[2011] Whitehorse - Progression

Featuring Rob Mayson from Grey Daturas on drums, the new Whitehorse album is a departure from the live sound that characterizes them to a "cleaner", studio-produced sound, but it doesn't affect their output in the slightest, aside from making the songs less sloppy and well structured. It's a short album so the difference between this and their s/t will be highly noticeable, but it hardly makes an impact on the overall listening experience. Main highlight: Remains Unknown.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Contact Sweat Lung Records here, for purchase info.

[2004] Grey Daturas - Dead In The Woods

This is one of the bands I consider one of my main influences to explore and compose music on my own, which could've had a full decade of existence in 2012 if they hadn't disbanded in early 2010. Grey Daturas was an australian collective of improvisers, with influences ranging from Sonic Youth, Black Sabbath, Can and many others, which in turn gave the band an eclectic style. Of course being an improvisational group meant that none of their songs were neither rehearsed nor repeated, and well rooted into the heaviest noise rock with doom metal hints, and even in some cases, drone-doom (in the vein of Earth), as seen in the Yellow Swans collab which was well received by many music critics.
Grey Daturas broke up but it resurfaced shortly as the duo known as Breathing Shrine, with Bonnie Mercer (guitar) and Rob Mayson (drums), and keeping with the heavy live output that made them famous.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Breathing Shrine/Grey Daturas official site here.

[2011] Thymolphthalein - Ni Maître, Ni Marteau

A somewhat unlikely ensemble coming from France and Australia, delivering a rhythmically complex sonic assault, revolving around electro-acoustic improvisation and electronic, self-made instruments to create tones hard to identify among the spastic array of fractured sounds. Surprising debut, recorded and performed live at the SWR2 New Jazz Meeting in France, 2009.

(meant to be played loud given its extreme frequency range, which perhaps could be benefited from a higher bitrate)

Download it here: [192][V0]

Buy it directly from Editions Mego here.

[2009] Tim Catlin & Machinefabriek - Glisten

I've been in such a big Machinefabriek bing lately, that's an understatement. I think it's mostly because of his collabs more than anything else, although Machinefabriek by himself does a great job at adjusting and molding soundscapes and field recordings the way he wants, and every collab is merely an extension of said ability.
In this case, Tim Catlin (experimental guitar composer from Australia) assumes the task of spicing up Machinefabriek's usually low key compositions, by adding guitar-based, unrecognizable sound patterns, turning what once was basically ambient music into a bittersweet experience, constantly changing song after song. The only downside: it's as short as an EP (clocking at 35min), which may not seem enough for a release of this caliber.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from Low Point here.

[2007] Whitehorse - Whitehorse

Released under the Olympia-based record label 20 Buck Spin Records, this s/t is one of the few studio releases of this band since their formation, even though they've released a series of live albums before, which makes them more of a live act. It's not surprising seeing as their heavy, merciless sound in total disregard of duration is a sign of the huge focus on live atmosphere they have. Slow building structures, yet elaborate since the start (don't expect a post-rockish approach to doom metal, so common and tiresome these days), rage-fueled hardcore vocals and chaotic guitar noise are the main highlights here. They've performed with plenty of well-known bands of their genre, along with other excellent australian acts such as Dad They Broke Me and Teargas.


Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from 20 Buck Spin Records here.

[2009] Tom Hall & Bonnie Mercer - MIDweekMID

A collaboration between the visual artist, photographer and noise/drone musician Tom Hall and the ex-member of the well-known free improv/sludge band Grey Daturas (now defunct and recreated under the name Breathing Shrine), guitar improviser Bonnie Mercer. This collab release contains three heavy tracks, two of them recorded live. Truly another great display of the underground talent present in Australia.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Weird Appendage Tapes here.
Buy it directly from Tom Hall here.

[2010] Stargazer - A Great Work of Ages

Rawer than A Scream That Tore The Sky, after 5 years we get this fine release, in which this tech/avantgarde death metal band from Australia incorporates vocals and a faster, more structured sound than how it used to be. It was certainly a surprise to me how good it sounded from the very first song, at first I feared the bass wasn't going to be as prominent as their previous full length, but luckily I was wrong; the bass assaults you from the second and third song onwards and truly breaks through the compositions, turning into a main highlight.
You cannot miss this, only from time to time one gets excellent releases like this one. It makes up for the lack of Gorguts this year, I can assure you.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Profound Lore Records here.