by BBG

Midnight at Rites of Darkness (more by BBG)

2011 was a year that I spent delving deep into record bins, in the pit at shows, and searching for the most brutal of the brutal at festivals across the country including Maryland Deathfest, Chaos in Tejas, Rites of Darkness, SXSW, the A389 Anniversary show, California Discord Fest, and many others. It was also a year when I revisited my hardcore roots, and went further down the rabbit hole with DIY shows and independent records.

2011's choices for best of the year were tougher than I could have imagined, as opposed to my clear cut 2010 choice for favorite album of the year. That said, favorite records are about playability, and these are the LPs that wore out my needle and earned the most plays on my digital device (note: I made sure to remove a record that I was directly involved in because that would clearly be near the top of the list). I hope you enjoyed these records as much as I did in 2011 and if not, please share what you enjoyed below. I already can't wait for 2012.

My favorite records and shows of 2011 are below.

Continue reading "The Year in Heavy (BBG's favorite records & shows of 2011)"

by BBG

Bosse-de-Nage - ii art

Bay Area black metal crew Bosse-de-Nage have released their oddly enigmatic second LP ii via Flenser Records. We previewed the album earlier this month, but now we are pleased to present a full album stream of ii, available exclusively below. Stream that LP below and order your copy today. Recommended for fans of challenging black metal like Krallice, Circle of Ouroboros, Virus, and any band that dares to look toward the Norwegian elders for inspiration before taking a hard left turn towards a path of their own.

Continue reading "Bosse-de-Nage - 'ii' (full album stream)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD:Bosse-De-Nage - Demo 1 (Zipped MP3s)
DOWNLOAD:Bosse-De-Nage - Demo 1 (Zipped MP3s)
DOWNLOAD:Bosse-De-Nage - "Marie Pisses Upon The Count" (MP3)

The Bay Area's Bosse-De-Nage are a mysterious set. From their colorful modern artwork (their debut, was less so) to their at-times off-putting and bizarre lyrical content to their secretive membership (the band wishes to remain anonymous), Bosse-De Nage maintains an enigmatic flair throughout their second LP ii. The new LP follows their 2010 debut for Flenser Records, an excellent if somewhat under-appreciated gem of alternately ripping and spaced out black metal. Check out "Marie Pisses upon the Count" from the first release, as well as both demos above.

The new LP ii features five tracks of simple yet ripping black metal kissed with post-rock touches and puncuated with vocals that recall John Gossard's rancorous throat on Weakling's Dead as Dreams. Excellent release, but judge for yourself with "The Death Posture" (making its debut here) and snippets from the album streaming below. ii will see the light of day in both LP and CD formats on 9/6 via Flenser Records and is currently up for presale.

All streams, a live video, and the lyrics to "The Death Posture" are below.

Continue reading "mysterious Bosse-De-Nage releasing 'ii' (new song debut & older free downloads too)"