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picked them up this afternoon

are indeed very 'post-metal', although perhaps a bit doomier than, say, Isis. However, the two tracks on the Primitive North split they did with Nadja where really good, and this record features vocals from Jarboe and spoken word from Lydia Lunch, as well as others, so I have pretty high hopes for something interesting. Again, it got a pretty positive review in Rock A Rolla too.

if it weren;t for the cocks that go to roadburn

even from a band with output as varied as Boris. 8 is pretty shoegazey, opens up with a really Jesu-esque riff mixed low, but then about a minute and a half in loud, fast drums and guitar kicks in - initially this seemed really jarring, almost like an entirely different song starting up, but it's grown on me after a few listens. It also has My Bloody Valentine style sigh/whoops for the vocals, and a pretty great windswept guitar solo from Wata. The other track, Hey Everyone, is even stranger - it's sort of like the Japanese mix of the smile stuff, at least in the simple, distorted drum beat, and the fuzzy noise everywhere, but it the vocals are pretty strange - they're sort layered over each other, and there's a sort of power-pop hook in there. Unfortunately I don't really think I can describe the songs very well, I can only recommend you try and find some way of listening to them really.

celan is more hardcore perplexed shouting courtesy of chris spencer

has 'clean' vocals, though pretty odd ones. A Storm Of Light's vocals are probably less harsh than Isis's heavier bits, but still pretty gravelly. Shrinebuilder is pretty gravelly, Scott Kelly has some more growly stuff, but it's not that frequent. Wino's vocals are quite gravelly too, but in a sort of classic rock way. Al Cisnero's OM style chanting vocals make an appearance too. I haven't listened to the Celan album yet, but I expect the vocals on that are going to be pretty 'screamy'.

Have to say I've been impressed with the new A Storm Of Light album - think it's a great improvement on the first (never heard the EP though). Particularly with Josh Graham's vocals, which on the first album were always not quite right to me but have improved massively here. Also I think the developed textures on this album have made quite a bit of difference to the overall feel. I wasn't expecting much but it delivered a lot.

The Celan album is pretty damn good too, although regret deciding not to go see them live. Now just hoping my copy of Shrinebuilder doesn't get lost by Royal Mail...

though his other vocals (more like the heavy Neurosis stuff) sit a bit oddly on the otherwise pretty mellow music on other bits of the album. I'm pretty sure it's him singing on the first bit of Blind For All To See, in an odd, almost OM style.

You'll like the Celan album, I think. It's pretty special.