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elcome to the Digital Meltd0wn Music Blog. The aim of this blog is to introduce the readers to music that is out of print, commercially unavailable, released under a creative commons license, or with approval by the featured artist. The majority of the music posted here would be considered underground. Don't let that fool you into thinking that the music featured here might be any less enjoyable than that of the mainstream artists you hear on the radio, as this couldn't be further from the truth. Please keep in mind that the majority of the artists that appear on this blog, along with their respective record labels, are not wealthy and need your support. If you enjoy the material that you find here, please support the artists/labels by purchasing their material afterwards. If you are an artist/label that would prefer to have your material removed from this blog, simply leave me a comment, and I would be more than happy to promptly remove the offending post. In addition to running this blog, I also work on a few other projects during my spare time. You can find links to those, as well as a few other important links associated with Digital Meltd0wn in the menu bar above.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Mirrorthrone- Gangrene




When one feels the need to express themselves or let off some steam, one usually writes in their journals, listen to music, paint or perhaps even exercise. Few people compose cathartic symphonies from the comfort of their own bedrooms. Vladimir Cochet is one of these rare beings. Hailing from Switzerland, Vladimir is the brainchild behind the one-man projects such as Unholy Matrimony, Weeping Birth, Deafening Loneliness, and Accursed Journey. His most celebrated project would be Mirrorthrone, an avant-garde, symphonic black metal outfit that can only be described as Igor Stravinsky meets Emperor.

After two album releases ("Of Wind and Weeping" and "Carriers of Dust") and a big buzz amongst the underground metal scene, Mirrorthrone released "Gangrene" in April of 2008.

From the opening track "Dismay," there are significant changes I hear from past releases. One of the biggest knocks of previous Mirrorthrone releases has been the heavy reliance on programmed drum beats that leave the listener empty at times. While, the programmed beats still exists; they have been cleaned up and done tastefully to compliment the driving guitar riffs and piano compositions. In other words, "Gangrene" comes across as a more living, breathing, flesh and blood "human" album that is capable of providing the complex feelings of a human.

I have made 3 tracks from the Gangrene album available below.

The first track, "Dismay," is a song I didn't particular care for from my first experiences with "Gangrene."It has since grown on me and I consider it one of the most unique song on the album. The song runs beautifully through the first six minutes ranging from the baroque classical style symphonic metal we have grown to love from Mirrorthrone to an industrial feel at some points. This song would be perfect if it were only around 6 minutes long; it seems to get bogged down and I am left with the feeling of being stuck in quicksand in the last five minutes of the track.

The second track and my second favorite track on the album, "No One By My Side," is a rather straight forward Mirrorthrone song that is carried greatly by its woeful lyrics.

The final track I included and the final track on the album is entitled, "So Frail," my favorite track on Gangrene and an absolutely beautiful song. "So Frail" is indeed a proper title . Between the song structure and Vlad's vocals, which seems to be at their most vulnerable; one couldn't help but think of the adjective "frail" to describe this song. A gentle breeze could collapse the entire song.

Gangrene may only be six tracks but it is over an hour of some of the most unique metal music you will hear. If you have enjoyed the tracks I provided, you can purchase the entire album at the following link: Mirrorthrone-Gangrene You can also just drop him a message or a comment at Mirrorthrone's Myspace page. He's a really nice guy and typically willing to respond. Enjoy!

Year of Release: 2008
Genre: Avant-Garde Black Metal
Label: Red Stream, Inc.
Country of Origin: Switzerland

Track List

1. Dismay
2. No One By My Side
3. So Frail

Download: Mirrorthrone-Gangrene (Sampler)
Download Size: 55.18 MB

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

what a daaaark share from such sweet person. thanx Ally!

Anonymous said...

I'm not really a fan of black metal but I'll give this a try only because it is posted here.

-Wingdeer-

Anonymous said...

I feel like a boob now for being so skeptical :\ I just finished listening to the first two songs, and I'm listening to the last as I type. The clean vocals sound great, the music is beautiful and dark, and the harsh vocals aren't over the top and unbearable like a lot of black metal can be. Thanks for an excellent share. I'll support this project also.

-Wingdeer-

Zer0_II said...

I'm very picky when it comes to the metal I listen to, but this is excellent stuff. At times it even has more of an industrial sound to it. The opening piano/keyboard sequence to 'No One By My Side' is absolutely haunting and beautiful at the same time and really stood out to me, although 'Dismay' was my favorite track of the three. Great first post!

Ally said...

I'm glad you are enjoying this one. Don't worry, I will post more than black metal. :P