Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Michael
Wiegedood - “De Doden Hebben Het Goed”
It is winter here in Oregon and you know what that means?! Black metal is in my ears almost non-stop. I crave it in the darker months more than at any other time of the year. Thanks to Cvlt Nation’s year-end list I am fully stocked! Wiegedood’s De Doden Hebben Het Goed is a classically great black metal album. The title track of the album stands out to me as a song that I will go back to often throughout the years. With a slow and methodical pace, the song lulls me into an epic undertaking. The vocals perfectly balance out the breakdown about halfway through by opposing the guitars with their intensity. “No stars will fall. No wars will end. Father, grant me my three nails. And nothing will change. I fade.”
Metaconqueror - “Order of The Golden Dawn”
This is one of those tracks that you either need to be listening to on high level in a dark room by yourself or through some good headphones. There are so many ambient layers that I missed on the first listen through because the volume was too low. “Order of The Golden Dawn” is a pulsing track that trudges through complex soundscapes of total darkness.
(Nerdy fact: The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn was a 19th century group of Freemasons that studied the occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activity in Great Britain. via wikipedia)
Wes
Annex - “Caminos”
Annex’s “Caminos” kind of reminds me a bit of Lié. The feel of the guitars is very similar, in a way that really appeals to me. There’s kind of the same sort of dark, punk oriented without being punk groove to the way they’re played and the tone of the effects. The vocal delivery also feels a bit Lié-esque as well. Compare to the song “Sorry”. This isn’t to say that Annex sounds like they’re copping Lié’s feel; rather, it’s more to say that Lié is really great, and Annex makes me think of why I like Lié so much. The same sort of tonal approaches Annex takes makes me want to put their tracks on repeat in the same way that I wanted to listen to Consent over and over. If you’re a fan of that dark punk feel, definitely give Annex your time.
Caustic - “Why Because (V▲LH▲LL Remix)
The thing I like best from remixes is when they take the source material and change it completely, and in this V▲LH▲LL remix that is exactly what they do. Caustic has a very punk energy in his recent album, Industrial Music, and this remix is about as far from that energy as you can get. It’s interesting, this track almost feels like a throwback in the same way that Industrial Music almost has a throwback vibe; the difference is that V▲LH▲LL is throwing back to early witch house, with heavy hip-hop influence and big saws taking the place of Caustic’s heavy beats and fast moving synths. I’ve definitely had to give it a few listens, and it’s not alone on this remix release in that regard. The guys over at I Die: You Die did a great job pulling together unexpected artists for this release and most of it is worth a listen (except for maybe those reakt[ion] and [product] guys - I hear they’re real dicks).