Matador Nights » World Music

10 Black Metal Bands from the Most Unexpected Places

Mara Yu — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Wherever there are teens with guitars, there’s bound to be metal. Black metal is its most extreme sub-genre, combining screamed vocals and incredibly fast blast beat drumming with lyrics that deal with the taboo.

When we think of black metal, we tend to think of Northern Europe and, to a lesser extent, North America. However, at this very moment, headbangers from Brazil to Kyrgyzstan are donning facepaint and rocking out to homegrown riffs.

Photo of Demonic Resurrection by Frog StarB

1. Sarcofago – Brazil
This old school band combines raw thrash and BM elements with angry lyrics in praise of Satan. Like Venom and Sodom, they were part of the first wave of black metal and influenced bands to come. Lead singer Wagner Lamounier was formerly in Sepultura.
Recommended Album: I.N.R.I. (1987)

Satanas from I.N.R.I

2. Be Persecuted – China
This female-fronted band from Jiangxi deals lyrically with suicide, depression, and nihilism. Underproduced like all depressive BM, Be Persecuted is an atmospheric metal band in the vein of Xasthur or early Burzum. Unlike most atmospheric bands, they actually have three members and perform live.
Recommended Album: I.I (2007)

3. Melechesh – Israel
Melechesh combines Sumerian myths with ethnic instruments to create an authentically Middle Eastern atmosphere in its black metal. Indeed, the band calls itself Mesopotamian Metal. The Jerusalem police and press have accused the group of cult activities. Now that’s pretty metal.
Recommended Album: Sphynx (2003) 

4. Kekal – Indonesia
Kekal started as a classic, 2nd wave styled BM band, but soon moved in a more avant-garde direction. They now combine elements of melodic, black and goth metal with their own flavor. They’ve started to incorporate jazz and blues elements, and even covered a song by A-Ha on their latest album, Audible Minority.

5. Shub Niggurath –Mexico
As the name alludes, Shub Niggurath produces a mystical, Lovecraftian brand of metal. Combining old school death and black influences, they’re a little bit Slayer, a lot of Absu, and a few zombies and monsters here and there. It’s a refreshing change from all the Satanic stuff out there.

Satanas Zombie from the record The Black Goatlike Arise

6. Taarma –Afghanistan
This one-man band from the Balochistan region, now living in Pakistan, produces sludgy, depressing, wall-of-sound atmospheric metal in the vein of Be Persecuted or Xasthur. Indeed, Black Emperor Jogezai is the only artist out there who has covered Xasthur’s work. Taarma’s lyrical themes include references not only to depression, but to his culture: “Kafan” (a song title) means shroud in Arabic. Taarma means darkness in the ancient Brahvi language.
Recommended Album: Remnants of a Tormenting Black Shadow (2007) 

7. Deiphago –Philippines
These self-styled Filipino Antichrists are certainly keeping the old school, blackened thrash spirit alive, complete with over the top anti-Christian attitudes. With ridiculous album titles like “Holocaustik Metal Sexxxecution Whoreslaughters”, they are definitely recommended.

8. Inquisition –Colombia
Inquisition is one of those bands between genres. Starting out with a thrashy, raw black metal sound and an extremely anti-Christian attitude, they have since added progressive and experimental elements to their sound. Inquisition no longer resides in the developing world: its members have since moved to Washington State, joining the USBM community there.

10. Darkestrah – Kyrgyzstan
Darkestrah is melodic and epic, yet dark, underproduced, and atmospheric. This female-fronted pagan metal band has lyrics about shamanism and the Silk Road, as well as a song simply titled “Shaitan Akbar!” (”Lord Satan!”). The members of Darkestrah now reside in Germany, but continue to use include traditional instruments and overtone singing in their work.

Recommended Album: Epos (2007)

Inner Voice from The Great Silk Road

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:
Thinking about attending a music festival at home or abroad? Check out our recommendations about how to prepare for a summer music festival here.

10 Australian Summer Music Festivals NOT to Miss

Juliane Huang — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:58:40 +0000

Photo by: Körschgen. While northern hemisphere folks are breaking out their winter coats, Australians are slathering on the sunscreen and joining the throngs of other music heads attending the continent’s greatest summer music festivals.

Matador gives you the quick and dirty on ten summer music festivals definitely worth checking out the next time you’re down under. A very merry summer, indeed.

1. Summadayze

Photo by: AFlickion

A massive to end all massives, Summadayze is a conglomerate of four different music festivals held all over the Australian continent.

Beginning with their new year’s eve party, Summanights, held in Sydney, the powerhouse event then holds court in Melbourne and Adelaide for simultaneous New Year’s Day celebrations that start at 9am and continue long after the sun has called it quits.

But they don’t stop there.

Summadayze winds through Perth on the 3rd, then Auckland on the 8th, concluding its tour in Gold Coast on the 9th.

With talents such as Carl Cox, Sharam (Deep Dish), Don Diablo, and The Shapeshifters contributing to the lineup, Summadayze is every raver’s candied-necklace, glow-sticked dream and enough hype to make this author to want to spend her first ten days of January in Oz.

Tickets are on sale now and vary in range (the cheapest being $99 not including booking fees or service charges) depending on the date participants choose to attend.

2. Big Day Out

Photo by: tHcnunz

From January 15th-31st, Big Day Out conquers the coastal music scene bringing in exceptional musical talents to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Auckland, and Gold Coast and an average of over 150,000 attendees per concert.

This year, the lineup includes Muse, Lily Allen, The Decemberists, The Mars Volta, Dead Prez, Devendra Banhart, and many many more. Big Day Out is well-known for being the most popular event of the summer.

A testament to the intense popularity of this festival, 2010 tickets are pretty much all sold out. If you have one, the rest of us request photos and crazy stories. In return, we offer the warmth of concentrated jealousy.

3. V Festival (Australia)

Photo by: Bradii

A spin-off of the British V Festival, V Fest brings a host of big name acts to the four popular cities Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Gold Coast for three days every summer.

Though the festival has been canceled for 2010, news reports have been quick to assure us that the future of V Festival is secure, a fact made believable by billionaire Richard Branson footing the event’s bill.

Since its inception almost three years ago, V Festival has not enjoyed the smooth start it was hoping for amidst the heightened activity that defines Australia’s summer music festivals. Last year’s internationally popular bands couldn’t save the event from poor planning and poor weather, but if there’s one thing Branson can do, it’s business. Keep your eye on V Festival.

4. Woodford Folk Festival

Photo by: Irene Cassarino

Held on 500-acres of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland (roughly one hour north of Brisbane), Woodford Folk Festival is a music festival with an environmental bent, placing emphasis on sustainability, nature, and positive social change.

From December 27th to January 1st, the Woodford Folk Festival hosts over 2000 performers and 580 events. Concerts are not the only thing this festival offers attendees as it features street dances, film screenings, comedy performances, and, of course, environmentalism debates and talks.

Tickets are available for purchase on their website.

5. St. Kilda Festival

Photo by: Me!bourne Mermaid

The St. Kilda Festival bills itself as “one of Australia’s best known and Melbourne’s most loved events.” And why wouldn’t it be? The festival serves as a giant tribute to and showcase for Australian musical talents, from aboriginal artists to local contemporary artists.

This year, the festival begins on Saturday, February 6th and runs until Sunday, the 14th. It’s a family friendly event that offers a variety of games and activities for kids as well as over 50 bands on stage for music lovers.

6. Sensation

A music event for 40,000 plus of Melbourne’s best friends, Sensation is held at the very large and very expensive football arena, Etihad Stadium on New Year’s Eve this year.

Requisite for all attendees is all-white garb as Sensation distinguishes itself as “The Ocean of White” massive. Admittedly, the pale dress code does lend a slice of visual coolness to the giant gyrating and sweaty party. Who’s in this year?

If you can’t make the Melbourne event, not to worry, Sensation is a global music festival that works tirelessly to satisfy music heads all over the globe into somnolence. Check out their website for event dates and locations information, ticket purchase, videos, photos, and more.

7. Rainbow Serpent

Photo by: Scootie

A multi-sensory, outdoor art and music festival, the Rainbow Serpent Festival runs from Friday, January 22nd to Monday, January 25th in Western Victoria.

Like Burning Man or Bonnaroo, Rainbow Serpent Festival places heavy emphasis on community and art in addition to music, which makes it one of the can’t miss events this upcoming January.

That’s not news to the event’s fan as the festival sold out of its first round tickets within mere minutes.

8. Good Vibrations

Photo by: S Baker

Starting February 13th and running until February 21st in 2010, the Good Vibrations festival tours Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Gold Coast, showcasing acts ranging from Salt ‘N Pepa to The Killers.

Typically a haven for dance music fans, this year, the event is trying to draw a more diverse crowd through its eclectic lineup. Tickets cost over $100 and are usually quick to sell out as Good Vibrations is one of the billboard events among Australia’s summer music festivals.

9. Pyramid Rock

A four day, camp-out music festival, Pyramid Rock is held annually at the incredibly scenic Pyramid Rock on Phillip Island, Victoria.

This year, the Pyramid Rock festival is taking place from December 29th to January 1st. Tickets are sold as two- or three-day passes that start from morning entry and end when your energy is completely depleted.

Bands sharing the Pyramid main stage include Empire of the Sun, Architecture in Helsinki, Cat Power, Ugly Duckling, and Blue King Brown. The Pharaoh’s Annex provides the DJ and dance floor for all the dancing shoes out there.

10. Falls Festival

Photo by: Looking Glass

Taking over Lorne, Victoria every new year’s eve, Falls Festival is one of Australia’s longest running music festivals, clocking in at 16 years this coming January.

The festival runs four days, from December 29th to January 1st, with attendees usually bringing a tent and camping out on one of the nearby beach sites.

This year’s lineup includes the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Moby, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Lyrics Born, and Major Lazer.

Seen any of these festivals firsthand? Share your stories below!

5 of the Most Incredible (and Least Known) Instruments in the World

Michelle Schusterman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:12:27 +0000

Photo and Feature Photo of Sea Organ by michal.kolodziejski

Few things define a culture as much as music, and there are so many instruments in the world that people use to express their happiness, their sorrow, their fear, and their faith, that it would be impossible to list them all. Here are just a few of the world’s exceptional musical instruments.

The Zimbabwean Mbira

The mbira is a deceptively plain type of thumb piano that is essential to understanding the culture and lives of the people of Zimbabwe.

The concept is simple: around 28 metal keys are mounted on a wooden board and plucked with the right forefinger and both thumbs. Slightly longer nails are preferable, and callouses are inevitable. Typically, a rattling, buzzing noise is produced by stringing bottle caps or shells to the bottom of the board. To amplify the sound, players hold the mbira inside a gourd while playing.

The mbira is an extremely spiritual instrument, and is used in many ceremonies in Shona life. Among other things, it’s believed to be a means of communication with the dead, a way to cure illness, and even give the musician power over the weather.

Don’t be fooled by the mbira’s simple appearance; listening to a master give an mbira performance is an emotional experience that moves many to tears.

The Zadar Sea Organ

This instrument is man-made, but nature is the performer. Designed by Nikola Bašić, the organ stretches along the coast of Zadar, Croatia, a solution to the enourmous concrete wall that dominated the beach of the ravaged city after World War II.

All that is visible is hundreds of feet of white marble stairs that lead into the ocean. But beneath runs a set of pipes that resonate in different harmonized pitches thanks to the compression and decompression created by the wind and water. This instrument functions like just like a pipe organ played by the breeze and the sea, creating truly organic music.

The Pikasso Guitar

Keeping a regular guitar in tune can be tricky enough. But what about tuning a guitar with 42 strings?

Created by Linda Manzer, the aptly named Pikasso harp guitar gives the fingers (and the brain) a workout with more than eight times the regular amount of strings stretched over three necks.

Who better to demonstrate the Pikasso’s capabilities than the legendary Pat Metheny:

The Awesome Power of Odaiko

With groups like Kodo gracing more and more western countries with their performances, word about the ancient Japanese art of Taiko drumming is spreading. If you’ve seen a Taiko performance, you might remember that one drum. You know. The really, really big one they use near the end of the show.

In fact, the ōdaiko may very well be the largest drum in the world. Even more incredibly, true ōdaiko are carved from a single piece of wood, typically from a special type of tree that is hundreds of years old. While groups like Kodo usually include the ōdaiko in performances, the largest are too heavy to move and remain permanently in the temples where they were built.

The Steel Drum

Out of all the instruments on this list, the steel drum is probably the most well-known. However, it’s incredibly misunderstood, and as someone who is fairly obsessed with this beautiful instrument, I thought I’d take this opportunity to clear a few things up.

The steel drum, or “pan”, while highly associated with Jamaica and other cruise destination islands, was invented by the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The country lives and breathes pan; I can’t think of another nation that prominently features a musical instrument on their currency.

Every year Trinidad sees dozens of steel band contests and festivals, the most famous of which is Panorama. This highly anticipated competition takes place over the weeks leading up to Carnival and pits dozens of bands, each made up of over 100 members, against each other for the title of Grand Champion.

Despite the surprisingly bright, loud sound, the steel drum isn’t “plugged in.” It’s actually the only family of acoustic instruments to have been invented in the 20th century. Just like string instruments in an orchestra, there are several voices of pans, including tenor, cello, and bass. In fact, full Trinidadian steel bands often perform arrangements of classical symphonic tunes, from Beethoven to Mozart.

Barbed Wire Fences

Pretty much anything can be a musical instrument…although that doesn’t make it desirable to listen to. But the latter isn’t the case with violinist Jon Rose.

Jon has spent the last twenty six years playing and recording barbed wire fences around the world. According to his website, Jon sees fences as “giant musical string instruments covering a continent.” His lastest project, Great Fences of Australia, has taken him and fellow violinist Hollis Taylor around 35,000 km of the country, recording fences and documenting the history and lives of the people involved in building and maintaining them.

Community Connection

What did I miss? Share the unusual or memorable instruments you’ve come across in the comments section below!

Interested in more about Zimbabwe? Check out Eva Holland’s piece about the politics and the people there.

Up and Coming Indian Rock Scene Offers Punch and Variety

Shreya Sanghani — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:46:10 +0000

Photo of Pakirama courtesy of aloshbennett

India is generally seen as the birthplace of revered classical music traditions such as Hindusthani and Carnatic music. What a lot of people don’t know about India is there there are plenty of rock and metal bands that play original music in English.

The Indian rock scene is on the rise. The enthusiasm that surrounds rock gigs in the Indian cities and the new magazines and the pubs (including the Hard Rock Café) coming up have more and more sponsors sitting up and taking notice.

What may surprise you even more is the sheer variety of cultures that just come together and explode, opening myriad avenues for experimentation and hybridization in the music scene. This is bound to happen, after all, with the country’s tradition of classical and folk music and their great exposure to the rock music legends of the West, Indian musicians have a diverse heritage to call their own.

Silk Route’s Dooba Dooba

This is a phenomenon that’s urban-centric. Most of the audiences are city people who visit concerts and live music venues to access these bands.

Even as the talent overwhelms local music fans, the original bands face many roadblocks on their way to recognition. The audience demand for familiar, played out, classic rock covers could easily crush a band’s original spirit. Couple this with a low market demand and you have a recipe for weekends of unenthusiastic renditions of warmed over Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden.

Thankfully, the World Wide Web has been a great resource in the dissemination of Indian Rock, and bands are able to reach wider audiences through websites and MySpace.

There are many amazing, original bands that have had to struggle and keep a balance between playing covers and originals for years before becoming as big as they are now: bands such as Them Clones, MotherJane, The Superfuzz, Thermal and a Quarter, Pentagram, Orange Street, Zero and especially Parikrama.

Then there are those that fuse Indian languages and rock music so well: Euphoria, Indian Ocean and Silk Route, replete with an audience that truly appreciates these original artists.

Photo of Cassini’s Division courtesy of sayamindu

It’s becoming clear that many fans are getting sick of the incessant recycling of cover songs and waking up to the amazing work being done by a handful of original bands. Some of the best original upcoming and established bands include Cassini’s Division, Pin Drop Violence andDemonic Resurrection

Pin Drop Violence at the Independence Rock Festival

Another personal favorite is the Khadki Junction Blues, who unfortunately aren’t together anymore, but have some brilliant work.

Khadki Junction Blues show their sense of humor through the blues

With the support of magazines such as the Rock Street Journal and more recently, Rolling Stone India, more and more of these bands are coming into the limelight.

Although underground is nowhere near being mainstream, it is heartening to see the kind of support the Indian audience is capable of providing. This support is more than evident at rock fests happening in the major cities. Great Indian Rock , Independence Rock, Campus Rock Idols and the June Rock Out are a few of the best known. These festivals see a lot of talented bands doing their stuff live for ever increasing crowds of enthusiastic young Indian rockers and metal-heads.

There is much to be said about the contemporary Indian rock and metal scene; providing a comprehensive overview in one place is difficult, and I can only call this an introduction.

This is a jumping off point for you to discover a whole new world of alternative, crazy, supremely enjoyable rock and metal music where you might not have been looking for it until now.

It looks like all the years of perseverance might just pay off…take heart, all you original Indian artists and rock enthusiasts, there is hope yet.

Community Connection

Interested in more metal around the world? Check out the worldwide black metal scene.

What People are Listening to in…Canada

Jane Tattersall — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:08:21 +0000

Feature photo by Daaane. Photo above by nonanet.

The Great White North continues to pump out some of the best music in North America, as Matador contributor Jane Tattersall reports from Toronto.

Plants and Animals

This Montreal group went from nowhere to everywhere following the release of a short EP a year and a half ago. The subsequent full length album, Parc Avenue, is a glorious hodgepodge of “franglais pop” that’s part rock opera and part art-rock. www.plantsandanimals.ca

Recommended: “Bye Bye Bye” and “A L’Oree Des Bois”

Born Ruffians

The latest and greatest from the Toronto scene. Frenetic, engaging threepiece pop from three kids who sing about what kids care about.

Short songs, upbeat tempos, chants and singalong choruses made last year’s Red, Yellow & Blue a critical favourite and their live shows a must-see. www.bornruffians.com

Recommended: “Kurt Vonnegut”; “Barnacle Goose”; “I Need a Life”

Metric

A four-piece that’s nomadic by nature, having called Montreal, New York, and Los Angeles home before decamping to Toronto. Smart lyrics, plus Emily Haines’s purring vocals and guitarwork make them the dance band for thinkers. www.ilovemetric.com

Recommended: “Gimme Sympathy”; “Combat Baby”; “Poster of a Girl”

Constantines

A perennial Toronto favourite. Vocalist Bry Webb alternately growls and croons his way through anthems that recall a young Springsteen. Their recent album, Kensington Heights, earns its name from a downtown artistic community and was voted 2008’s Album of the Year by the Associated Press. www.constantines.ca

Recommended: “Young Lions”; “Do What You Can Do”

Stills

Montreal’s Stills sit alongside other notables like Broken Social Scene, Weakerthans and Feist as elder statesmen of the new Alt-Can-Rock. Last year, the band released “Oceans Will Rise” (their best album to date), a more mature take on the post-punk sound that originally saw them compared to mope-rock afficionados like Interpol. www.thestills.net

Recommended: “Snow in California”; “Everything I Build”; “Still In Love”

Crystal Castles

An electroclash-influenced noise factory of beats that sound equally great on the dancefloor or on your Ipod.

Made up of duo Alice Glass and Ethan Kath,their self-titled debut album released last year is awash in indecipherable lyrics, screams, bleeps and doodles that are simultaneously old-school and futuristic and somehow melodic. www.lastgangrecords.com

Recommended: “Courtship Dating”; “Vanishing”

Black Mountain

From Vancouver, the rotating lineup of Black Mountain (and various splinter groups, including Pink Mountaintop, Pink Mountain, etc.) draws from a collective of artists and friends who’ve been playing together in various incarnations for years.

They’ve earned kudos from the unlikeliest of places, including an opening slot on the Coldplay 2005 Canadian tour.

2007’s “In The Future” is their most cohesive and ambitious album to date, a sprawling, haunting and equally uplifting/devastating whole piece of work that could be the soundtrack for our generation’s midlife crisis. www.blackmountainarmy.com

Recommended: “Angels”; “Stay Free”; “Don’t Run Our Hearts Around”

Brendan Canning

Feature photo by Daaane

“Something For All Of Us”: The debut solo record from one of the founders of Broken Social Scene and a stalwart member of the Toronto scene (hHead, By Divine Right) is a thing of beauty.

From the opening notes of the title track, discordant and eerie, to the sad pretty lilt of “Snowballs and Icicles” and the driving guitars of my favourite track, “Churches Under the Stairs,” this record is a seamless glimmering gem that’s vaulting on to everyone’s “Best of 2009″ lists.

The production is top-notch, giving each track its own chance to shine, although there’s still some quality BSS fuzziness. www.brokensocialscene.ca

Recommended: “Churches Under the Stairs”; “Antique Bull”; “Love is New”

Lights

Lights is one sugar-coated candy of a girl making pop that’s fast becoming everyone’s guilty pleasure. Old Navy plucked her out of obscurity by featuring her music in its TV campaign, and the web effect was instantaneous: thousands of fans and website hits and offers of record deals.

Even though she’s only got an EP out at this point (full length due before end of the year), her pop songs are also making inroads at radio and she’s shot low budget videos for three tracks already that are online and getting play on Canadian TV. www.iamlights.com

Recommended: “White”; “Drive My Soul”

#MusicMonday: 10 Black Metal Bands in the Developing World

Mara Yu — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:11:31 +0000

Photo of Demonic Resurrection by Frog StarB

Satanas from I.N.R.I

Satanas Zombie from the record The Black Goatlike Arise

9. Demonic Resurrection – India
Demonic Resurrection is one of India’s most popular blackened death metal bands, having opened for international acts like Opeth. They combine keyboard-driven virtuosity with slightly Satanic, but not over the top lyrics. Technical and melodic without losing the blackened feel, this Bombay-based band is certainly one to watch in the next few years.
Recommended Album: A Darkness Descends (2005) 

10. Darkestrah – Kyrgyzstan
Darkestrah is melodic and epic, yet dark, underproduced, and atmospheric. This female-fronted pagan metal band has lyrics about shamanism and the Silk Road, as well as a song simply titled “Shaitan Akbar!” (”Lord Satan!”). The members of Darkestrah now reside in Germany, but continue to use include traditional instruments and overtone singing in their work.

Recommended Album: Epos (2007)

Inner Voice from The Great Silk Road

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:
Thinking about attending a music festival at home or abroad? Check out our recommendations about how to prepare for a summer music festival here.