Class of 2012: Dawnbringer - Into The Lair Of The Sun God

Dawnbringer, led by Chris Black (former bassist for Nachtmystium, current drummer for Pharaoh, also fronts Superchrist and High Spirits), plays classic-sounding heavy metal.  I wouldn't be surprised if Eddie Trunk were a fan.

Into The Lair Of The Sun God is a concept record about a man who sets out to kill the sun.  We learn this toward the end of "I" (the songs are simply titled Roman numerals I-IX) with the lyric "I am the one / to murder the sun."  The songs proceed to tell a tragic tale, but I won't give anything away.  Consider it your assignment to listen and figure it all out.

For me, this album can be divided into halves.  Tracks "I" through "IV" represent the better half.  The songs are faster, and the guitar playing is more impressive.  This half sounds like a heavy metal guitar record without going overboard or over-indulging.

Class of 2012: Drudkh - Eternal Turn of the Wheel

Ukrainian black metallers Drudkh keep a low profile.  They don't do interviews, they don't sing (That's not the right word, is it?) in English, and their lyrics often come from Ukrainian poetry.

Eternal Turn of the Wheel opens with the acoustic instrumental "Eternal Circle."  This is the calm before the storm.

Within seconds of "Breath of Cold Black Soil," you can tell that this record is a little angrier and more aggressive than 2010's very good Handful of Stars.  The vocals, in particular, seem to have an extra bit of fury behind them.  Be sure to pay attention to the bells ringing, giving this song that added touch.

Class of 2012: Bosse-de-Nage - III

The Bay Area's Bosse-de-Nage is a bit of an enigma.  This four-piece doesn't seem to play live, nor do they do any sort of promotions for their recordings.  They play blackened math rock, and this album was obviously recorded under the Slint-fluence.

"The Arborist" gets III off to a pretty good start.  It shows what the band can do and highlights what they do well.

"Desuetude" comes next and is, without a doubt, the strongest track on the album.  If I didn't know any better, after hearing the first 30 seconds, I would have been convinced that this was Japandroids.  III needs more songs like this one.  What's interesting is that this is the only song that doesn't feature any spoken vocals, and it's the best song on the record.

Extra Credit: Desolate Oasis

Desolate Oasis is a one-man band from Boulder Creek, California.  That man is Dimitri "M." Kuzbyt, who's clearly been following the shoegazing black metal coming out of France for the last decade or so.

When dreams become reality is a five-song, thirty-minute release courtesy of Broken Limbs Recordings.  It's available at bandcamp for the "name your price" option, so you can either get it for free or donate what you can to show your support.

Class of 2012: Ash Borer - Cold of Ages

California's Ash Borer offers up atmospheric American black metal on their latest release, Cold of Ages.  Coming in at just over 60 minutes, these four songs range from long (11:25) to very long (18:09).  For this style of music, however, song length can easily top 10 minutes with effective transitions, shifts, and tempo changes.

Opening track "Descended Lamentations" starts by creating an eery atmosphere and then switches to chilling, frosty black metal that could easily give a child nightmares for weeks.

"Phantoms" begins slowly and then gets progressively faster, at which point I can hear the soundtrack to some sort of Fight Club-esque montage.  The song comes to an end over a faint drumbeat and ambient, avant-garde tendencies.

Class of 2012: Windfaerer - Solar

A violinist in a metal band sounds like a bad idea, but the band Windfaerer pulls it off brilliantly.  Although clearly influenced by black metal, this is by no means a traditional black metal album.  In addition to black metal, you'll also hear elements of melodic death metal and folk metal.

While the band considers Solar to be an EP, its seven songs in just over 35 minutes is the perfect amount.  Opening track "The Mortal Flare" is an instrumental that doesn't reveal too much but makes you want to hear more.  This is followed by the rather uplifting "A Glimpse of Light," a black metal song at its core that feels victorious instead of bleak and dark.

"Worlds of the Self" brings the aforementioned violin into the mix.  There's a sweet breakdown with just vocals, drums, and bass around the three-minute mark that's one of my favorite moments on the record.

Class of 2012: Conan - Monnos

British doomsters Conan are a three-piece whose primary goal is to crush your skull.  And they do their fair share of crushing on Monnos, but instead of feeling laborious and drawn-out, it's actually quite enjoyable.

Opener "Hawk As Weapon" slowly churns along and is followed by the terrific "Battle in the Swamp," which speeds things up a bit.  Throughout the record, the vocals sound slightly distant, and on this track in particular, I'm reminded of Maynard James Keenan.  Next is "Grim Tormentor," with its added bonus of dual high/low vocals.  And just when you think the song is over, it decides to keep chugging along.

My only issue with this album is the instrumental "Golden Axe."  While far from terrible, it would be better if it were shorter (possibly cut in half) or if it moved forward and progressed.  It just doesn't go anywhere over the course of nearly six minutes.