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Alcest - Le Secret [EP] (2005) [Reissue 2011]

Posted By: gribovar
Alcest - Le Secret [EP] (2005) [Reissue 2011]

Alcest - Le Secret [EP] (2005) [Reissue 2011]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 339 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 129 MB | Covers - 74 MB
Genre: Post-Metal, Post-Rock, Blackgaze | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Prophecy Productions (PRO114)

After six years, the French group Alcest's now legendary Le Secret EP their first foray into what is now commonly known as "shoegaze metal," gets re-recorded and re-released with the original EP in tow, creating a very unique, and beautifully unsettling 54-minute listening experience. The question of "why re-record a classic?" is answered by Neige - who sang and played all of the instruments on the original: "I was never really satisfied with the original production on it." In hearing the new versions of "Le Secret" and "Élévation," it's easy to hear why. Though he followed the arrangements almost to the letter, Neige did employ a collaborator in drummer Winterhalter here, who is more proficient on the kit. The fidelity - made possible by a bigger recording budget - is infinitely better…

Alcest - Kodama (2016) [2CD Limited Edition]

Posted By: gribovar
Alcest - Kodama (2016) [2CD Limited Edition]

Alcest - Kodama (2016) [2CD Limited Edition]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 307 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 114 MB | Covers - 220 MB
Genre: Post-Metal, Post-Rock | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Prophecy (PRO 190 LU)

On Shelter, 2014's precursor to Kodama, Alcest sounded like they had finally abandoned metal for dreamy indie pop. While the direction wasn't new - founder /multi-instrumentalist Neige had been incorporating shoegaze elements with post- and black metal since the very beginning - it seemed he and drummer Winterhalter had finally surrendered to them wholly. Apparently, two years makes a difference. Here, Neige has rediscovered dynamics and his love for metal without sacrificing his deeply aesthetic lyricism.
The title Kodama is a Japanese word meaning "tree spirit" or "echo." And true to form, this date is a conceptual offering heavily inspired by animator Hayao Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke, which explores the interrelationship of mankind and nature and their imbalance in post-industrial society…

Alcest - Écailles De Lune (2010) [10th Anniversary Edition 2020]

Posted By: gribovar
Alcest - Écailles De Lune (2010) [10th Anniversary Edition 2020]

Alcest - Ecailles De Lune (2010) [10th Anniversary Edition 2020]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 285 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 105 MB | Covers - 104 MB
Genre: Post-Metal, Post-Rock, Blackgaze | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Prophecy Productions (PRO 106-1 LU)

If any proof were needed that anticipation was at a fever pitch for Alcest's second full-length album, it could be found in the fact that a clever leak of Écailles de Lune that made the rounds before its release was rabidly snapped up worldwide even though most of the tracks came from a compilation of Chinese black metal acts. But the fact that it was treated as the real thing shows how strong Alcest's own aesthetic mark has been made already, and Écailles de Lune makes the most of its compelling fusion of black metal's theatricality and the after-echoes of shoegaze's propensity for utterly enveloping a listener, even if bandleader Neige approached that sound unconsciously at first. The first half of the two-part title track that begins the album starts with a gentle guitar chime before the full skyscraping riff kicks in, but - instead of getting even more intense as it goes - it's happy to turn even more elegantly beautiful…

Neurosis - Times Of Grace (1999) [Japanese Edition]

Posted By: gribovar
Neurosis - Times Of Grace (1999) [Japanese Edition]

Neurosis - Times Of Grace (1999) [Japanese Edition]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 452 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 164 MB | Covers - 229 MB
Genre: Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Victor (VICP-60983)

After ten years and five albums of groundbreaking progressive death metal, Neurosis have managed to carve a highly original niche for themselves… coming off somewhat like a Tool for extremists. Yeah, you heard right. But while this Oakland bunch deserve great kudos for such unwavering commitment to their vision, they seem fated to remain confined to well-kept secret status for remaining so stubbornly inaccessible. 1999's Times of Grace adds another chapter to this ongoing dilemma by delving ever deeper into the group's hypnotic semi-industrial dirge. But whereas previous efforts tended to suffer from erratic songwriting and uneven pacing, many tracks taking painfully long to build towards their crescendos, this album offers the most seamless continuity of any album in the band's challenging discography…

Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets (2001) [Japanese Edition]

Posted By: gribovar
Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets (2001) [Japanese Edition]

Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets (2001) [Japanese Edition]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 453 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 174 MB | Covers - 101 MB
Genre: Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Howling Bull Entertainment (HWCY-1075)

Neurosis is a band with a distinctive sound driven by sludgy guitars and aggresive screaming vocals while still maintaining atmospheric. They are often regarded as the pioneers of post- metal and have influenced many major bands in that genre, like Isis and Pelican. The band's seventh full length studio album, A Sun That Never Sets, shows the band taking a more avant- garde and experimental direction than before.
The album features very frequent softer and atmospheric parts, making the album very atmospheric. The songs often progress, starting out with clean guitar playing and slowly moving towards sludgy riffs and fierce screams. Despite the low tempos that the sludgy riffs are played in, they rarely fail to sound powerful, fierce and rough…

Neurosis - Through Silver In Blood (1996) [Japanese Edition 2000]

Posted By: gribovar
Neurosis - Through Silver In Blood (1996) [Japanese Edition 2000]

Neurosis - Through Silver In Blood (1996) [Japanese Edition 2000]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 422 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 173 MB | Covers - 196 MB
Genre: Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Howling Bull Entertainment (HWCY-1042)

Neurosis built their reputation on - to put it one way - long-winded compositions, making their albums a challenging listening experience for even the most dedicated fans. And their fifth album, Through Silver in Blood, doesn't buck the trend, diving headlong into the group's entirely unique experiments in ambient, progressive death metal with the mesmerizing 12-minute title track. With the exception of two minute-long interludes, much of the remaining material follows this blueprint, with abnormally long tracks like "Aeon" and "Purify" gradually building from simple melodies into trance-inducing epics. Conversely, other songs take an unbearably long time to develop, crawling toward their climaxes so slowly (see "Strength of Fates") - or toward no climax at all (see the tortured screaming of "Enclosure in Flame") - that one's attention span is severely tested. It is therefore of little wonder that Neurosis' appeal remains so selective.

Sólstafir - Endless Twilight of Codependent Love (2020)

Posted By: gribovar
Sólstafir - Endless Twilight of Codependent Love (2020)

Solstafir - Endless Twilight of Codependent Love (2020)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 477 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 183 MB | Covers - 220 MB
Genre: Post-Metal, Post-Rock | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Season Of Mist (SOM572B)

Sólstafir music penetrates the mind, body, and soul. One does not need to speak their Icelandic tongue to understand the spectrum of raw emotion evoked by every song. "Endless Twilight of Codependent Love" further solidifies the Icelandic rock giants’ place as masters of their craft, delivering their signature elegance and unbridled passion upon which they've built their career. While a clear evolution, Sólstafir also pays homage to their metallic roots. Much like the vast expanse of their homeland, the band once again embodies the ever-turning wheel of the four seasons with their shifting light and darkness.

Sólstafir - Masterpiece Of Bitterness (2005) [Reissue 2017]

Posted By: gribovar
Sólstafir - Masterpiece Of Bitterness (2005) [Reissue 2017]

Solstafir - Masterpiece Of Bitterness (2005) [Reissue 2017]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 438 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 165 MB | Covers - 33 MB
Genre: Post-Black Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Spinefarm Records (SPINE761630)

Icelandic post-metal legends Sólstafir are now re-issuing their long out of print sophomore album, "Masterpiece of Bitterness". The 2005 full-length marked a turning point for the Icelandic icons. This release signifies the moment that Sólstafir started to embrace progressive and post metal elements, thus laying the blueprint for their definitive sound as fans know it today.

Sólstafir - Berdreyminn (Deluxe Digibox Edition) (2017)

Posted By: delpotro
Sólstafir - Berdreyminn (Deluxe Digibox Edition) (2017)

Sólstafir - Berdreyminn (Deluxe Digibox Edition) (2017)
XLD Rip | FLAC (tracks+log+.cue) - 416 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 155 Mb | 01:07:37
Post-Metal, Progressive Metal | Label: Season of Mist

SÓLSTAFIR are not like any other band. Their sixth album 'Berdreyminn' underscores this statement. As its title "a dreamer of forthcoming events" aptly describes, the four Icelanders have taken their already impressive evolution one step further. The band has continued to amalgamate haunting melodies, psychedelic phases, as well as strong undercurrents of classic rock and hard rock with echoes of their metal past. Yet SÓLSTAFIR's focus is not on style but pure emotion. 'Berdreyminn' is eclectic by a conscious choice to make feelings audible and transform taste as well as texture to sound. Genre borders are not broken but simply ignored. Musical influences are gathered from a wide range of sources, re-arranged, and woven into new patterns. Melancholy, longing, anger, joy, pleasure, pain, and other emotions are fuelling & fulling this album.

Sólstafir - Ótta (2014) [2CD Limited Edition]

Posted By: gribovar
Sólstafir - Ótta (2014) [2CD Limited Edition]

Solstafir - Otta (2014) [2CD Limited Edition]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 472 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 182 MB | Covers - 70 MB
Genre: Post-Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Season Of Mist (SOM331D)

Icelandic rock heathens Solstafir return with the stunning album 'Ótta'. The follow-up 2011's epic double album 'Svartir Sandar', 'Ótta' is a powerful and moving statement of intent that burns with the beauty of an aurora. Stellar new tracks like "Nón", "Dagmál", "Miðdegi", and "Ótta" shows Solstafir at the height of their powers, and unfold with patience and purpose in equal measure. With 'Ótta' this extraordinary quartet have crafted a riveting album that is at once familiar, ancient, and timeless.

Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar (2011)

Posted By: gribovar
Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar (2011)

Solstafir - Svartir Sandar (2011)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 531 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 182 MB | Covers - 58 MB
Genre: Post-Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Season Of Mist (SOM 247)

Iceland's Solstafir's fourth album, "Snartir Sandar," is so epic that it had to be spread across two CD's. Formed in 1994, these Vikings Pagan ways evolved into a widely psychedelic and eerily rocking sound. This Season of Mist debut is both hotter than the magma and darker than the volcanic ash their homeland was formed out of. What Sólstafir have released is a not-very-small LP filled to the brim with Shoegaze, Post-Rock, Atmospheric Sludge Metal and some hints of Progressive and Alternative Rock. Despite borrowing from some seriously overdone genres (at least at the time of release), there's something about this album that's unique without really inventing anything different. Simply put, they have drawn from their influences well enough to create music that sounds like they aren't blatant rip-offs of contemporary artists.

Sólstafir - Köld (2009)

Posted By: gribovar
Sólstafir - Köld (2009)

Solstafir - Kold (2009)
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 473 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 166 MB | Covers - 18 MB
Genre: Post-Metal | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Spikefarm Records (NAULA 102 176398-1)

Solstafir is an Icelandic outfit who, perhaps due to outgassing of volcanic vents on that geologically active island, have managed to cross epic metal with psychedelic influences and even a smidge of Fields of the Nephilim. Sólstafir has been around for quite some time, but Köld is only the band's third full length album. With song lengths ranging generally in the eight to twelve minute mark, one naturally would assume it takes quite a bit of time to write such long, epic numbers.
The word "epic" shall be used liberally throughout this review. Sólstafir fortunately avoids the dark side of epic, which is extremely long songs that have poor structure, too much noodling or no sense of when to knock it off…

Alcest - Spiritual Instinct (2019) [Japanese Edition]

Posted By: gribovar
Alcest - Spiritual Instinct (2019) [Japanese Edition]

Alcest - Spiritual Instinct (2019) [Japanese Edition]
EAC Rip | FLAC (image+.cue+log) - 310 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 108 MB | Covers - 54 MB
Genre: Post-Metal, Blackgaze | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Ward Records (GQCS-90792)

When Alcest released Kodama in 2016, it stood apart from their previous catalog in exploring the "blackgaze" metal subgenre they'd created. It was darker, more aggressive, and had more pointed edges. Earlier outings, from the groundbreaking Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde in 2007 through their breakthrough Ecailles de Lune and Les Voyages de L’ame, offered more tempered yet emotionally resonant aspects of black metal's blastbeat and tremolo-picking textural palette. The release of the infamous Shelter in 2014 saw the Bagnols-sur-Cèze duo indulge in something akin to dream pop. Although Kodama still offered the greater lyrical introspection of its predecessors, it was a much more physical approach…

Long Distance Calling - Eraser (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Long Distance Calling - Eraser (2022)

Long Distance Calling - Eraser (2022)
XLD Rip | FLAC (tracks+log+.cue) - 383 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 136 Mb | 00:57:16
Post-Rock, Post-Metal | Label: earMUSIC

Nothing can turn back the tides of time or stop their inexorable forward grind, but music can always be relied upon to make the journey more enjoyable. LONG DISTANCE CALLING have been expressing the inexpressible for the last 16 years, ploughing their primarily instrumental furrow with the skill and dexterity of true sonic artisans.

Russian Circles - Gnosis (2022)

Posted By: delpotro
Russian Circles - Gnosis (2022)

Russian Circles - Gnosis (2022)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+log+.cue) - 264 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 92 Mb | 00:39:38
Post-Metal, Post-Rock | Label: Sargent House

Gnosis is the highly anticipated 8th full length from Russian Circles.