Published: November 20, 2017

Ethnomusicologists have frequently read the significance of place onto various traditions. I’m still not sure about the ethics of that; I think it’s a bit of a reductive move at the very least. But, if we follow R. Murray Schafer, who hails from Canada like Norilsk and who has written several books on acoustic ecology which are must-reads for fans of outré music, we can understand certain works of music as engaging in a relati...

Published: November 20, 2017

French Canadian doom duo Norilsk return from a two-year layoff with a surprising new album, one that gives a reengaged sound to the pair's signature style.

Norilsk's 2015 full length, "The Idea of North," was praiseworthy as a doom record. From its terse moments to unique departures, the album conjured up recollections of some of the better moments of groups like Last Sacrament and a more downtempo Temple of Void. In other words, Nor...

Published: November 11, 2017 

So there I am, huddled in a tiny rustic cabin, trying desperately to keep warm while the wood fire oven slowly warms the room. We are surrounded by squirrel shit, mice, the frozen clearwater river, and a expanse of snowed-in spruce trees. It's dark by now but the candlelight illuminates the only table in the room. Bored, my fiancee opens up to one of her favorite poems 'The Cremation of Sam Mcgee' by Robert W. Service ... So you c...

Published: November 10, 2017 

(Mini-review)

The Quebecois duo of Norilsk sees its return this November as well. It has been a couple of years since they released The Idea of North. The band relies on an icy death-doom that subtly adds touches of sludge. Their impending album, Le Passage des Glaciers, arrives November 24 from Hypnotic Dirge Records. The first available track, named "Nammolennye", captures the frigid aesthetic of the album. Moments of the song c...