POLAR NIGHT: KEVIN HUFNAGEL RELEASES HIS SECOND (AND THIRD, KINDA) ALBUM OF THE YEAR

One thing to be grateful for in 2012: Kevin Hufnagel, the ridiculously talented guitar player for Dysrhythmia and Gorguts, has gotten crazy prolific on our collective ass. He’s already released one solo album, Transparencies, this year (read our own Sammy O’Hagar’s rave review here); now’s already unveiled ANOTHER solo out, Polar Night, via Bandcamp, a.k.a. “The Piracy Killer.”

I’m listening to Polar Night for the first time even as I type this, and, no, it’s not metal at all. But if you dig more ambient, shoegaze-y stuff, you will most certainly enjoy it. You can both stream and purchase Polar Night right here.

But wait! There’s even more Hufnagelity for you! It seems that the guitar player is also part of a new band called Vaura, who have just released their debut album, Selenelion. I’ve listened to some of it and it’s much more metallic — it kind of reminds me of East of the Wall, who, regular MS readers know, we think are the bee’s knees. (Hufnagel himself describes it as “sort of a psychy/prog/metal-ish dark pop sort of thing.”) It’s currently streaming in full over at Brooklyn Vegan, who are also hosting an interview with Hufnagel and his bandmate, Josh Strawn. Make sure you check it out.

-AR