The Austrasian Goat - AFBM (Anti-Fascist Black Metal)
Contagium - Wallow
Arxi Tou Telous - Ksespasma Misous (Burst Of Hate)
Spectres - Cold War
Dažd - Tamo Dole (Down There)
Chambre Froide - Azazel
Iskra - Bureval
Monarch - A Look At Tomorow (Discharge cover)
Warcollapse - Crust As Fuck Existence
Cross Stitched Eyes - Breath Of Lies
Deathcharge - The Hangman
Rudimentary Peni - Eyes Of The Dead
Valpourgia Nyxta - Politikoi Kratoumenoi
Black Trinity - Throne Of Dark
Filth Of Mankind - Obledna Rzeczywistosc
DOWNLOAD
Quite interesting compilation of 15 tracks in very varied genres, from raw black metal and metallic crust to hardcore and post-punk. There are also several good Greek bands, of which I didn't even know before. Found on gnwp.ru.
ASILO / FRACCION GEORGE BEST "split" Year: 2011 Genre: Sludge/Crust (Asilo), Hardcore/Screamo (FGB) Country: Argentina / Chile Track List: Asilo
Mecanismos de la Vida Moderna
Oración
Fracción George Best
III
Caronte
I've received an e-mail from one of the members of Asilo not so long ago. Actually, I already knew about Asilo before, and even posted one track from their split w/ Tzara on my other blog, but it's always good to know that the band members themselves are reading my posts. They define their style as "a mix of black metal, doom, drone, sludge and many other kind of music", but for me it's mostly sludge/drone/doom with some blackened crust overtones. Not bad, but definitely not for fans of fast and aggressive stuff. As for Fracción George Best - they're from Chile, playing some kind of hardcore/screamo (not metallic at all). To be honest I didn't like their side of the split that much, but you might have a different opinion.
Release notes: "bio: asilo is a sludge crust three-piece band from buenos aires, argentina. their members (nacho dp: drums / manuel: vox - bass - analogue devices / sebaxxxtian: bass / vox) played and still play in underground bands from the underground metal scene, like voightkampff, gran cuervo, milica, etc. we've released our first split with tzara (post hardcore, with manuel playing bass), including a live song from our very first show live in april 2011. Nowadays we are releasing this second split with fraccion george best, from chile, with two songs each band... this split cd will be releasing in chile and ecuador too.
In 2012, we are eager to play live and record our new songs and trying to be edited in usa or europe.
their releases are available in http://www.myspace.com/distroiart http://www.facebook.com/distroiart http://www.zannmusic.com.ar http://www.facebook.com/zannmusic"
TYPHONIC AGE "Storm the Heavens" Year: 2011 Genre: Black Metal Country: USA
Track List:
Storm the Heavens
DOWNLOAD
This track was originally recorded for a compilation, but TA also decided to release it as a single-track demo. Musically it isn't much different from their first demo - raw, minimalistic old school BM. You can find the lyrics at the bandcamp page.
TYPHONIC AGE "Misanthropic Wrath" Year: 2011 Genre: Black Metal Country: USA
Track List:
Procreating the Archetype
Therionic Wolfhowl
Ahriman Ascendent
DOWNLOAD
Typhonic Age are a new black metal duo from Asheville, NC, who released their first demo "Misanthropic Wrath" month ago. Their lyrics deal mostly with usual BM subjects, and they aren't a specifically political band, but both of them definitely support the ideology behind RABM.
FUNERAL THRONE "Victory" Year: 2010 Genre: Black Metal Country: UK
Track List:
Victory
Novus Ortus
DOWNLOAD
Don't know much about this band, but according to what I've received in my mail, it's OK to post this EP here. They're from Wolverhampton, UK, playing pure satanic BM with a slight punk touch since 2005. The full album is expected to be out early next year.
XAOTIKO TELOS "In Front Of Paranoia" Year: 1993 Genre: Epic Crust / Crossover Thrash Metal Country: Greece
Track List:
ΚΟΥΡΕΛΙΑΣΜΕΝΗ ΨΥΧΗ
ΤΙΠΟΤΑ ΑΛΗΘΙΝΟ
ΜΠΡΟΣΤΑ ΣΤΗ ΠΑΡΑΝΟΙΑ
ΕΠΟΧΗ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΡΑΚΜΗΣ
Ο ΥΜΝΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΡΟΥΦΙΑΝΩΝ
ΜΠΑΣΤΑΡΔΟΙ ΘΑ ΠΛΗΡΩΣΕΤΕ
ΖΟΥΜΕ ΣΤΟ ΣΚΟΤΑΔΙ
TRAMPCORE
ΣΚΟΤΑΔΙ ΚΑΙ ΜΟΝΑΞΙΑ
DOWNLOAD
Thanks to the Noisy Subculture blog for helping me to discover this classic of Greek anarcho-metal/punk scene. Χαοτικό Τέλος (Chaotic End) were a metallic crust punk band from Athens, formed in 1989 and disbanded in the mid-90s. They have released only two cassette demos and one LP, but they went down in history as one of the most unique bands of their era, who mixed thrash metal with raw crust/hardcore and added a bit of dark ambience. I think they're comparable to such bands as Amebix or Axegrinder, and even it isn't black metal at all, a lot of my readers may find their sound interesting. I can't understand their lyrics, but looks like they contain very harsh social criticism, as well as depression/personal-feelings themes.
P.S. Much more music of various kinds is coming soon, but first I'll try to give a detailed explanation of the situation with recent "snow revolutions" in ex-USSR. Stay tuned.
LIVIA SURA "Livia Sura" Year: 2011 Genre: Blackened Sludge/Crust Country: Romania
Track List:
Poraimos
Tăcere surdă
Generații de mizantropi
Saiwala
Livia Sura are a new blackened crust/sludge collective from Timisoara, Romania, who have sent me their first EP for a review. Although their music is more sludge than BM or crust, I think it'd fit here well. The EP is available from bandcamp.
TAMUT AMEN "Tamutamenkind" Year: 2011 Genre: Blackened Hardcore Country: Israel
Track List:
The Creatures
Ancient Demon
Million Pills
The Elite
She Returned
DOWNLOAD TamutAmen are a new blackened grind/hardcore band featuring members of various Israeli hardcore, grindcore and powerviolence bands such as Whorecore, Mondo Gecko and Tea With Satan. Of course they know about my blog, and this demo is posted with the band's permission. facebook
MANIA "Mania" Year: 2010 Genre: Cascadian Black Metal Country: USA
Track List:
Numbing
Eternal Filth and Chaos Everywhere
Lostness and Confusion
Fertility Fucked
Getting Nowhere
Primal Instincts
Ice Covered Sphere
Suspense
Awaken
DOWNLOAD
Wait... I haven't posted this album here yet? It's probably the best release by Mania up to date - depressive black metal from Cascadia in the way how it should be. The choice of cover image may look weird, but I think it directly relates to the recurring theme of ecocide in Mania's lyrics. By the way, there are also two splits (w/ Huldrekall and L'Acephale), but I haven't listened to any of them yet.
After many years of activity, this blog is now put on hold since the majority of contributors have a lot of other important stuff going on in their lives. New music submissions should go to /r/RABM/ (note that the mods of /r/RABM/ don't have anything to do with this blog).
Most of the uploads here are band sanctioned. Anyway, if you for some reason don't want to see your music here, contact us using rabm (AT) gmx (DOT) com, and we'll consider taking it down.
Bottom note: there's probably a lot of broken English on this blog, since English isn't the first language for many of the contributors.
FAQ
Q.: Which kinds of music are featured on this blog?
A.: - (primarily) RABM or Red & Anarchist Black Metal: all kinds of black metal-related music charged with radical leftist (anarchist, libertarian socialist, eco-anarchist, etc.) political views. Some of the bands featured here may be not openly political, but all of them are RABM-friendly;
- blackened crust/hardcore/punk (only if it's openly RABM-friendly, or if it's just very good music; we have no intention to collect here all the blackened punk in existence);
- other kinds of political (anarchist, socialist, etc.) metal - death, thrash, post-metal, etc.;
- dark ambient, neofolk, industrial, dark electro, etc. - but only if it has some RABM-friendly ideology;
- regular punk/hardcore/crust, post-rock, conscious hip-hop, etc. - but only as a rare exception (so if you want to send us a demo in one of these genres, you're probably in the wrong place).
Q.: What are some RABM/blackened crust bands to start listening from?
A.: Here's an old compilation which I (B.K.) made in late 2009. Doesn't include a lot of good RABM bands that I didn't know of back then, but still recommended if you're new to RABM:
Q.: How can I support a particular RABM band with my money?
A.: Most bands nowadays have a bandcamp page, where you can but their stuff online (usually for an arbitrary price). It's the most convinient way to support the band. If your favourite band don't have a bandcamp or bigcartel page, try to find out in which distro you can find their albums/merch. Of course, go to concerts if you have such opportunity.
Q.: How can I offer my financial support to this blog, or the RABM movement in general?
A.: Unfortunately right we don't have an opportunity to accept donations, but we hope we'll be able to set it up soon.
Q.: What is the connection between black metal and hardcore/punk/crust?
A.: It's a well-established fact that the connection between black metal and punk scenes existed since the early days of BM (think Venom, early Bathory, early Mayhem and early Sodom on one side, and Amebix, Discharge and Axegrinder on another). Recently this mix of BM and hardcore punk got a new life in the form of blackened crust (thanks to Black Kronstadt / Iskra in first place). And don't forget about Cascadian black metal bands with their radical environmentalist ideology, often to the extent of radical eco-anarchism or "pro-nature/anti-humanity" ideas.
Q.: What's your main ideology?
A.: This blog is generally written from a position of anarchism without adjectives; however, the RABM scene is very diverse ideologically. Let us end on this, as this blog isn't quite a right place for purely political debates; if you want to learn or argue about anarchism/other ideologies, there's a lot of specialized FAQs/blogs/forums for you.
Q.: Isn't black metal supposed to be apolitical?
A.: Supposed by whom? I personally don't think so, but if you think that political awareness should have no place in "true" black metal, you can feel free to call the bands featured on here "blackened punk" or whatever you want. It should be noted, though, that a lot of these bands doesn't openly talk about politics in their lyrics, exactly because they think it wouldn't be suitable for black metal. - B.K.
Q.: Isn't RABM just an "answer" to NSBM?
A.: While RABM is definitely against NSBM and any other kind of far-right crap in metal scene, it's most emphatically a self-sufficient movement and not any kind of "answer to NSBM". Similarly, while RABM is 100% pro liberation from any kinds of religious tyranny, it isn't a movement against any particular religion (Christianity, Islam, or any other).
Q.: What's your opinion on Satanism?
A.: The so-called "Hollywood Satanism", which is often found in black metal, is, in our opinion, nothing more than inverted Christianity, so we aren't big on it. Many of us are simply atheists, pagans of all kinds, gnostics, etc. We also don't share the notion that only genuine theistic Satanists / Devil-worshippers can play "real" black metal (this would exclude such bands as Venom, Bathory, Immortal, Summoning, and many many others). Additionally, the very term "Satanism" is quite vague, and can't be narrowed down to LaVeyan Satanism (which is heavily disliked by many black metallers), or whatever else. LaVey had some good points, but in general his philosophy can be described just as "Ayn Rand with some occult tinge".
Q.: What about misanthropy and nihilism?
A.: To put it in short: we don't hate everyone and everything (and we don't think there's anyone who truly does). We just hate these traits of humanity which make true anarchist society most likely infeasible in the foreseeable future.
Q.: Collectivism or individualism?
A.: There actually is no "hard" contradiction between these two terms. Individualism is simply an outlook emphasizes the moral worth of the individual and its right not to be oppressed by the state or some social group. It doesn't contradict at all with standing up for your rights along with a group of like-minded individuals. It also worth noting that the early black metal scene didn't promote individualism that much (see "black metal circles").
Q.: Who coined the term "RABM"?
A.: Hard to say, but there's an apparent similarity to RASH ("Red & Anarchist Skinheads"). Here's the very first mention of "RABM" we could find (August 2005). The term was popularized by our last.fm group (and later - by this blog) since 2009.
Q.: Do you know the ideology of the band X? It isn't obvious if they're NSBM or not...
A.: Sorry, we don't know, do your own research. It's often hard to say anything certain about a band's views, if the members themselves aren't open about it. We also don't advice using various "lists of nazi bands" etc. as a reference, as most of them are full of bullshit. Similarly, forum posts or blog comments (especially anonymous ones) generally aren't a reliable source for anything. In one particular case, we had an anonymous comment claiming that the members of Timebomb are now playing in a fascist band called SPQR. Later it turned out that it were members of a completely other Italian band with a similar name (Timebombs). Hopefully that'd be a good example of how important fact-checking is.
Q.: I've seen some of the albums posted here in the same distro with some albums by right-leaning bands...
A.: Unfortunately it's often the case with distros and labels that distribute stuff regardless of its political affiliation. Even Austin Lunn of Panopticon complained about Pagan Flames (the label which released his "Collapse" and "Social Disservices" LPs) having NSBM in their distro, so things like these are just unavoidable.
Q.: Some bands on this blog have Burzum on their list on influences. Isn't Varg Vikernes a nazi?