CURSED CEMETERY - Magma Transmigration

Of course I'll still be writing about 2024 releases here for a while. And if you're thinking I'm only covering the forgetable rest now, you couldn't be more wrong. With more spins and time of consideration some of the albums you're still going to see here might even have made it into my annual list of favorites.

Cursed Cemetery for example have delivered a successor to their 2022 Blackened Doom masterpiece "A Forgotten Epitaph", which is a 2024 highlight of the genre.

CURSED CEMETERY - Magma Transmigration (CD) (2024)

A question which not as easily answered as you might expect is which genre the Romanians are actually playing here. And while Blackened Doom is a pretty safe surface level answer, it doesn't really cover the totality of these four long tracks. Not that the answer would matter much, because Cursed Cemetery aren't the kind of band that flexes with the multitude of styles they are bringing in. The base of their songwriting rather is finding simple, yet strong chord progressions and riffs and milking the fuck out of them as intensly as possible without letting them become an annoyance. And that's where all the different timbres, tempos, sounds and dynamics come in.

As a result we get those great slow caveman riffs, mostly presented in a Funeral Doom manner, but also as a Post Metal wall of sound, decorated with Dark Ambient synths, Blackened atmosphere, all kinds of far away screeching, growling and vocalizing, including throat singing, but also surprising forays into grungy uptempo stuff akin to King Woman, Psychedelic bits as well as good old Oldschool Death Metal.

Yet ultimately it's all one magnificent thick, but still fluid stream of mysticism, darkness and despair. Again the overall vibe reminds me of Forlesen - and that's a great thing. "Magma Transmigration" is a beautifully eerie and oppressive monument of devastating Doom. I love to immerse myself into its horrifying magnitude.

And on top I even like the artwork of this digipak CD much more than I would have expected. An all-around convincing release by Dusktone Records.

DARK SKY BURIAL - V.I.T.R.I.O.L.

2020. It's been a while since Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury released "De Omnibus Dubitandum Est", his first Electronic album under the moniker Dark Sky Burial.

However if you look at how prolific this project has been since then, with almost a dozen full albums - it looks more like at least ten years must have passed.

DARK SKY BURIAL - V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (yellow vinyl LP) (2024)

I must admit that while I occasionally listened to a couple of tracks, I didn't really follow all that after the 2021 single "Omisoka". And the reason for that simply is that didgital-only music just takes a less important role in my music collection. Even though a great part of my music consumption actually is digital - on the computer, in the car... -, the sheer existence of a physical copy gives an album more weight. It's not neccessarily fair or something I am proud of. It has the power to let quality material fall by the wayside.

And damn, Dark Sky Burial qualifies as quality material! Dark Ambient meets Italo Horror, weird beats pair with laibachian atmospheres. Old school ex-Napalm Death legends Mick Harris and Justin Broadrick show their musical faces, most notably in resemblances to Techno Animal or the occasional super heavy Godflesh groove. Embury tries everything which comes to his mind, and that appearantly is a lot. So prepare for club sounds, Industrial and Post Rock influences, synthwavy Electro Pop elements  or even The Lovecraft Sextet in Eighties mode with guest saxophone. Within this Electronic framework so much is possible - and most of it is great.

But am I actually still talking about the Dark Sky Burial discography as a whole or this album in particular? The answer is: both. While some fans might have anticipated a huge (and expensive) box with everything, this release is the rather more feasible solution, a compilation of ten tracks, picked from the complete ouevre so far. It feels very coherent, like a "real" album. Like a really fucking good album.

The LP looks and sounds great, even though I'm wondering why the vinyl colour couldn't be a more consequent gold. Yellow is fine too though. My only real issue is the usual complaint: Why no download code? At least the pressing quality allowed a stress-free copy. Yet still I think this is a very avoidable, unnecessary inconvenience. Please do better, everyone!  

IVAN THE TOLERABLE QUINTET - Vertigo / Water Music

I've already written about his solo album "Live in London" and proclaimed the Spiritual Jazz Trio work "Infinite Peace" one of my TOP 24 albums of 2024.

Yet I also got two more of Ivan The Tolerable's many recent releases, sister albums, both out on Riot Season:

IVAN THE TOLERABLE QUINTET - Vertigo (lightly merbled cyan vinyl LP) (2024)

Just like with "Infinite Peace" it was the rather close vicinity to Spiritual Jazz, which made having this a priority over several of Oli Hefernan's other 2024 albums.

Performed by a quintet of players with experience in Post Rock, Experimental Jazz, Space Rock and other fields (in bands like Ecstatic Vision, Ponyland and The Unit Arma), in comparison to "Infinite Peace" these six tracks are a much more loose and free affair. Think the depth and smooth flow of late John and later Alice Coltrane, also her atmospheric drone, yet additionally drenched in Psychedelic Rock textures and Ambient sounds! Field recordings of birds, sampled spoken words, the constant theme of drops and other water sounds...

"Vertigo" juxtaposes simplicity and overflow, modernism and timelessness in a very well-balanced instinctive way. Even though especially the double bass work gives Ivan's Quintet a closer connection to the original Jazz roots the intention of this music doesn't seem too far from what the Neptunian Maximalism spawn Zaäar is doing.

This feels carefree and profound at the same time. Bold, exciting, yet also soothing - but always with a hint of doubt, since behind the ease of the current there always lurks a shapeless shadow.
And while nature keeps bubbling and the flute is still chirping to its tune, this shadow keeps growing towards the end of the album during and eclipses both "Swimming" and "A Hitch, A Scratch" as an undeniable presence, that can no longer be ignored.

All this creates a quiet unique, both earthy and cosmic ambience. All the flawless performances on "Vertigo" ultimately are in service of this long lingering subtly suspenseful mood. Wonderful!

The layout of the record is simple and beautiful, with an artwork, which feels like it belongs inside a museum. I guess someone, who laid eyes on my first copy, felt the same, so I only received the naked turqoise record without its cover at first.

(Still have that one as a spare copy to give away for a fair price. Please hit me up if you're interested!)

IVAN THE TOLERABLE QUINTET - Water Music (deep yellow vinyl LP) (2024)

Like I said in the beginning these two are sister albums. Riot Records could have easily put them into a box together, since this a if you like one you should probably also get the other situation anyway.

The line-up and sound spectrum on "Water Music" is similar to "Vertigo". The selection of these five tracks just leads to a slighty different overall impression. There are more water sounds here - d'uh! -, but there's also more light, a brighter, dreamier, more colourful spirituality about everything. And especially on headphones you will also notice the asmr-ish quality of the whispered samples on "Whiteout 1998" adding to the transcending effect.

Do I like this album a little bit more? Maybe, maybe not. It's as hard to decide as useless, because just look at these records; they belong together anyway! For pure unfettered relaxation while letting go of all darker contemplation "Water Music" undoubtly is the preferable choice. A magical meditation.