Robert's Top Albums Thing 2013

As the end of 2013 draws near I can already hear people talking about their plans for next year, their NYE resolutions as well. At this point, I'd like to abuse my power as a Tzeeeac member: Robert’s Favorite Albums of 2013. The list is composed of rather unorthodox entries which would normally get me a pretty bad reputation, but I’ve posted a Drake review before so here it goes :^) :

As a typical disclaimer I'd like to state that they are in no order of preference and should be regarded as such.

Miley Cyrus - Bangerz

Let me start by saying that this album is pretty solid, singles like We won't stop and Wrecking ball make it a new type of music, maybe some of her actions are questionable but this one surely was not. Her voice is good, the beats were good and the themes varied and beautifully expressed.

8,5/10 AND WE CAN'T STOP, AND WE WON'T STOP!

The Strokes - Comedown Machine

This release from my favorite band didn't really impress me that much, but I do admire their change capabilities, Julian's falsetto being a genuinely impressive addition to their eclectic discography. It is an album which makes me melancholic and strangely happy.

7,5/10 - I was expecting a tad more.

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience part I

Amazing is the only word fit to describe such a release, not that I would be expecting anything less from JT , absolutely every detail of every song is close to perfection into it's own way. Justin Timberlake has great ideas, themes, collaborations and such. Excellent work Justin. Tied with a certain album, I'd rank this my favorite of the year.

10/10 Let the Groove get in!

Jay Z - Magna Carta... Holy Grail

Magna Carta... Holy Grail is a rather interesting album from many points of view, Jay Z managed to take mainstream rap and turn it chic, mixing fame and glory with emotions and creating one of the most inspiring and successful albums of 2013, regardless of his deal with Samsung. Cool songs: Picasso baby, Holy Grail, Tom Ford.

~7,5/10 Jay, that was decent.

Kanye West - Yeezus.

While I may have said that the albums are not in any order, I can definitely say this is the album of the year for me. The innovations brought about are simply astonishing, beats, singing styles, themes, advertising, everything was incredibly well planned and executed. I mean come one, projecting New Slaves across the world on buildings before the album came out , that was awesome.

~10/10 KanYe make some more?

Tyler, The Creator - Wolf

Golf Wang leader Wolf Haley released a very nice album in April, the themes are unsurprisingly dark, twisted, and pretty well exposed. The lyrical content is haunting yet hyperactive and obviously vulgar; Tyler managed to throw in his past and expose the real him. Good effort, I really enjoyed it.

8/10 Tallullah Willis in Tamale

Other albums which were great:

Arctic Monkeys - AM

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience part II

Daft Punk - R.A.M.

ASAP FERG - Hood pope

ASAP ROCKY - Long. Live. ASAP

Drake - Nothing was the same

Marco's Top Albums of 2013

I've wasted more time doing this in Paint than writing the whole fucking article.

2013 has been a great year, both for me as a  reviewer and music in general. Despite not having listened to a whole lot of music because being a college drop-out is a time consuming state to be in and that nacho department from the grocery store ain't emptying itself,  it sure was diversified as fuck. Jazz, indie, electro, hip-hop, pop, hardcore, you name it.

So here are my favorite albums of the year, in a random order:

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Daft Punk is the first electronic act I made contact with years ago and I couldn't wait for RAM to be released. I know there are other bands out there who do a great job and are full of potential, but let's face it: only Daft Punk has the gear, talent, vision and experience to create something like RAM. While Kraftwerk has pioneered electronic music, Daft Punk mastered it. From nostalgia-infused tracks like Giorgio for Moroder and The Game of Love, soul-crushing musical pieces like Instant Crush and Within to groovy, shakethatbootyish gems like Get Lucky and Loose Yourself to Dance, RAM is a welcomed fucking return from the french duo who have fortunately gotten over the barren creative period they were traversing.

Perturbator - Sexualizer EP

80's inspired synthwave concept album about a drug addicted porn star who goes on a killing spree, ends up in prison and discovers that his actions may be part of some kind conspiracy.  Are we having fun yet?

This Routine is Hell - Howl

How can I NOT feature the first hardcore act ever to leave an impact on me? I just couldn't. This fucking thing has been haunting me from the moment I pressed ''play'' for the first time and I still listen to it when I'm on my way to college or to do some boring bureaucratic bullshit. There's nothing like watching an overweight, middle aged secretary whose husband is gone on voyages for most of the year because she makes his life a living hell getting red-faced and screaming at some young attractive students who had the audacity to ask for her support in filling some important college-related forms while the lead singer of TRH is shouting some lyrics about corporate soullessness and mediocrity.

YC The Cynic - GNK

GNK is one of those albums whose meaning and message I haven't truly gotten a grasp of, yet I still enjoy it as if I did. The witty lyrics, impeccable flow and top-notch production make it a joy to listen to. I might go so far as to say that it's on the same level with Jedi Mind Tricks' The Psycho Social, but that would be like poking Jesus with a stick on a Sunday afternoon. Suffice to say, while they're both as heavy and cerebral as a hip-hop album can get, GNK achieves the same level of depth without being hard to digest.

Black Sugar Transmission - The Glamour Pantomime

Mixing high-pitched industrial sounds, glam rock, synths and distorted guitars with lyrics that focus on sexual depravity and drug abuse might not sound like a good idea in theory, but Black Sugar Transmission pulled it off masterfully. If I could summarize this whole soul sucking, paranoia inducing themed roller coaster of an album in only one word, that would be fun. Fun fun fun. It's colorful, charming and full of personality. Go check it out, you horse fuckers.

Loungerie II - Devaro

I have already talked about this into great detail so I won't repeat myself. It's a great psych, funk, jazzy kind of indie album with some elements of post-rock thrown into the mix just to confuse you more. They've ditched the rap segments, upped the production values and delivered a more focused and mature album. More!

Tumbleweed Dealer - Tumbleweed Dealer

Tumbleweed Dealer is kind of a grower for me because I didn't enjoy it when I first heard it. At all. I found it to be boring and superficial. It really bummed me out because I'm a big fan of stoner-related media and I needed some good stoner music running in the background while I was calculating how much money I needed to score some decent weed for me and my friends. But as time went on and the workload for college got heavier along with the stress associated with it, I came to appreciate Tumbledweed Dealer for what it truly is: a bluesy picturesque trip through the hot, inhospitable southern swamps and Saharan Desert. It's the kind of music you would expect a lizard to listen to while relaxing on a rock under the burning sun after a hard day of fucking his pretty lizard-wife.





Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Experience

Sexy album, sexy beats, sexy rhythms, sexy Justin. He's not the first mainstream musician to go for this noire aesthetic (see Christina Aguilera and, to a lesser extent, Fergie) but he sure is the first one to do it right. Having gained such a negative connotation, I feel guilty even to include him into the mainstream category.  I mean, come on, 10 minute long pop songs?! Madness! No fillers? Also unheard of. What more can I say about 20/20 that hasn't been already been said? Get over your preconceptions and give it a try. You'll have a blast, I can guarantee for it.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Arcade Fire - Reflektor

clipping. - midcity

Whores - Clean

Samsara Blues Experiment - Waiting For The Flood

Action Jackson - Miami System EP

Local Natives - Hummingbird

The Knife - Shaking the Habitual

ASAP Rocky - Long. Live. ASAP

Dropkick Murphys - Signed and Sealed in Blood

Inspectah Deck and 7L & Esoteric - Czarface

Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die

Placebo - Loud Like Love

Chester's Best Albums of 2013

So here's the deal: I haven't listened to shit this year and now it's come back to bite me in the ass. There's a flurry of amazing black metal, death metal, doom metal, sludge metal, crust, drone, post-rock (and any combination thereof) albums released this year and I haven't gotten the chance to properly listen to most of them. I'll chuck the ones I can remember at the end of the list, with the promise of getting into them later. The actual list consists of 10 albums I have been listening to over and over this year, in alphabetical order. These are the ones I'm absolutely obsessed with, my personal cream of the crop. See you in 2014!

Arctic Monkeys – AM

Well, I may have been a bit rash in my review earlier this year. As long-time friend and occasional TZEEEAC reader OSD pointed out (while screaming and flailing his arms around in frustrated anger), this one’s a grower. While I’m still not crazy about certain songs, AM has definitely wrapped itself around me and I can safely hail it as another triumph for the Arctic Monkeys. It’s full of catchy, memorable songs, ranging from soft, sentimental ballads like I Wanna Be Yours and Fireside to rock-out-with-your-cock-out anthems like R U Mine and all the way to hip-hop flavored late-night tunes like Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?. There’s no stopping these guys!

Deafheaven – Sunbather

The absolute kings of Marco black metal, Deafheaven have taken the entire underground by storm with their sophomore album, Sunbather. It’s a monster of an album, flawlessly executing and perfecting the formula of shoegazing post-black metal or whatever the fuck you wanna call it. Emotional, introspective lyrics snarled over meditative yet aggressive guitar riffs and some of the best drumming I’ve seen in a while, plus wonderful cover art and a highly charismatic lead singer – Deafheaven have it all and it’s no surprise Sunbather has received unanimous praise. It’s just that good.

Ghost BC – Infestissunam

The highly-anticipated second album by Ghost enthralled me with its lush melodies, luxuriant atmosphere, stellar production, insanely catchy songs and some of the most memorable choruses I’ve ever heard. There’s not one bad song on this record (although there are two kinda boring ones…), in fact, most of them are excellent and they bring out the best in Papa Emeritus II’s brilliant voice and the Nameless Ghouls’ knack for writing some of the best pop-rock tunes around. Come together for Lucifer’s son!

Ghost BC – If You Have Ghost EP

It was high time Ghost gathered their amazing covers on one release because I almost feel that their covers are better than their own songs. Even though I’d rather they include the Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” cover  (strangely missing from this EP) instead of yet another boring  live rendition of Secular Haze that nobody cares about, If You Have Ghost is a lovely collection of covers of songs by Roky Ericson, ABBA, Army of Lovers and Depeche Mode and I don’t feel bad in the slightest for having two Ghost releases in my end-of-the-year list. Truly, if you have Ghost, you have everything!

Kazi Ploae - Silent Regis EP

By far my favorite Romanian rapper (out of the few I actually have a deep passion for) and definitely the brightest one in the underground scene, Kazi Ploae has crawled out of his grave once more and teamed up with acclaimed producer Silent Strike to deliver one of the best hip-hop releases of the year. The Silent Regis EP mixes Kazimir’s intricate, intelligent lyrics and flawless vocal delivery with Silent Strike’s ambient-infused electronic backdrops into five tracks that I’ve been listening to over and over for the past… 10 months? Holy shit! If there’s one must-listen Romanian release of 2013, this is definitely it.

FREE DOWNLOAD COURTESY OF BANANA SOCIETY

Locrian - Return to Annihilation

Highly atmospheric electro/drone/black metal that evokes terrifying visions of worlds forming and crumbling, with tons of textures, noises, horrific shrieks and minimalistic drumming – in a word, Locrian. Their new album might not be as haunting as The Crystal World, but it’s an excellent release by these noise-mongers, nonetheless. Cool videos, too.

Modern Life Is War – Fever Hunting

I’ve never even listened to these guys before, but Modern Life Is War hooked me instantly with their energetic brand of hardcore punk, chock-full of memorable riffs, tight drumming, great vocals and inspiring lyrics. I’m gonna listen to Health, Wealth and Peace forever. 

Perturbator - Sexualizer EP

"Meet Jimmy, an actor on the set of his new blockbuster film: "Sexualizer". Jimmy is a porn star, and unfortunately for him, a drug addict. Ever since Jimmy's agent hooked him up with a new strain of Angel Dust, his grip on reality has started to slip. When the tension is too high and the girls are too hot, Jimmy can't help but start brutally killing anyone who gets in his way. But when Jimmy is caught and ends up in prison, the line between reality and drug-induced fantasy begins to blur, and he soon discovers that all of his actions may have been part of "Sexualizer" plot..." 

This description sounds fucking amazing, but the best part is the music totally lives up to the expectations. Perturbator really outdid himself this time and conjured five tracks of 80s-inspired synthwave that’s been on heavy rotation since the day it was released. C’est magnifique!

Touche Amore - Is Survived By

Another well-known hardcore punk band I wasn’t aware of until Volo introduced me to it, Touche Amore has quickly become one of my favorite bands ever. Why? Well, because 1) they play some of the best melodic hardcore around; 2) the emotional, instantly-relatable lyrics might actually prompt you to make some changes in your life and 3) they are just a bunch of sweet boys singing, touring, laughing and having fun together. I can definitely get behind all these positive feelings!

Umberto – Confrontations

Umberto aka Matt Hill moves away from his giallo-inspired soundtracks and into hard sci-fi territory with Confrontations and pulls it off without breaking a sweat. I’ve been listening to this since it came out back in February and I still listen to it on the reg. Music to get abducted by UFOs to!

OTHER GREAT SHIT/HONORABLE MENTIONS/STUFF I HAVEN'T LISTENED TO PROPERLY:

Occultist - Death Sigils
An Autumn for Crippled Children - Try Not to Destroy Everything You Love
Valerinne - Arborescent
YOUTH CODE - YOUTH CODE
Wreck And Reference - No Content
All Pigs Must Die – Nothing Violates This Nature
Altar Of Plagues – Teethed Glory And Injury
Nails – Abandon All Life
Katechon - Man, God, Giant
Aosoth - IV: Arrow In Heart
Leucosis - Leucosis
Torture Chain - Mutilating Astral Entities
Fister - Gemini
Nightslug - Dismal Fucker
The Body - Christs, Redeemers…
Bottom Feeder - Grinding Teeth
TesseracT - Altered State
Russian Circles - Memorial
Hope Drone - Hope Drone
Sun Worship - Surpass Eclipse
Malthusian - MMXIII
Leprous - Coal
Samsara Blues Experiment - Waiting for the Flood
This Routine Is Hell - Howl
Death Grips - Government Plates
No Omega - Shame
Horseback - A Plague of Knowing
Clipping - midcity
Whores - Clean
Enforcer - Death by Fire
Pissed Jeans - Honeys
Echo Park - Deluge
Oathbreaker - Eros|Anteros
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Mind Control
Kadavar - Abra Kadavar
Church Whip - Psychedelic Nightmare
Blockheads - This World Is Dead
Cloud Rat - Moksha
Rotting Christ - Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού
Rotten Sound - Species at War
Portal - Vexovoid
Njiqahdda - Serpents in the Sky

Propagandhi - Failed States (2012)

I don't know what is it about December that it always turns out to be some sort of visual/auditory revelation. Be it either music or movies, this last month of the year has the knack of permanently altering my 'top 10 whatever list'.

I was recommended this album after first hearing the opening track, Note To Self. Of a more dwindling nature, with swelling guitars and emerging compositions that reminded me highly of the likes of Tool and such, Note To Self is a beast of an opener. However, I was told the band plays punk, yet this had absolutely nothing to do with it. Thus, I became intrigued.

Turns out it actually is a punk record, albeit not in the style you might expect. You see, this band is pretty old (founded in 1986); however, since I'm not into this genre, I had no idea that they even existed. And while I would have loved to see a full record made only of tracks like Note To Self, the rest of the songs also deliver completely in terms on simple, unadulterated awesomeness.

From the thrashy, evil riffs on Rattan Cane to the pure punk mosh pit enticing Status Update, from the blistering bass and solos on Cognitive Suicide to the WTF! moment on Things I Like, from those all the way to the somewhat effervescent and apocalyptic closer Duplicate Keys Icaro, this thirty seven minute album has its way of mixing metal, hardcore, progressive and a full mature punk sound in ways I could never have though possible, while at the same time feeling as weighty as any good post-metal/sludge record out there.

It is indeed a release that should appeal to any music enthusiast, regardless of personal preferences. If it doesn't for you, then you should seriously consider a mental health check.

Or not. It's your choice anyway, only know that you're missing out on an excellent piece of music.

Astrakhan - The Pillarist EP (2013)

Long-time TZEEEAC readers will undoubtedly remember that Canadian metal and Chester wondering why the fuck Canada is such a breeding ground for amazing metal music are recurring themes on this blog. Well, it's that time again! The time were we showcase another kickass Canadian band.

This time, Vancouver residents Astrakhan are in the spotlight. Their new EP The Pillarist is simply put a sonic Godzilla, laying somewhere between the borders of sludge, doom and heavy metal. Huge, Mastodon-like riffs combine with soaring vocals, excellent drumming, catchy hooks and blistering solos to define the sound of one of Canada's most promising new metal acts. In absence of any other words, one could say this EP simply ROCKS and that would be enough to warrant a listen. Except I've been banging my head to these two tracks for the past two days, so that would be somewhat misleading.

As I've said before, hailing from Canada is a great way to know that a metal band is probably really fucking good. Astrakhan are no exception to the rule and you should check out these two songs. Then you can join me in hoping these guys will put out a full-length album. They sure sound like they've got the chops to pull it off.

http://www.astrakhanofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/astrakhanofficial

Whores - Clean (2013)

Just to be clear, I'm not going to make any stupid jokes about the band's name. If that's the only reason you came here, well, tough luck. 

I've come to the sudden realization that as I get older, I'm more bent towards heavier music. The 15 year old Marco that fancied Portishead, Massive Attack, Telepopmusik, Bat for Lashes and Emiliana Torrini would be trembling of horror and disgust at the mere sight of the chubby, long-haired bearded 20 year old Marco that can't go to sleep without playing that filthy stoner-metal track one more time.

So here I am, drinking my coffee at 1 in the afternoon listening to Whores' (still not doing it) second album Clean (fuck off). I'm aware of the fact that I might not be in the position to review anything louder than a fly flying aimlessly around your room, but since my colleagues have jobs and stuff, I might as well do it.

Shits and giggles aside, Clean is a filthy noise-rock album that will absolutely wreck your speakers. I've been listening to this thing for hours, my head hurts like shit and I just can't stop. The bass lines are ridiculous, the riffs will instill in you a life-threating impulse to air-guitar like a fucking maniac and the drumming is nothing short of wonderful. While the lead singer went undoubtedly bonkers throughout Clean, he alternates between distorted and straight up natural screaming, giving the album a ''kinda noise-sludge-heavy, but not really'' flavor and making it more appealing to newbies (like me). In consequence, while being heavy and ear-bleedingly loud, it's also groovy, catchy and weirdly hummable. The lack of experimentation and the straightforward nature of the album could be a major turn-off for some people, but not everything should be meant to set new barriers and revolutionize. What matters for me is the presentation, and if it's coupled with a few neat gimmicks, I'm okay with it. 

Clean is a simple no-bullshit album. If the pure, raw noise, goofy presentation and dry humor isn't enough to satisfy your exquisite taste in music, well, your mom's a whore.

Bandcamp
Facebook

Samsara Blues Experiment - Waiting for the Flood (2013)

The most holy shit! submission we've received this year on the TZEEEAC email has got to be the inconspicuous message from Christian Peters, guitarist for psychedelic stoner kings Samsara Blues Experiment who also runs the Electric Magic record label, announcing us that his band was about to release a new album titled Waiting for the Flood. Oh, and he included a link for us to download and listen to it in advance. mind = blown. Definitely the biggest email-related surprise of this year and definitely something I never expected back in 2011, when we started this website. 

So, is it any good? "Well that's a dumb fucking question", said everyone who's ever listened to this band, "it's Samsara Blues Experiment, how could it NOT be good?" And you're spot on, fellow SBE fans. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that Waiting for the Flood is their best album yet. Featuring 4 tracks, each one blowing past the 10 minute mark, this album is the cosmic journey old-timey Romanian astronaut Dumitru Prunariu wishes he could have taken, if only he'd had a stash of those hard-ass '70s psychedelic drugs everyone in the rest of Europe was raving about. Alas, this was not the case, unfortunately, and instead he had a boring 8-day trip in outer space where he just performed a bunch of stupid science experiments. 

The dudes in Samsara Blues Experiment seem to have taken a space trip of their own, with a small detour in the Orient and the destination set to the Riff-filled Land. Striking a perfect balance between improvisation and structured songwriting, SBE have created a monster of an album, featuring '70s-inspired psych rock, heavy stoner riffs and a clear taste for long, spaced-out jams that just spiral out of control like in some crazy fever dream. The one thing that will stick with you, apart from the insane guitar solos, is the sheer HEAVINESS of the guitars and bass. Every riff they pull sounds massive, while Richard's groovy bass lines rumble away like the engines of a space shuttle, backed by the pounding drums, courtesy of drummer Thomas Vedder. 

Needless to say, Waiting for the Flood is an album that lends itself well to obsessive, repeated listens. I've been listening to it on and off for about a month and I still feel I'm nowhere close to discovering all of the different movements, parts, riffs, licks, jams and solos of each track. There's so much variety and weird-tasting meat to be gnawed off these bones, it's unreal. 

I'd like to thank the guys in Samsara Blues Experiment both for creating this amazing work of art and for being kind enough to share it with us. As for you, reader, you should crank up the volume and give this a spin, ASAP! It'll take you places you never knew existed. Just be sure to buckle up beforehand. It's gonna be one hell of a ride!

http://www.samsarabluesexperiment.com/

Relentless - Souls of Charon (2013)

I think it was spring (or early summer) when I found out that these guys were releasing their debut (here be the article, but the youtube link is dead, so that doesn´t really matter anymore; for reference, the track was Souls of Charon, instrumental version). Time passed, the record was postponed, and after that I forgot about all the fuss.

Yet I´m here writing the review, ain´t I? 

I remembered about this album a couple of weeks ago and almost every day since then I´ve been giving it at least one spin, if not five or six. Now, for a record that barely hits the 35 minute mark, you might think it´s an absolute masterpiece. The truth, however, is in the eyes of the beholder. Or ears, in this case.

You see, Souls of Charon has some excellent instrumentation. The riffs are catchy, solos have actual melody behind them and the rhythm section is spot on. However, with the exception of the closing title track which fares well from start to finish, the rest of the songs take a little while to get interesting and that usually happens at around the half point of each. This is where the doom elements take a seat back and maidenesque, galloping riffs take their place.

With that said, we´ve come to the actual problem of this record: the vocals. To say that they are off-putting would be the most diplomatic way of handling things, and I´m going to do just that. With melodies that mostly follow the solo guitar, without any individual contribution, a nasal tonality buried deep in the mix (compared to the clearness of all the other instruments) and a very limited range, the vocal performance of Carlee Jackson is, and I´m sad to have to say this, the weakest element of this recording. 

But then again, I´ve been listening to this record for the last couple of weeks, so what´s the catch? 

There isn´t one, I tell you, however every time I hit the second half of Better Off Dead, the uplifting solo work of Forever Damned or the monstrously epic feeling that pours out of the title track, I can´t just shake the feeling that Souls of Charon, the album, if it were to benefit from a re-release where all the issues that currently plague it would be handled, it could just very well become the masterpiece heavy metal record (in vein with all the 70´s and 80´s kings) of the current decade.

Meanwhile, you´re free to have a listen on their bandcamp page, and please tell me if you happen to feel the same way.

This Is Ghost! Country - Dog Days EP (2013)

Remember these guys from back in the summer? Well if you don´t, be nice and make their acquaintance NOW.

And after you´ve familiarized yourself with that record, go listen to their opportunely baptized Dog Days EP, and watch out for even more stuff that works like a charm with their style: crazy solos (which the previous lacked), even more aggressive riffs and some sick bass lines to go on top of all that cherry chocolate.

Wait, did I just say chocolate? Forget all that, go get the full CAKE from here!

În Criptă - A Forest of Ambiances (2009)

It looks like my activity on this website has reduced to precisely dick these past few months. Normally I'd be pretty bummed about it, but seeing how great life outside blogging about obscure blackened post-drone bands has turned out lately, I'm not too worried. My writing dry spells come and go, as the TZEEEAC years have shown, so I'm pretty sure I'll return to full blogging form at some point in the future. 

Anyway, for today's sporadic contribution, I decided to be a bit cheeky and show off some of my own music. My close friends (read: very big nerds that happen to know me for several years) are familiar with the now-legendary În Criptă, my one-man bedroom black metal/ambient/drone band that I was (too) actively involved in about 4-5 years ago. Basically, it was just me fucking around with a guitar and FL Studio while being heavily influenced by BEZNĂ TVCI, the true kings of Romanian bedroom black metal. I've managed to be quite prolific, releasing (read: uploading on Rapidshare and posting on forums about it) 6 albums, mixing black metal, drone, ambient soundscapes and field recordings in various quantities and with varying degrees of success. 

Hearing everything again after all these years is weird and slightly endearing. Some of the songs are terrible, while others are amazing and they make me wonder "damn, you magnificent bastard, how the hell did you record these sounds?". A Forest of Ambiances is În Criptă's most ambient-sounding release and also the most soothing one, relying heavily on synth pads, simplistic programmed drums and some field recordings. I've probably fallen asleep while listening to it multiple times in the past. 

And now you can too! I've discovered it's still up on my Mediafire account, so you can download it, have a listen and tell me what you think. I'm currently uploading the other albums too, so I might make a follow-up post and include the full discography. I am not above self-promotion. 

INVOKE

this is me trying to be Burzum dont hate pls