Corubo (+ Tremor) - Discography

And now I begin the posts relating to prehispanic BM (or similar), and in this specific case they refer to themselves as Indigenous BM. I'm of course referring to the band Corubo from Brazil. To give credit where credit is due, I discovered this band from a thread at the RABM forum.

Corubo have been around since 1999, well before the Cascadian BM scene came into being. Brazil, and Latin America in general have a very prominent (black) metal scene, and mix this with the strong current of radical environmentalism I have heard about in Brazil (but not limited to), perhaps it is no surprise to see a band like this. Even some Norwegian BM bands recognise Brazil being a pioneer of BM. Check out the wikipedia article on Sacrofago for specific details. Corubo's lyrics are in multiple languages, such as some indigenous languages of their region. Infact, their name is a reference to a term used for one of the tribes in the Amazon not exposed to civilisation. The political content of their music is obvious, anti-colonial, ecological, anarchistic.



Musically, there is difintely quite a variation amongst their different releases. I'm much more a fan of their earlier stuff, such as their demo and the Mordaz EP. I guess I feel their earlier stuff has more variation, less a wall of ambience. I think maybe the earlier stuff also incorporates elemental sounds better. Like the lightning on Mordaz, and though not elemental, the felling of trees on the demo. And of course I just generally have a soft spot for music, like BM, that is not from Europe or North America.

They also have a split with the Colombian band Tremor, who have similar beliefs, but a very different type of BM. I still like it though. I'm generally more an ambient/atmospheric BM guy though.

Check it out. All this stuff is availible for download from their myspace anyway.

Corubo Myspace Page
Tremor Myspace Page

Album Name: Jahe 'Opapá (Demo)
Band: Corubo
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Year: 2006
Country: Brazil
Track Listing:

1.	Intro	04:00
2.	Jahe'Opapá	04:45
3.	Árvores Mortas	07:23
4.	Finishing the so Perfect Race	05:16
5.	King of Stellar War (Rotting Christ cover)	06:01
Total playing time		24:38

DOWNLOAD (courtesy of hellhorde blog)

Album Name: Mordaz
Band: Corubo
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Year: 2007
Country: Brazil
Track Listing:

1.	Cântico Mordaz	03:36
2.	Terrorshed	04:12
3.	Nhanderu Hasy Katú	04:12
4.	Goitacás	05:49
5.	Ma Ieiye Nã	05:04
6.	Jahe'Osoró	06:10
7.	Aturu Ypy	09:02
8.	Ñaiménte Ipýpe	02:54
Total playing time		40:59

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Album Name: Ypykuera
Band: Corubo
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Year: 2008
Country: Brazil
Track Listing:

1.	Princípio de Sabedoria	07:03
2.	Untitled	04:25
3.	25/09/07 - Meu Irmão	04:42
4.	Venha e escute na direção do espírito guarani	06:19
5.	A ilusão da personalidade - o lobo e suas almas	05:34
6.	Ch'ilib	05:18
7.	He'la Yucatec	03:41
Total playing time		37:02

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Album Name: The End of Sorrow / Guarani Oporonhenói Gueteri
Band: Tremor/Corubo
Genre: Black, Death Metal/Black Metal, Ambient
Year: 2009
Country: Colombia/Brazil
Track Listing:

Tremor
1.	Pakal	03:51
2.	Denial	04:04
3.	The Hunting	03:14
4.	Wisdom	04:06
5.	Manifest	04:40
Corubo
6.	Guarani Oporonhenói Gueteri	03:04
7.	Oñembyesaráiva	02:10
8.	Hosãva	03:48
9.	Kuarahy Osemba Rire	03:25
10.	Amana	06:57
Total playing time		39:19

 DOWNLOAD

Album Name: Ãngy Mbya Kueíry Hachypáma, Opa Mba'e Achy Avei
Band: Corubo
Genre: Black Metal/Ambient
Year: 2009
Country: Brazil
Track Listing:

1.	Oheja Ñandéve, Ñanderekópeguarã, Mba'e Ivaíva	05:04
2.	Ãngy Mbya Kueíry Hachypáma, Opa Mba'e Achy Avei	05:54
3.	Esperança Obscura	05:02
4.	Sapy'ánte Pyharevove	04:07
5.	Ñorairô Rekorekávo	04:37
6.	As Coisas Recomeçam Por Seu Fim	04:24
7.	Mombyryeterei Che Rendarãgui	05:16
8.	Yma Guaré Ñe'ê	00:46
Total playing time		35:10

 DOWNLOAD


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There is also due to be a re-release (or new version?) of the Tremor/Corubo split entitled Ancestral Metal sometime this year, aswell as a re-master of Corubo's lastest release.

Ash Borer & Fell Voices

... And speaking of Cascadian BM I present two amazing bands from Northern California (though not technically part of Cascadia, at least to some, I'll forgive that this time) : Ash Borer and Fell Voices. I specifically decided to write about these bands because of a recent split they did together that I thought actually moved totally beyond even what they had previously recorded. Yes, I did appreciate them before, but both bands definitely appear to be growing and blossoming with each passing moment.

The Ashe Borer demo I did enjoy, but it didn't really stand out. Good, but not to their full potential. Fell Voices demo, similar. Then Fell Voices full-length is a definite improvement, and I found the second song especially amazing. A slow drone intro, flowing towards a surge of pounding momentum... To a balanced drone with growls... then the speed picks up with the drums... then a calculated, rthymic beat, worthy of the occasional nod with bits of melody... and ad nausem, and eventually drifting... into a serene and melodic piano solo. You could say I like that song.

But the split between this two bands. I was blown away. Listening to it, I envisaged ruined city scapes with tormenting storms wrecking havoc. I don't think I've even listened to it enough to really analyse it, but the general feelings of destruction, anger, despair, yet hope, really took me by surprise. The Ash Borer song especially. Maybe it has an element of drone. Maybe it's heavier than their other stuff.

I highly recommend.

Links below. Support the artist, and buy their stuff.

Ash Borer Blog
Ash Borer Myspace
Fell Voices Myspace

Album Name: Drukne/Untitled I
Band: Ash Borer
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2009
Country: USA
Track Listing:

1. Drukne 14:05 2. Untitled I 10:43 Total playing time 24:48

DOWNLOAD

Artist: Demo
Album: Fell Voices
Genre: Drone/Ambient Black Metal
Year: 2008
Origin: USA
Track Listing:

1. Theobromo 16:53 2. In the Hands of the Blind God 20:30 Total playing time 38:23

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Artist: Fell Voices
Album: Fell Voices
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2009
Origin: USA
Track Listing:

1.	Untitled	18:55
2.	Untitled	21:06
Total playing time		40:01

DOWNLOAD

Artist: Ash Borer/Fell Voices

Album: Ash Borer/Fell Voices [split]

Genre: Black Metal/Drone, Ambient Black Metal
Year: 2010
Origin: USA
Track Listing:

Ash Borer 1. untitled 21:31 Fell Voices 2. untitled 15:29 Total playing time 37:00
DOWNLOAD
More on the Ash Borer and Fell Voices tour demos soon...

Cascadian Black Metal

From last.fm:

Cascadian black metal introduce artists from the Pacific Northwest region of North America also known as the Cascade Range. The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California.

What follows is more of a diatribe than anything else, so do not continue if you don't want to read a genre rant. You have been warned.

So I basically think the aboved referenced quote is indeed a good definition of the term. At the very least, if you are more open in your interpretation, it is where the genre started. I also think it is comprised of both a style, musically (a type of atmospheric BM), but also ideologically (eg deep green ecology). Though a band is not neccessarily both, I find most bands from the region have strong tendencies towards both.

Basically, I am just wondering what the definitive definition is. Or what people think it means. The bands that are from their, sound like that, and represent thus, and of course, it. What I wonder more, is of the bands not from the region that are described thus. A really good example is Altar Of Plagues (of Ireland). This band, in being described as some variation of Cascadian BM goes even beyond bands from the US that are outside of Cascadia, but infact outside the USBM scene altogether (geographically). At the very least, on last.fm Altar of Plagues is described in this way.

The best I can do, before exploring this more deeply, is simply to call it Cascadian inspired BM.

The other angle I wonder about with the genre, is the ideology. Of course references of Anarchist BM and RABM come up, but I feel they do not express the particular of the ecological ideas. Eco-BM and hippie BM (though not very desirable, I use it as a simple way to describe radical ecological politics + BM) are terms I have thrown around. GA (Green Anarchist) or Primitivist/Primmie BM are possibilities, and infact the latter is sometimes used for the band Leech (and at least one other band I can't think of at this moment). However, it may be that Leech very particularly identify with that ideological term, whereas other bands, though have somewhat similar ideas, do not identify with that term. So then that at least does not seem to fit.

Maybe somebody will make the point about how alot of BM, irrespective of geography, has strong elements of nature appreciation. That may be true, but I feel there is a great distinction here. This is perhaps linked with a strong tendency within North America (eg Cascadian in particular) of radical ecological politics. And there is a marked absence of the racism or nationalism apparently in certain other BM scenes. That said...

I'm very much open to ideas, and of course to the organic progression of the language of genres... So give me some ideas if have any.

But for now, I'll stick with the definition at the top, Cascadian-inspired, and Eco-BM, depending on the context.

Encircling Sea - I & Écru

And what better place to start this blog then my neck of the woods. There's no place like home, I guess. And also, I might as well reference Australia now, as I'm unsure it will pop up again anytime soon here.

In their words:

Melbourne, Australia based Ambient Black Metal/Doom in the vein of Fauna, Altar of Plagues, Skagos, Corrupted, Wolves In The Throne Room etc... 

I definitely agree with the comparison to Fauna. Though Fauna pushes boundaries (time-wise) with both their single song albums over 1 hour in length, whereas Encircling Sea holds back at around 48 minutes and 37 minutes. Generally, I'm not entirely into songs of such length, though I still do have a certain appreciation for both these bands. Especially live. And that point is even more important to me, geographically speaking, given that I don't live in Cascadia with it's thriving nature-inspired (in a slightly different way to the Euro scene I feel) BM scene. Being able to BM shows and not be afraid it's a bunch of racist fucks is a relief. And ontop of that, a band that musically is inspired by Cascadian BM makes it all the better. BM by the punks, maybe.

To the point: pretty good BM, not entirely my style, but good, and rad live. Any fan of Fauna should definitely check this out. Though, apparently Encircling Sea is a Lord of the Rings reference, which would (though I'm unsure of their lyrical content) give me the impression that their ecological stance may (at least somewhat) differ from Cascadian BM bands (not that they have a doctrine, but radical environmentalism is a strong trend), such as Fauna.

Album Name: I
Band: Encircling Sea
Genre: Sludge/Doom/Black Metal/Post-Rock
Year: 2009
Country: Australia
Track Listing:

1. I

				DOWNLOAD

Album Name: Écru
Band: Encircling Sea
Genre: Experimental Sludge/Doom/Black Metal
Year: 2010
Country: Australia
Track Listing:

1. Écru

DOWNLOAD

Though I'm totally into the freedom of sharing, buy it if you love it, and it's always good to support local independent artists.

I just noticed the artwork and artwork on the disc itself on Écru on another blog (LINK HERE). It's pretty amazing, and it may be unfair to make judgements of bands, such as this, purely on the references of their name (though I love LOTR).

Let's hope more stuff like this pops up in Australia in the future.

An Introduction...

So this is my humble blog. At this moment in it's infant stages, far from perfection. So please forgive me if it does not quite reach the mark of a good (metal/mp3) blog.

If you are here, I trust you must either like some variation of black metal, and/or have some appreciation of the natural world. And this blog searches for the conflation of those things.

This is primarily a black metal blog, musically speaking. However, as mentioned in the "ABOUT BLOG" section, I will present folk (metal) that is of a similar spirit, and perhaps other related music, but not limited to.

I should note that I do not share wholly original material here, and infact have many sources that I give my many thanks. There are countless blogs and other websites I have attained much wonderful information, and have no small piece in influencing the creation of this blog. Though numerous, the one blog at this time I feel most obliged to give thanks is the RABM (r-a-b-m.blogspot.com). I highly recommend it.

So without starting a diatribe, that's what this is about, and now I'm going to start this blog.

PS This blog will comprise of music I already know, and so in a way I may have vague ideas of mapping out what I present, but along side it I will endeavour to share any music I discover along the way. And please, by all means, share what you know, give me advice, and even just drop me a line.