One of the greatest features of this site is that when one contributor (read: me) goes MIA, the other guys are there to pick up the slack. I haven’t shared anything for several months now, but I’m here to make it up to you by introducing you to your new favorite artist. In the past 2 years, Ulrich Schnauss has fast moved up my list of all-time favorites and clearly into the top 5. He is probably the only artist who I can listen to and be utterly blown away, every single time, regardless of my mood or how many times I’ve heard his record that given month/day/hour. When you’re as big a music fanatic as most of us here are, that really says a lot.

There are so many levels of dynamism on this record that provoked a variety of feelings. I was overwhelmed. Upon more listens, I personally feel that the intelligent musical arrangements allow for this massive amount of sections and sound to flow naturally without being “too much” to cram on a single album.

Back in January I wrote about how Sweden’s Carnal Forge perfectly compliments any bad attitude. Their aggressive music, violent lyrics and vocal style have earned them a cult following, including myself. I also noted how vocalist Jonas Kjellgren had left to join the quickly rising melodic death metal band Scar Symmetry, forcing the band to find a new vocalist for their soon to be released new album.

That new album has finally arrived under the title “Testify for my Victims“. As mentioned previously, Carnal Forge had more or less stuck to an extremely similar musical formula for every album: aggressive and razor tight death/thrash metal. “Testify..” is without a doubt the biggest progression the band has ever taken and I welcome the changes with open arms. The songs are much more melodic and I dare say more accessible. That’s not to say you’ll ever hear them on your local radio — but the abrasive qualities which defined their earlier material has mostly given way to a more polished sound. Most of my friends have expressed their distaste for the bands new direction, explaining: “it doesn’t sound like Carnal Forge,” and hinting that the band made a step towards a musical field already crowded beyond capacity.

On April 24, 2007, Deleyaman played live in Yerevan, Armenia. For most of us, that’s not exactly the closest show to catch. However, as someone who travels to Yerevan about twice a year for work, this was an amazing coincidence and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. So, I filmed it to share with the Dark Dose audience.

April 24th is Genocide Remembrance Day, a national holiday where the country shuts for a day to remember family lost during the Armenian Genocide. It’s quite overwhelming; the city is filled with long, somber faces and events commemorating the tragedy. Even the weather matched the mood, snowing after weeks of 70+ (21C) degree weather.