New Music Round-Up: KEN Mode, Inter Arma, The Moth Gatherer

KEN Mode‘s upcoming album Entrench is without a doubt their best yet. Entrench finds the Canadian trio (now with new bassist Andrew LaCour, also of Khann) upping the metal quotient, letting their hardcore roots show more than ever, and cranking the noise factor to the max: every element that was so great about them to begin with firing on all cylinders all at once. Heralded producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword, Isis, Botch) brings it all together in the band’s best sounding record to date, too; Bayles’ specialty is creating music that sounds clear and big without losing any of its raw energy and grit, and he’s done it again here. Perhaps no song is a better example of that than “The Promises of God,” streaming right now at Stereogum, which features guest vocals from Dave Verellen of Botch.

Richmond, VA’s Inter Arma have really come into their own with their forthcoming album Sky Burial. Their previous releases have showed potential, but I feel like everything finally coalesces this time around. New track “sblood,” streaming now at Brooklyn Vegan (and embedded below), is an anomaly on Sky Burial; it’s easily the most up-beat, energetic track on an album full of slow, doomy, plodding churners. I prefer the latter, but you should still give the new track a shot; chances are that if you like this one you’ll also like the rest:

Sweden’s The Moth Gatherer combine the raw, hardcore-inspired approach of both bands featured above with something wholly unexpected: trace electronic elements and keyboards. Don’t worry, there aren’t any cheesy keytar solos here. The way Nachtmystium incorporate keys and pulsating, electronic backbeats into some of their songs, The Moth Gatherer do here . The band’s debut album A Bright Celestial Light comes out on April 30th via Agonia Records.