Three more groups for you today that I wanted to share, but just didn't have the time for a full write-up. Once again, we are running the gamut here is terms of genre: a little atmospheric acoustic, some djenty progressive, and the swansong of one of my favorite sludge groups. Do not consider these mass-reviews as mere supplements; I rate them just as highly as any of the singular albums I review.
My fellow reviewer, Chris Dahlberg, passed Binary Code's album to me when I was feeling a bit of a slump in terms of finding quality releases to put some time into. Moonsblood is an excellent piece of progressive metal for fans of Tesseract, Between the Buried and Me, and Textures. There is a powerful, full sound to these clean vocals that never leaves me yearning for more harshness (though the screams are there). More importantly, these guys write seemless compositions that are both technically proficient and emotionally engaging. This is just the thing for any of you that are looking for more of a thinking man's album that is still plenty catchy and fun.
Offret is a project out of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It was sent directly to me by Andrey, who is the sole mastermind behind the music. I always find it much more intriguing and personal when I get music direct from the source as opposed to getting it through a label or PR company. Andrey listed influences and parallels with bands like Neurosis, Converge, and Black Heart Rebellion; though the result doesn't sound quite like any of these. Personally, the best description I can come up with is sticking to Converge's less typical acoustic tracks like "Cruel Bloom" or "In Her Shadow." The latter came to mind almost instantly. See what you think below.
Alaskan is an Ottawa sludge group I have been following since the inception of this site. It saddened me greatly to recieve the email of this EP's release, as it literally signals the end of the band. These are the last three tracks recorded by the group, who were one of my current favorites in the genre. Alaskan never fails to create moody compositions that sound as if the very earth is crying out for reprieve. I highly recommend checking this out, and if you are new to the group considering their excellent LP's as well. They are all available in a "Name Your Own Price" format.