Bone Crunching Carnage That Will Fuck Up Your Entire Day

Jesus, after dealing with a week of my poor little south-of-the-Mason-Dixon city struggling to deal with the twelve inches of snow dumped on us last weekend it's no fucking wonder some of the most miserable music in the world comes from such frost-addled climes as Norway, Sweden, and the home to today's music lesson, Finland. Thankfully not another run-of-the-mill black metal band (my initial idea for this post), the oddly named Arson Under The Sea spawn from the city of Oulu and play a rather devastating blend of sludge noise which was perfect to be pissed-off and shovel my driveway to (actually, it was the band's no-nonsense self-description I used in the post header that initially hooked me). The band has a few short releases, my favorite is their 2013 demo for an EP which came out a year later. Raw, overdub-free practice space recording which is probably the closest thing to the band live you can get from this side of the pond. If you like what you hear be sure to check out the plethora of websites fronted by this internet-savvy band: fb/bc/tumblr.

Oarfish

Faith

Straight outta Finland comes another incredible slab of vinyl from some nameless four-piece playing the most desperate doomcore sludge. Regardless of what that says about my internet searches (or basic musical tastes in general), Usko has been on my playlist radar for the last couple years after their solid debut Kuusi LP which was admittedly a tad more dronish (think Loinen... Stumm... yeah you get it) than this 2013 single which mainlines the meth, turns up the gain and elevates the tempo to a resounding 4/4 with excellent results. Some powerviolence influences in there as well - it's an enjoyable 10-minute fix.

Golden Hill

Wednesday Pissing

I got an email from the one-man mastermind behind Finland's Kes-Kusta asking me to pimp his latest release, the 20-song political statement against current Prime Minister Alexander Stubb. Entitled Kiitos, the record is little more than news samples pitted against frying pan-esque drums and über-distorted guitar/vocals. What kept me listening for more than twenty seconds was the subtly ambient track 3 - shades of Corrupted's brilliant "El Mundo" (though thankfully only a sixth as long). For those who are into political noisecore à la RU 486 you will surely find something to like - check out Bleak Bliss for similar sounding stuff.

Thank You

Influences: Jalapeno Diarrhea Pain

Mildly witty band name aside, there's nothing wholly original from Finland's Brutanal other than the fact that there are a fucking ton of lyrics. Jesus - it seems like the guy never stops talking! I usually take my brutal death metal done by the books with a minimum of token gurgles and "ree's" - it seems like vocalist/guitarist Sir Josif Brutanal is determined to confess his manifesto in the most intricate detail possible. Sucks that I don't understand Finnish - the distortion is restrained just enough that you could probably make out what he is saying if you could speak the dialect. Oh well. Regarding the music, it's pretty tame tongue-in-check death metal (especially the silly "Fuck Jazz") that is replete with thrashcore-esque solos that would make Jeff Hanneman proud. They actually remind me sound-wise of what Anal Nosorog eventually turned into... not that that comparison means anything to anyone. Who knows if these guys are still around, they have a (circa 2009) Facebook page as well as a download one here (which offers their retarded 2005 demo as well). Actually, their Facebook page is worth a look simply for the unintentionally hilarious bio - broken English and all. All I gotta say is it sounds like they have one fucking hell of a live show. Cheers.

Woman! Fart! Now! Never Stop! Oh Yeah!

†┼†┼

In sharp contrast to yesterday's happy-go-lucky post I bring you the latest wretched release from Finland's reigning mutacore legends. Not to be confused with their eponymous albums of 2005 and 2007, Loinen is the band's first non-collaborative full-length release since the suicide of primary vocalist Secundus in 2009. Information on the band is annoyingly scant (other than on this somewhat current page), solo vocalist Primus steps up to the plate with commendable aplomb but just doesn't have the tortured desperation Secundus conveyed with his ear-bleeding vocal assault. Still, the record doesn't disappoint. The opening two tracks are reminiscent of the Loinen of old; slow and pounding sludge that may or not still be played with two bassists (no liner notes on this one) - it's brutal and heavy as fuck. "Jerusalem" can best be described an experimental jam - probably influenced by a recent collaboration (2012's Mutajazz) with improvisational jazz outfit Paanin Kuoro - interesting but ultimately forgettable. "Rubber Jesus" showcases the band's faster, grindier talents while the 10-minute closer "Useless Animal" is the real star of the album. A miserable dirge of angst and despair, it plods along for the first half before exploding in a lo-fi feedback-laden tumult. Reminds me of the shit GG was doing on Suicide Sessions - absolutely raw as fuck and never boring - a true keeper.

Nauttia

Wait Not...

My first introduction to legitimate funeral doom, I picked Thergothon's demo tape up from Wild Rags after the arguable catalog description "4 extremely long songs of brutal slow, dragged out depressive doom death metal, heavy as fuck" hooked me. Hailing from Finland (geeee... ya don't say...) and heralded as pioneers of the genre, I won't say I was blown away by the cassette but it's still a listenable 30 minutes, especially if you know you're stuck with no place to go for a while. Enjoy.

Know all. See all.

And Another...

Sheesh, not a day passes and here we are again. Searching the internet for anything by evasive Finnish sludgelords Frogskin, I discover yet another Nordic compilation rife with some of the sicker bands the genre has to offer. Starting this one off is the semi-stupidly named Demonic Death Judge, but what they lack in a cool moniker they make up for with some great Coffins-inspired death sludge. Each of their 7-minute anthems are pounding slabs of tortured riffs and bloodcurling vocals. Next up is Semtex playing a faster quasi-hardcore style much like some of the older Soilent Green material. Lastly is the twisted Nurmijärvi trio Frogskin who deserve to be lumped into the category championed by Loinen and other such lo-fi feedback sludgemongers. Amazingly dismal doom with a slight tinge of Southern States stoner grooves amidst the chaos - well worth the effort this CD took to track down. So grab a euro and head over here to buy it.

Lataamaan

Low Slow Ragnarök-core

Yep, another heartwarming compilation CDr of abominable lo-fi sludgecore straight from the icy republic of Finland. Opening the aural assault is GranG, a brutal three-piece playing wretchedly distorted sludge with so much overdrive it almost degrades into an inaudible wall of noise. Awesome stuff for purveyors of Loinen, Stumm and their miserable ilk. Phenylketonuria follows with an epic half hour of trippy sludgy funeral doom which has its moments and is much better then most offerings in a genre that I don't really like anyway. The warm hum of blazing amp tubes adds a unique layer on this surreal melodic ode to destroying the world - it's surprisingly hypnotic and almost sounds like something Ween could have done had they gone into darker places with The Pod. Wrapping up F.F.13.1970 (named for the release date of Black Sabbath's debut record) is the aforementioned Loinen and their abject composition "Lapamato" ("Tapeworm"). Imagine summoning the worst memories of your life and condensing them into a agonizingly bleak 16-minute opus and you get an idea of what to expect. Truly one of their best recordings (in the feedback-laden cassette-deck lo-fi style of Muta Core) from a band who constantly amazes me with their unrepentant self-loathing. Speaking of whom, I just discovered a webpage apparently written by one of the band members which showcases their entire discography, lyrics and song history - cool stuff. Enjoy.

Hail The Klaan Of The Anal Witch!

Biting The Hand That Feeds

Dude, what the fuck is up with Finland? The sludgecore/doom coming out of that country is the most depressing, bitter shit I have ever heard. Fleshpress is probably the most established act but insofar as mere bleakness, Loinen and Usko come to mind - absolutely tortured soundscapes of screams and double bass-guitar blasts to send you to hell. Turku's Stumm is from the same gutter as the latter. Painful, unending riffs with the most miserable gurgling screams to keep it all together. Each of their four ten-minute or so songs could be an album in themselves - simple feedback-laden, misanthropic blasts of misery - awesome shit.

I

Murder Murder Suicide

After years of searching I was happy to finally find Loinen's evasive split CDr with fellow countrymen MurhaMurhaItsemurha. Was it worth the wait? Well, yes and no. Loinen's opener, "God Of Plague" is a raging sixty-second blast of screaming sludgecore - wonderfully lo-fi in extremis. Brilliant shades of their early material. The second track, "Plant" is a strange, quasi-industrial (?) loop-heavy dirge with lots of samples and screams that left me feeling a bit empty. Oh well, making up for it is the hilarous noise/tardcore awaiting on the flip side. MurhaMurhaItsemurha sound like a even more retarded Sockeye and are just as entertaining. Lots of weird screaming, experimentation and nonsense - one track, "Epätietoisuus Eläimistä" (loosely Google translated into "Uncertainty About Animals") is simply the sound of someone eating. Solid stuff. Enjoy.

Shoot Me Too

Finnish for "Parasite"

How to describe Loinen? Pretend everyone in Eyehategod played bass (with their amps turned up as loud as possible) and they had Seth Putnam's vocals dubbed onto two tracks. Incredible sludge from these Finnish gods - pounding, miserable and unbearably depressing. Sorrowfully, singer Secundus passed away in 2009 from suicide, leaving the band's future unknown. This 2005 self-titled release is a great introduction - four tracks of absolutely depressing dirge that will make you think you blew the tweeters in your speakers before you realize your ears are just ruined.

Ladata