Labeled:Profound Lore

Every release that Profound Lore has put out is excellent and if you are not familiar with any of their releases I highly suggest that you check them out. Listen to songs from all of these great albums here.

Ross' Picks

Coffinworm-When All Became None

Profound Lore is a fantastic label that I have be fond of for quite some time. Last year, they released Coffinworm's debut album "When All Became None" and that album earned it's spot in the top five of my year-end list of 2010. I still listen to this album on a regular basis. It never gets old. Coffinworm's filthy, sludgy brand of blackened doom is mesmerizing and this album perfectly captures every aspect of the band's talent. Punishing riffs, devastating drumming, harsh, haunting vocals. It's all perfect. If you haven't listened to this album, I highly suggest you get it immediately.

Mitochondrion-Parasignosis
Mitochondrion's "Parasignosis" came out this January and ever since I first listened to the track "Trials," which Profound Lore posted on their MP3s page before the album was released, I was hooked. This band blends elements of death metal and black metal to form something much stronger and brutal than blackened death metal. Blackened death metal is more suited for bands like Behemoth, Mitochondrion are definitely a DEATH METAL band that harnesses the intensity and brings a visceral experience to the listener. "Parasignosis" is a perfect example of this intensity and therefore my favorite record by this band.

Castevet-Mounds of Ash
Castevet. What can I say? This band is absolutely fantastic. Their first full-length, "Mound of Ash," came out last year on Profound Lore and it absolutely stunned me. The vibe of this record is unbelievable. A perfect mixture of post-metal and black metal. When these two genres fuse the way Castevet execute them, the result is totally chaotic madness. When I say chaotic, I do no refer the their music. The music is actually very well orchestrated. The chaos I speak of is in the bands uncanny accuracy to create astonishing music. This album is a must have for any metal fan. Not specifically black metal fans, but metal fans in general. Get on it.

~Ross Gnarly(American Aftermath)

Andrew's Picks

Ken Mode-Venerable

I first heard of KEN Mode from the mp3 section on the Profound Lore website. I had heard from a lot of different places that KEN Mode are awesome, but at first I really didn't see what the big deal about them was. I kept on hearing great things about KEN Mode, so I decide to buy Venerable. After a few listens I fell in love with Venerable. I love everything about KEN Mode their heavy drum sound, their unique vocals, and their great guitar sound. This album is a perfect example of a grower and gets better every listen! I usually don't even like most instrumental songs but the instrumental songs on Venerable are spectacular! Even though this album might not be heavy in a death metal or grindcore way, I still recommend that you check these awesome guys(and girl) out.

Man's Gin-Smiling Dogs

First off, let me say that, that this album is in no way shape or form grindcore or even metal! I bought this album after hearing a few songs from it on YouTube. When I first bought this album, I was getting tired of just screaming vocals and fast songs, I wanted something that I could remember the lyrics to and sing along to. It's hard to describe Man's Gin's sound, but I guess the best tag would be folk. Even though this album is not metal, it still has a very dark atmosphere. I remember when I first bought Smiling Dogs, I listened to it like 12 times on repeat that day. All the songs on Smiling Dogs are memorable and extremely great. My favorite song on Smiling Dogs is "The Death of Jimmy Sturgis", it is an almost seven minute "epic". It is also one of the catchiest songs on the album and I consistently have it stuck in my head. Along with Thou-Summit this album is my favorite album from last year. If you are a grindcore, metal, hardcore fan and you want to hear something different, I highly recommend this album to you!

Ludicra-The Tenant

Ludicra are a great black metal band, that also have a lot of other varied influences. From the haunting, emotional vocals, to the great guitar/bass playing, to Aesop's awesome, unique style of drumming, The Tenant is a perfect album. I bought this album after seeing an article about them in Decibel Magazine and I was not disappointed. I bought this album over a year ago, but I still find myself listening to it very often. My favorite song on The Tenant is "The Truth Won't Set You Free". It is nine minutes long and probably the most intense and angry sounding song on the whole album. If you are a fan of black metal or metal in general I highly suggest that you check out Ludicra.

~Andrew Lipscomb

Labeled: Grindcore Karaoke

J. Randall's label Grindcore Karaoke has only been around for a few months, but they have already released 35 albums, ep's, demo's, etc. All of GK's releases are awesome ,but here are some of my favorites:

Romero-Solitaire

Romero may not be a grindcore band, but they still rock. Romero are a doomy rock band(their sound kinda reminds me of Torche's first album), both of these two songs are excellent and Romero are an awesome band!

Cloud Rat-S/T LP

This album is amazingly awesome. Cloud Rat play a style of grind that is melodic, without losing any of the intensity. This is one of the best things I have heard from Grindcore Karaoke. Cloud Rat are a breath of fresh air and they are one of the most unique grind bands I have heard. The vocals are very emotional(in a good way), and unlike some grind bands whose albums just sound like a blur, where all the songs sound the same, all of the songs on this album are unique and they standout! I really love that Some of my favorite songs are "Yama", "Canine", and "Pill Birth". This album demands repeated listens and if you haven't heard Cloud Rat you need to download this right now!

Robocop-Robocop II

If you read Operation Grindcore, you know I love Robocop, my love has been documented here and here. This album is awesome 'nuff said!

Inerds-Choice Cuts

Inerds are a grindcore band, who have a lot of influence from early powerviolence. This six song e.p. that comes from a split with the band Coworkers, is a fast, all out attack on the ears. Much like Cloud Rat, Inerds are a breath of fresh air in the grindcore genre. My favorite songs off of Choice Cuts are "Bebo", "Counting Seconds", and "Humans Being".

Death-Cult Jock-West End Blast

Death-Cult Jock are a grindcore band! They play a style of grindcore that has a lot of influences from other cool genres such as death metal and doom metal, which I think is really cool. Even with all of these unique influences they probably still are the most straight up grind band on my list, which is not a bad thing. The thing I love most about Death-Cult Jock are their great riffs/guitar playing, which makes this album very memorable. My favorite songs are "Fast", "Virus/Plague", and "Numb".

~Andrew Lipscomb