First up today is the damn solid split CD between two German acts, Elision and Ivan Drago, on Silentstagnation Records. Elision starts things off with three tracks of diverse material that defies basic categorization rather well, roaming all over the place in terms of tempos and plowing through everything from rather dense midpaced power chords to caustic guitar textures and even some dissonant melodies or sparse clean passages. You could cite elements of metalcore, post-hardcore, math and/or noise rock… there’s all kinds of shit going on here, but the songwriting is impeccably powerful and the vocals are intense as hell. Aside from the fact that I find myself wishing the recording was a little fuller and more rounded out (it still sounds pretty good) I am totally in fucking love with these three tracks and will most definitely be taking a closer look at this band in the very near future. I’m impressed. Excellent work!

Ivan Drago follows with three tracks of their own, which are much more chaotic and all over the place in terms of wacky riffing that winds around while vicious vocals burst into place. The noisiness of the guitar playing combined with the fact that the recording has a lot of breathing room in it lets the drummer’s handiwork shine quite a bit, though a stronger, warmer recording would probably benefit the creativity of the rhythm section even more. This is another strange set of tunes that can’t really be pinned down. I don’t enjoy this stuff as much as Elision’s contributions since the writing’s not as cohesive, and stylistically it’s a little farther from my general preferences, but there are some oddball jazzy breaks and shit happening that are pretty damn cool, so this is curious work that I can indeed appreciate on numerous levels.

Also worth noting with this one is that the relatively simplistic layout looks quite nice, and I really enjoy the lyrics from both of these acts as well. The content’s just kind of bleak and open for interpretation to a large degree, so there’s some cool imagery in place that fits the tone of the material well on all fronts. Nicely done… this is one of the better splits I’ve heard lately.

Elision “Things Are Far From OK”
Ivan Drago “You Are the Hero”

I haven’t seen this one around at many distros or what have you, so pick this up straight from the label or shoot them an email about getting your hands on a copy for yourself:

@ Silentstagnation Records

Last but certainly not least is the absolutely crushing debut full-length from Giant. “Song” (on Southern Empire Records) unloads five massive tracks in damn near an hour, and should certainly please fans of earlier Isis and the like who prefer substance and sheer force over artsy fartsy stoner-isms or whatever (Don’t get me wrong, I’m a longtime Isis fan and all, but you know what I mean, right?). I’m talking long compositions that rise and fall from lush clean passages to dense walls of distorted chords and fuckin’ searing vocals that burn straight into the mix in the best way possible. Yes, the songs are generally rather slow. And yes, this formula has been done before. So no, this isn’t particularly anything new. But, man, when it’s done so perfectly I couldn’t fucking care less… and this record totally nails it! The material carries with it an expertly bleak and ominous atmosphere, the delivery never loses steam or gets boring even within tracks that top 12 to 14 minutes, etc. In terms of this particular niche this shit is pure gold, baby.

Also very noteworthy is that the disc is housed in a nice digipack with a matte booklet, so everything looks slick as hell. The lyrics are pointed, but constructed in a manner befitting of the feeling and tone of the surrounding music, allowing explanatory text to delve deeper into some of the socio-political undertones that are at work here. But trust me, this is all handled in top-notch fashion, and it’s cool to encounter a band of this nature that has something more to say. I’m way, way into this, and I’ll be shocked and disappointed if these cats don’t start garnering more attention.

Giant “Stories”

Highly recommended, especially at just $8. Do yourself a favor and grab one of these fuckers immediately:

@ Southern Empire Records
@ Surprise Attack Records
@ Very Distribution

Original post by Andrew @ AVERSIONLINE and software by Elliott Back

Come Back Alive by ESTER DRANG from the album Rocinate to be released January 24, 2006.

Original post by New Players Software – Shareup and software by Elliott Back