Both early Gorguts albums have been recently re-released in two different forms, so there’s really no excuse for death metal fans not to pick them up.  Roadrunner Records, which released the original versions, has resurfaced both albums on one disc as part of their "Two From The Vault" series.  Polish label Metal Mind Productions has also released remastered versions of both albums.  The question is, which version should you buy?

While the Metal Mind versions are remastered and thus should have better sound quality, you’ll have to buy two albums at import prices.  The Roadrunner disc combines both albums under price of a single CD, so if you’re looking for the best value it should be a no-brainer.  One thing to note though - the Metal Mind remasters both include two bonus tracks each which aren’t included on the Roadrunner disc.  So, if you’re one of those people that have to have every single track the band has released, or if the sound quality is important to you, the Metal Mind versions might be the better option.

If you’re still thirsty for more Gorguts, check out Negativa, a new project featuring former Gorguts guitarists Luc Lemay and Steeve Hurdle.  They’ve relased a self-titled EP, and are currently working on their first full length.

Grails is an instrumental rock band from Portland, Oregon, who blend various styles and creative instrumentation into their sound.  Their sound can at times be described as ambient, psychadelic, dark and doomy, improvisational, Eastern-tinged, and folk-influenced. 

Grails is an extremely entertaining live band, even if you’ve never heard their music before.  Members frequently switch instruments, and the band also utilizes various unconventional percussion instruments, such as shakers and tambourines.  The diversity and complexity of Grails’ sound comes across suprisingly well in a live environment, resulting in performances that are both unique and powerful.

The band is on a short US tour this fall:

Nov 13 : Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC with OM & Jack Rose
Nov 14 : Club Europa, Brooklyn, NY with OM & Jack Rose
Nov 15 : Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA with OM
Nov 16 : Knitting Factory, New York, NY with OM
Nov 17 : The Loft, Brattleboro, VT with OM & Jack Rose
Nov 18 : Middle East, Boston, MA with OM & Jack Rose
Dec 01 : Chop Suey, Seattle, WA with EARTH

You can also check out Grails at Amazon MP3 for a couple inexpensive Grails albums, including 2007’s "Burning Off Impurities." 

France’s Deathspell Omega have acquired a reputation as one of black metal’s most innovative and talented bands, and after hearing any of their last 3 releases, it’s easy to see why.  2004’s "Si Monumentum Reqvires, Circvmspice" the 2005 EP "Kenose" showcased the band’s sudden evolution into one of the most creative bands in the scene.  The highly anticipated 2007 release "Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum" cemented their reputation, taking the sound of previous releases to even greater heights of sophistication and technicality. 

Sandwiched between these releases were two highly sought-after compilations featuring some of Deathspell Omega’s finest work.  For the compilation "From the Entrails to the Dirt," the band contributed a 19-minute track entitled ‘Mass Grave Aesthetics.’  While the album also contains songs from Mutiilation, Antaeus and Malicious Secrets, Deathspell Omega’s work is easily the highlight. 

The band also recorded the track ‘Diabolus Absconditus’ for "Crushing the Holy Trinity," a massive, 3CD compilation also featuring excellent songs from Clandestine Blaze, Exordium, Stabat Mater, and others.  Some fans point to ‘Diabolus Absconditus’ as Deathspell Omega’s finest work, and they may have a point - the 22 minute opus features blasts of harsh black metal, lengthy brooding acoustic passages, brilliant dynamic contrast, thoughtful lyrics, and another excellent vocal performance by Mikko Aspa. 

San Francisco’s Aquarius Records claims to have some copies of "From the Entrails to the Dirt" available.   Unfortunately, most stores have sold out of the "Crushing the Holy Trinity" CDs by now.  It may pay to inquire at Zion’s Gate as to whether they have any copies - I’ve seen a copy or two there recently.  You can also listen to samples from both compilations at the Aquarius site.

If you’re searching for some truly frightening music, look no further than the U.K.’s The Axis of Perdition.  They cite urban decay, H.P. Lovecraft and the Silent Hill series as influences, and the closest musical comparison would be extreme black metal acts such as Blut Aus Nord, Anaal Nathrakh, Stalaggh, and Spektr.  The band has progressed from a highly aggressive, scathing black metal sound to much more abstract, dark/black ambient territory on the most recent releases.

2003’s "The Ichneumon Method" was The Axis’s most black metal (and most musical) release, although even this album abandons many typical black metal elements:  a drum machine is used, the production is very high-quality, and song structure is almost non-existent.  Think newer Blut Aus Nord releases, except with the speed and aggression cranked way up.  One track features eerie soundscapes accompanying spoken excerpts from a Stephen King short story, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu Mythos.

The 2004 EP "Physical Illucinations in the Sewer of Xuchilbara," is a blend of the band’s hyper-aggressive black metal and the industrial/ambient sound of later releases.  This release is also where the band’s Silent Hill influence is perhaps most evident, coloring everything from the samples to the overall atmosphere, and even the album title itself.   Limited to 666 copies, this EP is extremely difficult to find, although you might have some success with Aquarius Records.  

2005’s "Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital" is much in the same vein as the previous EP, although the ambient elements are more effective and refined on this album.  Overall probably The Axis’s most disturbing release, all aspects of the band’s sound come together to create a horrifying aural portrait of another world.  This release is also fairly difficult to find, so it’s quite fortunate that Amazon.com is offering it for MP3 download.

The Axis of Perdition’s MySpace page mentions that two more albums are currently in the works.  The first, titled "Grief of the Unclean,"  is apparently a 2-disc album, and is tentatively scheduled for release some time in November.  The second release, entitled "Tenements Of The Anointed Flesh," should appear in 2008. 

Also recently released is the album "Perichoresis" by Pulsefear, a dark ambient band from which The Axis of Perdition ultimately grew.