Showing posts with label EP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EP. Show all posts

Thursday, 25 June 2026

Sail & Wreck (2026) by Aiming - Music EP Review


Every now and again, I review the odd music album or EP. These are always done more as a favour than anything else, as they are often nothing whatsoever to do with horror. Such is the case with Aiming's latest EP - Sail & Wreck. Four tracks of blissed-out eighties nostalgia, whose review, as is usually the case, I shall no doubt butcher.

The sixteen minute EP begins with 'Our Voices At The Bottom Of The Ocean', which more than anything made me think of a tune set during a summery montage. screaming peak Stranger Things. A peaceful and nostalgia tinged track that even at over four minutes didn't do much to annoy.
Next up is 'First At The Accident' that followed a very similar groove. Very similar to track one, but with more emotive feelings to it; again, a chilled and nostalgia summer vibe to it all.

Halfway through and it is the turn of 'Sh*t In The '80s', which to my lack of supreme surprise was another nostalgic throwback. A steady synth based drum beat throughout had me imagining roller skating, children cycling, and people enjoying times at the beach. The perfect summer day conjured up and stuffed into a song.
Finally, it is the turn of the titular 'Sail & Wreck'. This one started with a more modern beat, though at its heart its shares much of the same DNA.

It was hard to dislike Sail & Wreck. The dreamy sounds of yesteryear were indeed very chill, and easy to let wash over you. Maybe not the most varied of sounds to be found, but nonetheless was the perfect accompiment to living life and making memories, which like the sound of the EP itself, in time will be remembered with nostalgic fondness. Sail & Wreck is Aiming's second EP and is out now.

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Thursday, 5 June 2025

Faro (2025) by Harold Nono - Music EP Review


For the first time in goodness knows when, I am putting up a music review that is actually relevant to the genre of horror. Faro is a four track EP that comes from Harold Nono and features music that wouldn't feel out of place in a horror film.

The roughly seventeen minute long EP is made up of four tracks that straddle the line between soundscape and soundtrack. It begins with 'Raukar', the shortest track on the EP at three and half minutes, this was a moody and horror tinged soundtrack that felt like it would be perfect alongside a haunted house movie. Next up is 'Hour of the Wolf' that had more of a soundscape feel to it. Despite the title, this gave impressions of an alien landscape, especially with a heartbeat echoing throughout, and a finish that smoothly transitions into an electronic sound. Penultimate track is 'Broa Kiosken' with its morose cello conjuring images of a gothic mansion, and finally ending with what I felt was the best track, the sweeping grandiose 'Sketch for Faro' that was both a strangely uplifting and dramatic finish.

As the soundtrack to a lazy Sunday walk to the local shop, this worked in making everything seem just that little bit more mystical. With a short length the EP felt perfectly balanced, though is something that works as music to appreciate rather than music to dance to. Harold Nono's Faro was released at the end of April via Bearsuit Records. It can be found on Bandcamp.

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Tuesday, 11 March 2025

The Legend EP (2025) by Aiming - Music EP Review


Another day and another ill informed and ignorant attempt to review a music EP, music of which I am in no place to be able to adequately review. Aiming is a York based trio who formed in late 2023, united by a love of shoegaze, post-punk and ambient music from multiple decades. The Legend EP is billed as kind of a concept album, with the press release stating the four tracks are about small town life and not fitting in. The titular 'Legend' refers to a guy in a small town who goes out on the weekend looking for trouble.

With that out the way, onwards to butchering this review. The four tracks play out over a comfortable seventeen minute runtime. To my ears they sounded like a chilled sound of summery fun. It may only just be getting to spring time, but this year I have taken more of a note of the seasons, and so anything that reminds me of the sun is a good thing. It starts with opening track 'Brainiac' that to me sounded like Ash. That band did two fantastic albums and so that was not a bad comparison for me. 'The Legend' follows and a quick look at the lyrics show it alludes to the description from my opening paragraph. This one gave me slight vibes to the earlier work of The Cooper Temple Clause, another band I used to really like. Penultimate track is 'At Sea' with its fast paced eighties style sound, finally ending with the dreamy sounding 'Docile'.

Are Aiming in anyway related to horror? No, of course not. It fills a gap in between movie reviews though, and music is subjective. Personally, while The Legend EP didn't blow me away, I did enjoy my few listens of it, good company to cleaning my house (as I seem to perpetually be doing).

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Diskomfort EP (2025) by Vlimmer - Music EP Review


Vlimmer (Berlin based musician Alexander Donat) is back with a new EP, Diskomfort EP, following on from last year's Bodenhex album. This new one brings together five tracks of goodness, with a lean and lovely runtime of twenty minutes. 

The five tracks making up the EP all share a similar style of a repetitive drum beat from start to end. The press release states this is more dreamlike than the darkness that could be found in his last album. Kicking off with 'Firmament', it follows into 'Ungleichgewicht', carrying on the drum beat sound. While the constant drums of a threading factor, each track has its distinct sound of often reflective sound, such as the eighties goth disco beat of 'Friedhofen', and the more introspective sounding title track 'Diskomfort'. It ends on the off-kilter sound of 'Nachleben' that was my favourite track on EP, one that certainly had a dreamlike feel to it, weirdly reminding me of the music of Jeff Wayne's musical version of The War of the Worlds!

I liked this as much as I expected to, I especially liked how it seemed to improve with each listen, each track having a similar hypnotic repetitive beat to it but coming out with its own fresh sound. Diskomfort EP is another release from Vlimmer that is well worth a listen.

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Tuesday, 11 February 2025

Radio Sessions (2025) - by Eamon The Destroyer - Music EP Review


Having previously reviewed Eamon The Destroyer's second album We'll Be Piranhas and EP Alternate Piranhas, I knew what to expect from latest EP titled Radio Sessions. This Edinburgh based musician creates mellow music with a rustic sound, something that could be hard to picture in a horror setting. I am forever trying to improve my music review game though, and so here is my latest attempt.

This EP brings together six acoustic versions of his songs, rocking in at around twenty six minutes in length. It begins with 'Nothing Like Anything' which at nearly five minutes is a chilled and rustic sounding intro. Trying to link it to horror, I could picture the lovely rural folks in Deliverance banjoing along to this.
Next comes 'Underscoring the Blues' which at just over two minutes is the shortest track on Radio Sessions. I really liked this one, had the feel of a sea shanty to it, short and bittersweet.
Middle of the EP starts with the classic 'We'll Be Piranhas', something I am familiar with, actually recognising this when it started. A sailor song, at four and a half minutes this made for a pleasant and mellow time.

The second half of the EP begins with 'Silver Shadow', a sad song referencing tepee tents, probably my second favourite track to be found here. 
Penultimate track is 'Avalanche', this to me sounded like a bit of a lost track from Blur's Thirteen album, not a bad comparison as Blur are on of my favourite bands.
Finally comes 'The Choirmaster', a peaceful end to a mellow EP. Sure, trying to link it to anything horror related is a fool's errand, but I thought Radio Sessions was a good listen, I really liked the stripped back feel. Radio Sessions was released on January 31st, Eamon The Destroyer will be releasing his third album later this year, provisionally entitled Full Picture Revealed.

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Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Violent and Murderous Thoughts (2024) by Morgue Terror - Music Album Review


Violent and Murderous Thoughts
is the second EP from horror-themed death metal group Morgue Terror and apparently is the first to feature an actual drummer. The press releases states the EP is about '...the atrocities of four sadistic serial killers and a debauched, abusive sect'. I didn't quite pick up on that from my listens but I enjoyed all eighteen minutes of it regardless.

This begins with 'Chessmaster' setting the chugging guitar sound for the whole EP. The style of singing is mostly guttural roars and growling, I couldn't make out a word over the whole EP, that isn't saying I didn't like that style, reminded me of early Cradle of Filth but with a better sound. I don't really have too many notes on this EP, all five tracks had good music to them and some had some great titles - 'Bludgeoned & Brutalized' and 'Virulent Incision' for instance. The tracks fed into each other well without it feeling like the tracks were similar.

Morgue Terror's Violent and Murderous Thoughts was a good EP, I felt the music helped me when I was using the rowing machine at the gym and there wasn't a bad track to be found.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Alternate Piranhas (2024) by Eamon The Destroyer - Music EP Review


Back in November of last year I reviewed We'll Be Piranhas, the second album from Edinburgh based musician Eamon The Destroyer. Now a five track EP titled Alternate Piranhas has been released that features different versions and takes from the recording sessions for that album. The twenty four minute EP isn't really horror based, but I always like to take a wild stab at reviewing most types of music sent my way with the hope I can somehow stuff them into the horror genre.

It begins with the five minute opener 'A Pewter Wolf (Alternate Take)', a mellow laidback sounding track that shines with what sounds like a church organ. 'Rope (Alternate Take)', perhaps my favourite track to be found here, this has lyrics sung in a way that sounded quietly frustrated. There was a slightly sinister feel to the vibe, and the inclusion of what sounded to me like a banjo. Halfway into the EP is 'A Call Coming (Alternate Take)', again a more mellow and peaceful sound, this time with the sounds of an accordion.
Penultimate track 'The Choirmaster (Alternate Take)' carries on the rustic sound with the lyrics sung in a way that made it sound like a monologue from the singer. Alternate Piranhas ends on 'My Stars (Alternate Take)' which at just over four minutes long is a slightly upbeat and optimistic feeling end to the EP.

I enjoyed the music found within Alternate Piranhas, the tracks flow well into each other and I enjoyed the consistent vibe of this. The EP releases on 31st May from Bearsuit Records. Eamon The Destroyer is currently writing for a new album which is due to come out next year.

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