Soul Remnants & Solium Fatalis @ Saint Vitus
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Though you can’t escape reality — and shouldn’t even consider it given the dire political and social circumstances these days — a positive and organic semi-escape is a solid idea every so often. For a Thursday evening in New York City, there’s no better respite than a stacked bill at Saint Vitus, a place to waver in fantasy while still being grounded. Think: inflatable wacky tube-men waving about.
Five extreme metal bands met up last Thursday and collectively opened a deep portal of magic and grime. Philadelphia’s avant-sludge outfit God Root started things up. An interesting placement in the show lineup, the five members (three guitarists) attempted to crack a special gateway, creating creaky and doomy soundscapes beneath bassist/vocalist Fred Grabosky’s hustled screams. God Root incorporates a healthy amount of noise into the environment of their sound, paying homage to the gods of old, the universe, and the ever-circular immensity of nature.
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New Jersey’s Sunrot is equally adept at environmental manipulation. They are patient to generate waves of intensity, stalking around in gloom and doom, waiting for the moment of detonation. Vocalist Lex Alex Nihilum is the whirling captain of the ship. He is confrontational in a psychological way, perpetually challenging. At the set’s climax Nihilum plunged violently backwards directly onto the cold, hard Saint Vitus floor, winning over the remaining skeptics in attendance. Sunrot wanted to break through the maddening universe, and they got damn close.
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Narzissus Shapes Storms With “Empor zum Ideal” (Early Song Debut)
Musician, songwriter, and world-builder Erech Leleth is no stranger to high concepts and even more nuanced musicianship. With projects like Bergfried, Ancient Mastery, Carathis, and more, this Austrian musician crafts a unique landscape of heavy metal-inflected black metal.With Narzissus, Erech Leleth set his sights to a more progressive horizon, and new album Akt III: Erlösung poses a few questions. Is black metal heavy metal? Is heavy metal black metal? The lines between these two semi-related genres begin to blur as opening track "Empor zum Ideal" progresses. With Erech Leleth opting for a more obscured melodic sense this time as opposed to his other projects' penchant for hooks, Narzissus' more "prog" side quickly reveals itself as one of its creator's more curious and interesting projects. Stream "Empor zum Ideal" below.
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From the artist:
Narzissus has always been the most personal of my projects. The songs and lyrics were written over the last 3 years and tell a story of overcoming addiction and depression. Musically, life is ultimately celebrated on the fine line between pain and pleasure. Melodic black metal with a jazzy and atmospheric touch serves as the basis, with the singer Amara from Finland contributing a lot to the overall mood.
The last lines from the last song sum up the whole album quite well:
But the greatest reward for all the pain
is neither knowledge nor being king.
It is love in many guises,
how it lures you and banishes you to the divine.
(translated to English)
…
Akt III: Erlösung will be released alongside vinyl reissues of Akt I and II via Shape of Storms Records on January 19th, 2024.
Narzissus Shapes Storms With “Empor zum Ideal” (Early Song Debut)
Musician, songwriter, and world-builder Erech Leleth is no stranger to high concepts and even more nuanced musicianship. With projects like Bergfried, Ancient Mastery, Carathis, and more, this Austrian musician crafts a unique landscape of heavy metal-inflected black metal.With Narzissus, Erech Leleth set his sights to a more progressive horizon, and new album Akt III: Erlösung poses a few questions. Is black metal heavy metal? Is heavy metal black metal? The lines between these two semi-related genres begin to blur as opening track "Empor zum Ideal" progresses. With Erech Leleth opting for a more obscured melodic sense this time as opposed to his other projects' penchant for hooks, Narzissus' more "prog" side quickly reveals itself as one of its creator's more curious and interesting projects. Stream "Empor zum Ideal" below.
…
…
From the artist:
Narzissus has always been the most personal of my projects. The songs and lyrics were written over the last 3 years and tell a story of overcoming addiction and depression. Musically, life is ultimately celebrated on the fine line between pain and pleasure. Melodic black metal with a jazzy and atmospheric touch serves as the basis, with the singer Amara from Finland contributing a lot to the overall mood.
The last lines from the last song sum up the whole album quite well:
But the greatest reward for all the pain
is neither knowledge nor being king.
It is love in many guises,
how it lures you and banishes you to the divine.
(translated to English)
…
Akt III: Erlösung will be released alongside vinyl reissues of Akt I and II via Shape of Storms Records on January 19th, 2024.
Narzissus Shapes Storms With “Empor zum Ideal” (Early Song Debut)
Musician, songwriter, and world-builder Erech Leleth is no stranger to high concepts and even more nuanced musicianship. With projects like Bergfried, Ancient Mastery, Carathis, and more, this Austrian musician crafts a unique landscape of heavy metal-inflected black metal.With Narzissus, Erech Leleth set his sights to a more progressive horizon, and new album Akt III: Erlösung poses a few questions. Is black metal heavy metal? Is heavy metal black metal? The lines between these two semi-related genres begin to blur as opening track "Empor zum Ideal" progresses. With Erech Leleth opting for a more obscured melodic sense this time as opposed to his other projects' penchant for hooks, Narzissus' more "prog" side quickly reveals itself as one of its creator's more curious and interesting projects. Stream "Empor zum Ideal" below.
…
…
From the artist:
Narzissus has always been the most personal of my projects. The songs and lyrics were written over the last 3 years and tell a story of overcoming addiction and depression. Musically, life is ultimately celebrated on the fine line between pain and pleasure. Melodic black metal with a jazzy and atmospheric touch serves as the basis, with the singer Amara from Finland contributing a lot to the overall mood.
The last lines from the last song sum up the whole album quite well:
But the greatest reward for all the pain
is neither knowledge nor being king.
It is love in many guises,
how it lures you and banishes you to the divine.
(translated to English)
…
Akt III: Erlösung will be released alongside vinyl reissues of Akt I and II via Shape of Storms Records on January 19th, 2024.
Requiem: RIP Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker
On November 26th, one of music’s brightest and most creative lights burned out. Kevin "Geordie" Walker, one of the founding members of Killing Joke, passed from this reality–from all accounts due to a stroke he had suffered the day before. To call Walker a guitarist, or even a musician, would do him and his work a tremendous disservice. He was more than that–he was a sonic alchemist who taught us how the guitar could create monuments, unfamiliar yet comforting. A light in a mostly miserable world.
…
…
Throughout his nearly 45 years as a guitarist, he effortlessly pushed the boundaries of whatever genre Killing Joke were working in, from brash post punk to melancholic new wave to the dystopian industrial stomp of the last few records. Geordie seemed the perfect balance to frontman Jaz Coleman’s manic delivery, the sense of order to chaos (move to Iceland to avoid that meteor or whatever the fuck nonwithstanding). It’s become a cliche to write about musicians being the perfect pair, the whole McCartney/Lennon thing, but in this case it’s entirely applicable.
…
…
My history of listening, truly listening to Killing Joke didn’t really occur until I was in my mid twenties, a time that’s long passed. Generally when I latch onto a band there’s one single aspect that draws me in, guitars or vocals, but in the case of Killing Joke it was everything all at once. In the following years I would come to realize that it was mostly the interplay between Coleman’s unique delivery and Walker’s even more unique playing. I try not to be given to hyperbole but together they created musical sunstorms, sonic fucking magic.
…
…
My psychiatrist told me I was a, and this is a direct quote, “great self historian,” which probably was meant as a pejorative, but my self-aware/centered nature does have a strong memory for a soundtrack and there have been many times in my life that were given some comfort, meaning, or at least distraction, to the sound of Walker’s guitar.
…
…
In 2011, some years after Jef Whitehead made sure I studied Killing Joke in more than just a passing manner, I was awakening from a long period of self-destructive living, the kind that doesn’t even make for interesting reading-that real “down there” kind of shit. I was desperately trying to find some kind of meaning somewhere, anywhere. I’d already found solace in another artist who left us too soon, Mark Lanegan, and had found my way out of the darkest (so far) period of my life but I needed something to help me remember who I was before I spiraled downwards. Then, a copy of Absolute Dissent came into the record store I was working at. The sonic magisters helped me uncover a secret. Where Lanegan helped me cope and begin to heal, Killing Joke helped me see that I didn’t need to remember who I was but rather take control of who I am.
…
…
Fast forward a few years to, I suppose ironically enough, this exact time of year. I was ending a fairly toxic relationship, had been fired under dubious pretense from the record store I helped build into a success, and was working as a fucking night shift cleaner at various prostate cancer centers for the mother of the girl whose relationship I was trying to sever. It was one of those times in life that Hemingway wrote about. Or at least I guess he did, I only read his stuff in high school and have shit recall. I wandered into AKA Music in Philadelphia, which sadly shuttered a few years back, and came across a copy of the 2003 self-titled record. This was at a time where the fucking thing, major label and all, was a chore to find in the wild. If I believed in this kind of thing it would almost seem like it was predestined to be found at the time I needed it most. This record would become my favorite of theirs, largely owing to Geordie’s mesmerizingly megalithic riffs and their interplay with Dave Grohl(!)’s drumwork. The songs are expansive and lush, with a wealth of emotions within, from joy and triumph to melancholia to resolute determination.
…
…
I have no history with these demos but came across them while I was working on this. I’d never heard them before, which isn’t surprising given just how much material Geordie recorded with Killing Joke, but these seemed appropriate for the occasion. You can hear just how much he made these songs shine even before the rest of the band had contributed.
…
…
Few things could truly describe this loss to the world than knowing that the rest of the recording Geordie, Jaz, and Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook did together in 1993 are lost to history but that also they will never get back together in a studio somewhere to pick up on lost time. But this also makes the K÷93 record that did surface all the more special.
Over the last few days you’ve no doubt seen musicians and artists from all genres and walks of life pay tribute to Geordie, some with great detail and beautiful storycraft while others are sparse and sad. But the unifying theme with all of them is how the music of Killing Joke and the cosmic gift of Geordie’s writing and playing meant something dear to their lives, something that uplifted them in very dark times. My prattling on about it is just one voice out of hundreds. And that, gatherers, is the sign of a life well lived in service to the sonic masses. May his work continue to inspire and shelter those on their way.
I have a lot of regrets in my life that continue to accrue interest daily, but one that I’ll never be able to resolve is seeing Killing Joke live. Something always came up when they were to come around but I always thought I would have time to see them eventually. Sometimes eventually never comes. Like the rest of you, I’ll be waiting to see what comes next. And I’ll continue to be grateful for what they have given. Cheers, Geordie, safe travels.
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Geordie-KJ
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North Carolina’s blackened gazers Mo’ynoq followed, performing deftly underneath perpetual shadows. The band’s set was obscure and vibrating: a progressive touch layered every proposal, but there was equal rawness, a symbiosis that worked well and created a lively current throughout the crowd. The group ran through compositions which ranged from quick/punk to long/colossal to first-wave black metal. There was crushing width throughout, intricacy and transcendence. Mo’ynoq kept the night fresh and continuous, a midway point of exactness and whipping fury.
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Requiem: RIP Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker
On November 26th, one of music’s brightest and most creative lights burned out. Kevin "Geordie" Walker, one of the founding members of Killing Joke, passed from this reality–from all accounts due to a stroke he had suffered the day before. To call Walker a guitarist, or even a musician, would do him and his work a tremendous disservice. He was more than that–he was a sonic alchemist who taught us how the guitar could create monuments, unfamiliar yet comforting. A light in a mostly miserable world.
…
…
Throughout his nearly 45 years as a guitarist, he effortlessly pushed the boundaries of whatever genre Killing Joke were working in, from brash post punk to melancholic new wave to the dystopian industrial stomp of the last few records. Geordie seemed the perfect balance to frontman Jaz Coleman’s manic delivery, the sense of order to chaos (move to Iceland to avoid that meteor or whatever the fuck nonwithstanding). It’s become a cliche to write about musicians being the perfect pair, the whole McCartney/Lennon thing, but in this case it’s entirely applicable.
…
…
My history of listening, truly listening to Killing Joke didn’t really occur until I was in my mid twenties, a time that’s long passed. Generally when I latch onto a band there’s one single aspect that draws me in, guitars or vocals, but in the case of Killing Joke it was everything all at once. In the following years I would come to realize that it was mostly the interplay between Coleman’s unique delivery and Walker’s even more unique playing. I try not to be given to hyperbole but together they created musical sunstorms, sonic fucking magic.
…
…
My psychiatrist told me I was a, and this is a direct quote, “great self historian,” which probably was meant as a pejorative, but my self-aware/centered nature does have a strong memory for a soundtrack and there have been many times in my life that were given some comfort, meaning, or at least distraction, to the sound of Walker’s guitar.
…
…
In 2011, some years after Jef Whitehead made sure I studied Killing Joke in more than just a passing manner, I was awakening from a long period of self-destructive living, the kind that doesn’t even make for interesting reading-that real “down there” kind of shit. I was desperately trying to find some kind of meaning somewhere, anywhere. I’d already found solace in another artist who left us too soon, Mark Lanegan, and had found my way out of the darkest (so far) period of my life but I needed something to help me remember who I was before I spiraled downwards. Then, a copy of Absolute Dissent came into the record store I was working at. The sonic magisters helped me uncover a secret. Where Lanegan helped me cope and begin to heal, Killing Joke helped me see that I didn’t need to remember who I was but rather take control of who I am.
…
…
Fast forward a few years to, I suppose ironically enough, this exact time of year. I was ending a fairly toxic relationship, had been fired under dubious pretense from the record store I helped build into a success, and was working as a fucking night shift cleaner at various prostate cancer centers for the mother of the girl whose relationship I was trying to sever. It was one of those times in life that Hemingway wrote about. Or at least I guess he did, I only read his stuff in high school and have shit recall. I wandered into AKA Music in Philadelphia, which sadly shuttered a few years back, and came across a copy of the 2003 self-titled record. This was at a time where the fucking thing, major label and all, was a chore to find in the wild. If I believed in this kind of thing it would almost seem like it was predestined to be found at the time I needed it most. This record would become my favorite of theirs, largely owing to Geordie’s mesmerizingly megalithic riffs and their interplay with Dave Grohl(!)’s drumwork. The songs are expansive and lush, with a wealth of emotions within, from joy and triumph to melancholia to resolute determination.
…
…
I have no history with these demos but came across them while I was working on this. I’d never heard them before, which isn’t surprising given just how much material Geordie recorded with Killing Joke, but these seemed appropriate for the occasion. You can hear just how much he made these songs shine even before the rest of the band had contributed.
…
…
Few things could truly describe this loss to the world than knowing that the rest of the recording Geordie, Jaz, and Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook did together in 1993 are lost to history but that also they will never get back together in a studio somewhere to pick up on lost time. But this also makes the K÷93 record that did surface all the more special.
Over the last few days you’ve no doubt seen musicians and artists from all genres and walks of life pay tribute to Geordie, some with great detail and beautiful storycraft while others are sparse and sad. But the unifying theme with all of them is how the music of Killing Joke and the cosmic gift of Geordie’s writing and playing meant something dear to their lives, something that uplifted them in very dark times. My prattling on about it is just one voice out of hundreds. And that, gatherers, is the sign of a life well lived in service to the sonic masses. May his work continue to inspire and shelter those on their way.
I have a lot of regrets in my life that continue to accrue interest daily, but one that I’ll never be able to resolve is seeing Killing Joke live. Something always came up when they were to come around but I always thought I would have time to see them eventually. Sometimes eventually never comes. Like the rest of you, I’ll be waiting to see what comes next. And I’ll continue to be grateful for what they have given. Cheers, Geordie, safe travels.
…
…
Requiem: RIP Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker
On November 26th, one of music’s brightest and most creative lights burned out. Kevin "Geordie" Walker, one of the founding members of Killing Joke, passed from this reality–from all accounts due to a stroke he had suffered the day before. To call Walker a guitarist, or even a musician, would do him and his work a tremendous disservice. He was more than that–he was a sonic alchemist who taught us how the guitar could create monuments, unfamiliar yet comforting. A light in a mostly miserable world.
…
…
Throughout his nearly 45 years as a guitarist, he effortlessly pushed the boundaries of whatever genre Killing Joke were working in, from brash post punk to melancholic new wave to the dystopian industrial stomp of the last few records. Geordie seemed the perfect balance to frontman Jaz Coleman’s manic delivery, the sense of order to chaos (move to Iceland to avoid that meteor or whatever the fuck nonwithstanding). It’s become a cliche to write about musicians being the perfect pair, the whole McCartney/Lennon thing, but in this case it’s entirely applicable.
…
…
My history of listening, truly listening to Killing Joke didn’t really occur until I was in my mid twenties, a time that’s long passed. Generally when I latch onto a band there’s one single aspect that draws me in, guitars or vocals, but in the case of Killing Joke it was everything all at once. In the following years I would come to realize that it was mostly the interplay between Coleman’s unique delivery and Walker’s even more unique playing. I try not to be given to hyperbole but together they created musical sunstorms, sonic fucking magic.
…
…
My psychiatrist told me I was a, and this is a direct quote, “great self historian,” which probably was meant as a pejorative, but my self-aware/centered nature does have a strong memory for a soundtrack and there have been many times in my life that were given some comfort, meaning, or at least distraction, to the sound of Walker’s guitar.
…
…
In 2011, some years after Jef Whitehead made sure I studied Killing Joke in more than just a passing manner, I was awakening from a long period of self-destructive living, the kind that doesn’t even make for interesting reading-that real “down there” kind of shit. I was desperately trying to find some kind of meaning somewhere, anywhere. I’d already found solace in another artist who left us too soon, Mark Lanegan, and had found my way out of the darkest (so far) period of my life but I needed something to help me remember who I was before I spiraled downwards. Then, a copy of Absolute Dissent came into the record store I was working at. The sonic magisters helped me uncover a secret. Where Lanegan helped me cope and begin to heal, Killing Joke helped me see that I didn’t need to remember who I was but rather take control of who I am.
…
…
Fast forward a few years to, I suppose ironically enough, this exact time of year. I was ending a fairly toxic relationship, had been fired under dubious pretense from the record store I helped build into a success, and was working as a fucking night shift cleaner at various prostate cancer centers for the mother of the girl whose relationship I was trying to sever. It was one of those times in life that Hemingway wrote about. Or at least I guess he did, I only read his stuff in high school and have shit recall. I wandered into AKA Music in Philadelphia, which sadly shuttered a few years back, and came across a copy of the 2003 self-titled record. This was at a time where the fucking thing, major label and all, was a chore to find in the wild. If I believed in this kind of thing it would almost seem like it was predestined to be found at the time I needed it most. This record would become my favorite of theirs, largely owing to Geordie’s mesmerizingly megalithic riffs and their interplay with Dave Grohl(!)’s drumwork. The songs are expansive and lush, with a wealth of emotions within, from joy and triumph to melancholia to resolute determination.
…
…
I have no history with these demos but came across them while I was working on this. I’d never heard them before, which isn’t surprising given just how much material Geordie recorded with Killing Joke, but these seemed appropriate for the occasion. You can hear just how much he made these songs shine even before the rest of the band had contributed.
…
…
Few things could truly describe this loss to the world than knowing that the rest of the recording Geordie, Jaz, and Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook did together in 1993 are lost to history but that also they will never get back together in a studio somewhere to pick up on lost time. But this also makes the K÷93 record that did surface all the more special.
Over the last few days you’ve no doubt seen musicians and artists from all genres and walks of life pay tribute to Geordie, some with great detail and beautiful storycraft while others are sparse and sad. But the unifying theme with all of them is how the music of Killing Joke and the cosmic gift of Geordie’s writing and playing meant something dear to their lives, something that uplifted them in very dark times. My prattling on about it is just one voice out of hundreds. And that, gatherers, is the sign of a life well lived in service to the sonic masses. May his work continue to inspire and shelter those on their way.
I have a lot of regrets in my life that continue to accrue interest daily, but one that I’ll never be able to resolve is seeing Killing Joke live. Something always came up when they were to come around but I always thought I would have time to see them eventually. Sometimes eventually never comes. Like the rest of you, I’ll be waiting to see what comes next. And I’ll continue to be grateful for what they have given. Cheers, Geordie, safe travels.
…
…
Requiem: RIP Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker
On November 26th, one of music’s brightest and most creative lights burned out. Kevin "Geordie" Walker, one of the founding members of Killing Joke, passed from this reality–from all accounts due to a stroke he had suffered the day before. To call Walker a guitarist, or even a musician, would do him and his work a tremendous disservice. He was more than that–he was a sonic alchemist who taught us how the guitar could create monuments, unfamiliar yet comforting. A light in a mostly miserable world.
…
…
Throughout his nearly 45 years as a guitarist, he effortlessly pushed the boundaries of whatever genre Killing Joke were working in, from brash post punk to melancholic new wave to the dystopian industrial stomp of the last few records. Geordie seemed the perfect balance to frontman Jaz Coleman’s manic delivery, the sense of order to chaos (move to Iceland to avoid that meteor or whatever the fuck nonwithstanding). It’s become a cliche to write about musicians being the perfect pair, the whole McCartney/Lennon thing, but in this case it’s entirely applicable.
…
…
My history of listening, truly listening to Killing Joke didn’t really occur until I was in my mid twenties, a time that’s long passed. Generally when I latch onto a band there’s one single aspect that draws me in, guitars or vocals, but in the case of Killing Joke it was everything all at once. In the following years I would come to realize that it was mostly the interplay between Coleman’s unique delivery and Walker’s even more unique playing. I try not to be given to hyperbole but together they created musical sunstorms, sonic fucking magic.
…
…
My psychiatrist told me I was a, and this is a direct quote, “great self historian,” which probably was meant as a pejorative, but my self-aware/centered nature does have a strong memory for a soundtrack and there have been many times in my life that were given some comfort, meaning, or at least distraction, to the sound of Walker’s guitar.
…
…
In 2011, some years after Jef Whitehead made sure I studied Killing Joke in more than just a passing manner, I was awakening from a long period of self-destructive living, the kind that doesn’t even make for interesting reading-that real “down there” kind of shit. I was desperately trying to find some kind of meaning somewhere, anywhere. I’d already found solace in another artist who left us too soon, Mark Lanegan, and had found my way out of the darkest (so far) period of my life but I needed something to help me remember who I was before I spiraled downwards. Then, a copy of Absolute Dissent came into the record store I was working at. The sonic magisters helped me uncover a secret. Where Lanegan helped me cope and begin to heal, Killing Joke helped me see that I didn’t need to remember who I was but rather take control of who I am.
…
…
Fast forward a few years to, I suppose ironically enough, this exact time of year. I was ending a fairly toxic relationship, had been fired under dubious pretense from the record store I helped build into a success, and was working as a fucking night shift cleaner at various prostate cancer centers for the mother of the girl whose relationship I was trying to sever. It was one of those times in life that Hemingway wrote about. Or at least I guess he did, I only read his stuff in high school and have shit recall. I wandered into AKA Music in Philadelphia, which sadly shuttered a few years back, and came across a copy of the 2003 self-titled record. This was at a time where the fucking thing, major label and all, was a chore to find in the wild. If I believed in this kind of thing it would almost seem like it was predestined to be found at the time I needed it most. This record would become my favorite of theirs, largely owing to Geordie’s mesmerizingly megalithic riffs and their interplay with Dave Grohl(!)’s drumwork. The songs are expansive and lush, with a wealth of emotions within, from joy and triumph to melancholia to resolute determination.
…
…
I have no history with these demos but came across them while I was working on this. I’d never heard them before, which isn’t surprising given just how much material Geordie recorded with Killing Joke, but these seemed appropriate for the occasion. You can hear just how much he made these songs shine even before the rest of the band had contributed.
…
…
Few things could truly describe this loss to the world than knowing that the rest of the recording Geordie, Jaz, and Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook did together in 1993 are lost to history but that also they will never get back together in a studio somewhere to pick up on lost time. But this also makes the K÷93 record that did surface all the more special.
Over the last few days you’ve no doubt seen musicians and artists from all genres and walks of life pay tribute to Geordie, some with great detail and beautiful storycraft while others are sparse and sad. But the unifying theme with all of them is how the music of Killing Joke and the cosmic gift of Geordie’s writing and playing meant something dear to their lives, something that uplifted them in very dark times. My prattling on about it is just one voice out of hundreds. And that, gatherers, is the sign of a life well lived in service to the sonic masses. May his work continue to inspire and shelter those on their way.
I have a lot of regrets in my life that continue to accrue interest daily, but one that I’ll never be able to resolve is seeing Killing Joke live. Something always came up when they were to come around but I always thought I would have time to see them eventually. Sometimes eventually never comes. Like the rest of you, I’ll be waiting to see what comes next. And I’ll continue to be grateful for what they have given. Cheers, Geordie, safe travels.
…
…
Requiem: RIP Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker
On November 26th, one of music’s brightest and most creative lights burned out. Kevin "Geordie" Walker, one of the founding members of Killing Joke, passed from this reality–from all accounts due to a stroke he had suffered the day before. To call Walker a guitarist, or even a musician, would do him and his work a tremendous disservice. He was more than that–he was a sonic alchemist who taught us how the guitar could create monuments, unfamiliar yet comforting. A light in a mostly miserable world.
…
…
Throughout his nearly 45 years as a guitarist, he effortlessly pushed the boundaries of whatever genre Killing Joke were working in, from brash post punk to melancholic new wave to the dystopian industrial stomp of the last few records. Geordie seemed the perfect balance to frontman Jaz Coleman’s manic delivery, the sense of order to chaos (move to Iceland to avoid that meteor or whatever the fuck nonwithstanding). It’s become a cliche to write about musicians being the perfect pair, the whole McCartney/Lennon thing, but in this case it’s entirely applicable.
…
…
My history of listening, truly listening to Killing Joke didn’t really occur until I was in my mid twenties, a time that’s long passed. Generally when I latch onto a band there’s one single aspect that draws me in, guitars or vocals, but in the case of Killing Joke it was everything all at once. In the following years I would come to realize that it was mostly the interplay between Coleman’s unique delivery and Walker’s even more unique playing. I try not to be given to hyperbole but together they created musical sunstorms, sonic fucking magic.
…
…
My psychiatrist told me I was a, and this is a direct quote, “great self historian,” which probably was meant as a pejorative, but my self-aware/centered nature does have a strong memory for a soundtrack and there have been many times in my life that were given some comfort, meaning, or at least distraction, to the sound of Walker’s guitar.
…
…
In 2011, some years after Jef Whitehead made sure I studied Killing Joke in more than just a passing manner, I was awakening from a long period of self-destructive living, the kind that doesn’t even make for interesting reading-that real “down there” kind of shit. I was desperately trying to find some kind of meaning somewhere, anywhere. I’d already found solace in another artist who left us too soon, Mark Lanegan, and had found my way out of the darkest (so far) period of my life but I needed something to help me remember who I was before I spiraled downwards. Then, a copy of Absolute Dissent came into the record store I was working at. The sonic magisters helped me uncover a secret. Where Lanegan helped me cope and begin to heal, Killing Joke helped me see that I didn’t need to remember who I was but rather take control of who I am.
…
…
Fast forward a few years to, I suppose ironically enough, this exact time of year. I was ending a fairly toxic relationship, had been fired under dubious pretense from the record store I helped build into a success, and was working as a fucking night shift cleaner at various prostate cancer centers for the mother of the girl whose relationship I was trying to sever. It was one of those times in life that Hemingway wrote about. Or at least I guess he did, I only read his stuff in high school and have shit recall. I wandered into AKA Music in Philadelphia, which sadly shuttered a few years back, and came across a copy of the 2003 self-titled record. This was at a time where the fucking thing, major label and all, was a chore to find in the wild. If I believed in this kind of thing it would almost seem like it was predestined to be found at the time I needed it most. This record would become my favorite of theirs, largely owing to Geordie’s mesmerizingly megalithic riffs and their interplay with Dave Grohl(!)’s drumwork. The songs are expansive and lush, with a wealth of emotions within, from joy and triumph to melancholia to resolute determination.
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…
I have no history with these demos but came across them while I was working on this. I’d never heard them before, which isn’t surprising given just how much material Geordie recorded with Killing Joke, but these seemed appropriate for the occasion. You can hear just how much he made these songs shine even before the rest of the band had contributed.
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…
Few things could truly describe this loss to the world than knowing that the rest of the recording Geordie, Jaz, and Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook did together in 1993 are lost to history but that also they will never get back together in a studio somewhere to pick up on lost time. But this also makes the K÷93 record that did surface all the more special.
Over the last few days you’ve no doubt seen musicians and artists from all genres and walks of life pay tribute to Geordie, some with great detail and beautiful storycraft while others are sparse and sad. But the unifying theme with all of them is how the music of Killing Joke and the cosmic gift of Geordie’s writing and playing meant something dear to their lives, something that uplifted them in very dark times. My prattling on about it is just one voice out of hundreds. And that, gatherers, is the sign of a life well lived in service to the sonic masses. May his work continue to inspire and shelter those on their way.
I have a lot of regrets in my life that continue to accrue interest daily, but one that I’ll never be able to resolve is seeing Killing Joke live. Something always came up when they were to come around but I always thought I would have time to see them eventually. Sometimes eventually never comes. Like the rest of you, I’ll be waiting to see what comes next. And I’ll continue to be grateful for what they have given. Cheers, Geordie, safe travels.
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Requiem: RIP Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker
On November 26th, one of music’s brightest and most creative lights burned out. Kevin "Geordie" Walker, one of the founding members of Killing Joke, passed from this reality–from all accounts due to a stroke he had suffered the day before. To call Walker a guitarist, or even a musician, would do him and his work a tremendous disservice. He was more than that–he was a sonic alchemist who taught us how the guitar could create monuments, unfamiliar yet comforting. A light in a mostly miserable world.
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Throughout his nearly 45 years as a guitarist, he effortlessly pushed the boundaries of whatever genre Killing Joke were working in, from brash post punk to melancholic new wave to the dystopian industrial stomp of the last few records. Geordie seemed the perfect balance to frontman Jaz Coleman’s manic delivery, the sense of order to chaos (move to Iceland to avoid that meteor or whatever the fuck nonwithstanding). It’s become a cliche to write about musicians being the perfect pair, the whole McCartney/Lennon thing, but in this case it’s entirely applicable.
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My history of listening, truly listening to Killing Joke didn’t really occur until I was in my mid twenties, a time that’s long passed. Generally when I latch onto a band there’s one single aspect that draws me in, guitars or vocals, but in the case of Killing Joke it was everything all at once. In the following years I would come to realize that it was mostly the interplay between Coleman’s unique delivery and Walker’s even more unique playing. I try not to be given to hyperbole but together they created musical sunstorms, sonic fucking magic.
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My psychiatrist told me I was a, and this is a direct quote, “great self historian,” which probably was meant as a pejorative, but my self-aware/centered nature does have a strong memory for a soundtrack and there have been many times in my life that were given some comfort, meaning, or at least distraction, to the sound of Walker’s guitar.
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In 2011, some years after Jef Whitehead made sure I studied Killing Joke in more than just a passing manner, I was awakening from a long period of self-destructive living, the kind that doesn’t even make for interesting reading-that real “down there” kind of shit. I was desperately trying to find some kind of meaning somewhere, anywhere. I’d already found solace in another artist who left us too soon, Mark Lanegan, and had found my way out of the darkest (so far) period of my life but I needed something to help me remember who I was before I spiraled downwards. Then, a copy of Absolute Dissent came into the record store I was working at. The sonic magisters helped me uncover a secret. Where Lanegan helped me cope and begin to heal, Killing Joke helped me see that I didn’t need to remember who I was but rather take control of who I am.
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…
Fast forward a few years to, I suppose ironically enough, this exact time of year. I was ending a fairly toxic relationship, had been fired under dubious pretense from the record store I helped build into a success, and was working as a fucking night shift cleaner at various prostate cancer centers for the mother of the girl whose relationship I was trying to sever. It was one of those times in life that Hemingway wrote about. Or at least I guess he did, I only read his stuff in high school and have shit recall. I wandered into AKA Music in Philadelphia, which sadly shuttered a few years back, and came across a copy of the 2003 self-titled record. This was at a time where the fucking thing, major label and all, was a chore to find in the wild. If I believed in this kind of thing it would almost seem like it was predestined to be found at the time I needed it most. This record would become my favorite of theirs, largely owing to Geordie’s mesmerizingly megalithic riffs and their interplay with Dave Grohl(!)’s drumwork. The songs are expansive and lush, with a wealth of emotions within, from joy and triumph to melancholia to resolute determination.
…
…
I have no history with these demos but came across them while I was working on this. I’d never heard them before, which isn’t surprising given just how much material Geordie recorded with Killing Joke, but these seemed appropriate for the occasion. You can hear just how much he made these songs shine even before the rest of the band had contributed.
…
…
Few things could truly describe this loss to the world than knowing that the rest of the recording Geordie, Jaz, and Joy Division/New Order’s Peter Hook did together in 1993 are lost to history but that also they will never get back together in a studio somewhere to pick up on lost time. But this also makes the K÷93 record that did surface all the more special.
Over the last few days you’ve no doubt seen musicians and artists from all genres and walks of life pay tribute to Geordie, some with great detail and beautiful storycraft while others are sparse and sad. But the unifying theme with all of them is how the music of Killing Joke and the cosmic gift of Geordie’s writing and playing meant something dear to their lives, something that uplifted them in very dark times. My prattling on about it is just one voice out of hundreds. And that, gatherers, is the sign of a life well lived in service to the sonic masses. May his work continue to inspire and shelter those on their way.
I have a lot of regrets in my life that continue to accrue interest daily, but one that I’ll never be able to resolve is seeing Killing Joke live. Something always came up when they were to come around but I always thought I would have time to see them eventually. Sometimes eventually never comes. Like the rest of you, I’ll be waiting to see what comes next. And I’ll continue to be grateful for what they have given. Cheers, Geordie, safe travels.
…
…
New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropy is a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
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Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
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Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
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Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
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The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
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The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
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Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
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Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
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Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
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Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
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Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
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New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typically bombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
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High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
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Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
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Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
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Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
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Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
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Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
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King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
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Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
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Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
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Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
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Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
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Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
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Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
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Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
N/A...
Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
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Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
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Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
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From the high mountains of the Granite State came blackened death metal outfit Solium Fatalis. The group gathered quickly and wasted no time in pulverizing the room. There were mystical wisps of nether-spirits floating over the quartet as they drove each linear song to a point of maximization. The band was layered and able to create a unique sense of crispness. You’ve heard this form of death metal before, but never quite so interlocking. The two forms overlapped, under-lapped, and twisted into a shadowy cauldron of spectacle. Guitarist Ryan Beevers veered the band toward the outer-regions with his lighting Trey Azagthoth-like bust-outs, a wondrous sprinkle on top of a tight and defined sound.
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New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropyis a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
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Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
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Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
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Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
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The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
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The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
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Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
...
Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
...
Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
...
Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
...
Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
...
New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typicallybombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
...
High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
...
Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
...
Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
...
Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
...
Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
...
Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
...
King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
...
Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
...
Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
...
Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
...
Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
...
Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
...
Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
...
Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
N/A...
Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
...
Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
...
Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
...
New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropyis a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
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Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
...
Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
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Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
...
The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
...
The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
...
Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
...
Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
...
Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
...
Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
...
Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
...
New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typicallybombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
...
High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
...
Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
...
Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
...
Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
...
Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
...
Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
...
King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
...
Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
...
Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
...
Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
...
Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
...
Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
...
Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
...
Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
N/A...
Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
...
Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
...
Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
...
New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropyis a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
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Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
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Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
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Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
...
The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
...
The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
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Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
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Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
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Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
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Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
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Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
...
New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typicallybombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
...
High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
...
Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
...
Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
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Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
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Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
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Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
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King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
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Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
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Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
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Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
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Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
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Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
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Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
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Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
N/A...
Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
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Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
...
Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
...
…
Soul Remnants closed things up with a taut and dense set, reaching points of sculptural ecstasy. The band plays death metal so rigidly positioned, you can’t help but fall
righteously in line. There’s a primitive and tribal quality to the group’s laser-like technicality. They play like a family, some super-machine found deep within the forest. Frontman Mitchell Fletcher commanded the stage like an intimidating wizard, belting out deep and gnarled scorches of pain. Guitarists Tom Preziosi and Chad Fisher traded virtuosic jaunts, combining into a monster of strength and wizardry. Drummer Colin Conway and bassist Ryan Murphy flourished in passages of rigid and organic groove, crafting a subsection of dimension and form.
Soul Remnants are a study in death metal abundance, with progressive nuance and hints of black metal. The quintet’s latest record, Ouroboros, sounds like it was written to be played in a live setting; concentrated on strong structure and infallible energy. Onstage, the band certainly follows suit, performing with immense interaction, locking in effortlessly and artistically.
…
New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropy is a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
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Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
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Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
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Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
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The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
...
The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
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Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
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Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
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Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
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Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
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Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
...
New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typicallybombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
...
High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
...
Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
...
Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
...
Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
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Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
...
Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
...
King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
...
Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
...
Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
...
Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
...
Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
...
Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
...
Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
...
Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
N/A...
Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
...
Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
...
Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
...
New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropy is a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
...
Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
...
Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
...
Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
...
The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
...
The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
...
Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
...
Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
...
Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
...
Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
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Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
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New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typicallybombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
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High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
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Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
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Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
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Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
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Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
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Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
...
King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
...
Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
...
Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
...
Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
...
Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
...
Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
...
Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
...
Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
N/A...
Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
...
Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
...
Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
...
New Metal Releases: 11/12/2023-12/1/2023
Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for November 12th through December 1st. Releases reflect proposed North American scheduling, if available. Expect to see most of these albums on shelves or distros on Fridays. See something we missed or have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Plus, as always, feel free to post your own shopping lists. Happy digging. Send us your promos (streaming links preferred) to: [email protected]. Do not send us promo material via social media.
New Releases 11/12-11/18
Ceremonial Bloodbath -- Genesis of Malignant Entropy | Sentient Ruin | Death Metal + Black Metal | Canada (Vancouver, BC) Genesis of Malignant Entropy is a war metal album. I could go on about its venom-flicking tongue or its incendiary vision, but those are to be expected when you read the term "war metal." Ceremonial Bloodbath slams, simply put; nothing else matters.--Colin Dempsey
...
Celeste -- Epilogue(s) | Nuclear Blast | Black Metal + Sludge Metal | France (Lyon) Celeste's newest EP includes three bonus tracks that were excluded from last year's excellent Assassine(s). If you missed that album then you have some catching up to do, as it showcased a seamless fusion of black metal and sludge metal that hit like a truck. Unsurprisingly, Epilogue(s) continues down that path.--Colin Dempsey
...
Maul -- Desecration and Enchantment | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal | United States (Fargo, ND) Unabashedly old-school yet disgustingly and refreshingly maximalist, Maul's death metal stomps and splorches its way through your brain leaving little recognizable intelligence in its wake.--Ted Nubel
...
Alchemy of Flesh -- By Will Alone | Redefining Darkness Records | Death Metal | United States (Athens, GA) From Ted Nubel's track premiere of "Meteor Hammer":By Will Alone turns up the tempo and hones in on delivering razor-sharp riffs with a total lack of subtlety. Drums and guitar form up into a serrated hailstorm, noticeably absent of excess reverb or really anything that might soften the impact here. It hones in on the same sort of brutal simplicity that death metal strove for in the 1990s, relying on tight, gnarly rhythms and fully parseable growls. While the decades since have resulted in enormous creative leaps and interesting experiments, sometimes, as mentioned, one just needs to be hit in the head with riffs.
...
The Dwarves -- Concept Album | Greedy Media | Punk | United States (San Francisco, CA) Yes, The Dwarves are back again, but this time with a slightly, dare we even say pop punk-influenced, touch. Not necessarily the typical Invisible Oranges fair, but Dwarves are a must-listen for any punk or metal fan and have had an epic influence on both genres, so definitely check this out.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x5fgblnwJg...
Altars of the Moon -- The Colossus and the Widow | Disorder Recordings | Doom Metal + Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) The post-black metal/doom supergroup are back with their second record, and it does not disappoint. While this type of music might not necessarily be as trendy as death metal or hardcore, there is definitely still a need for slower and more moody metal in my opinion. Don't sleep on this epic release.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
...
King -- Fury and Death | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Melodic Death Metal | Australia (Melbourne) From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "Perception Ignited":An absolute whirlwind of excess, melancholy, and intensity, Australia's King return with their third full-length album. Following suit with their Very Melodic fusion of black and death metal, King's Fury and Death looks to genre classics for inspiration, but turns the dial to 11 on the vigor scale, upping their music's magnitude to a wall-shaking level.
...
The Last Eon -- Infernal Fractality | Soulseller Records | Black Metal + Industrial Metal | Norway From Jon Rosenthal's track premiere of "DMT - Infernal FractalIty":The Last Eon's head-bobbing, incredibly hardened music is both black metal and blasting techno at the same time–an oddity to some, but those who remember The Last Eon's sonic lineage know it is a mark of respect to those who came before him. This is energizing music, using kinetic movement to wake up its listeners as opposed to black metal's static blasts of sound, and Ødemark's rekindling of this underrated and mostly forgotten sound is refreshing
...
Sadhus The Smoking Community -- Illegal Sludge | Ouga Booga and the Mighty Oug Recordings | Doom Metal + Sludge Metal | Greece (Athens) Sadhus The Smoking Community's third album Illegal Sludge contains tracks with titles such as "Fuckin' Apes" and "Fuck Off & Die," so you're to be forgiven if you expected them to sound like a joke. In reality, they're pessimistic and pissed off. Musically, their riffs err closer to doom's roots with the distortion cranked up, but their attitude takes no prisoners.--Colin Dempsey
...
Harmagedon -- Dystopian Dreams | Svart Records | Stoner Metal | Sweden (Stockholm) Dystopian Dreams at times sounds closer to 70s hard rock than it does stoner metal. It also sounds more like crust punk than it does stoner metal, depending on the track, which is a testament to how much diversity and character the Swedish trio can ring out of their instruments.--Colin Dempsey
...
Litha -- Litha | Tartarus Records | Black Metal | United States (Portland, OR) Andrew Black's debut album as Litha is his first solo project outside the ambient music realm. He gained prominence for his work alongside Mizmor, and if you're at all familiar with that project's bleakness, you'll recognize that Litha follows a similarly somber path. It feels belittling to describe the album as depressing, but that's the truth and its strongest facet. Litha's black metal is a rebellion against his earlier introverted work, an outpouring of frustration aimed at a faceless rogue, and delivered as a necessary omen.--Colin Dempsey
...
Robots of the Ancient World -- 3737 | Small Stone Records | Stoner Rock + Doom Metal | United States (Portland, OR) 3737's warm, thick stoner rock wraps itself around the listener like the coziest of blankets, although I'm having trouble fitting their occasional turn into double-bass uptempo riffing into this simile. Nonetheless, the first few notes of lead track "Hindu Kush" instantly brought me back to when I first got into stoner rock--while the genre has its fair share of pentatonic drudgery, Robots of the Ancient World have crafted another charmingly authentic slice of the good shit here.--Ted Nubel
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Terromania -- Nyctophobic | Ripple Music | Groove Metal + Rock | Finland For the most part I feel like I have Ripple Music figured out, but sometimes they put out some pretty unusual stuff - that's the case here, as Terromania is probably more in line with Lordi or, perhaps, The 69 Eyes than the stoner rock disciplines Ripple usually pursues. It's over the top, anthemic, and maybe a little ridiculous at points, but ultimately it's catchy enough to make up for the absurdity. If the lead singles weren't your thing, try "Ceremonial Graveyard" or "Demon in the Rain" from the middle of the record.--Ted Nubel
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New Releases 11/19-11/25
Cruciamentum -- Obsidian Reflections | Profound Lore Records | Death Metal | United Kingdom + United States The cavernous death metal band are out with a new record that's even heavier than their previous stuff. This record is a good continuation of the legacy based both on how heavy and powerful it is and the way the music has morphed into a more mature form. We can't stop spinning this one.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Midnight Odyssey -- Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness | I, Voidhanger Records | Atmospheric Black Metal | Australia Dis Pater wraps up his grandiloquent Biolume trilogy with a typicallybombastic finale full of triumphant celestial moods and lavish gothic melodrama, romancing majestic dark-wave synths and frantic, yet unfussy riffing, his vocals alternating between a space banshee’s shriek and wistful Brendan Perry-like croon. Snaring more cosmic dazzle than the Hubble working overtime, Midnight Odyssey’s lunar tunes also crush with the weight of planets colliding.--Spencer Grady
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High Spirits -- Safe on the Other Side | High Roller Records | Hard Rock + Heavy Metal | United States (Chicago, IL) Some things are impermanent and momentary, but not High Spirits. High Spirits is forever, a hopefully eternal wellspring of badass songs about nights, cities, etc., and in this case a purveyor of a stellar Europe cover. The sun's going down early these days, so it's a great time to listen to more High Spirits.--Ted Nubel
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Helga -- Wrapped in Mist | Season of Mist | Heavy Metal + Folk | Sweden The debut album from this band breaks new ground in the tradition of bands like Myrkur, relying on femme-forward and gorgeous vocal stylings but in a way that completely transcends any tropes bands like that currently have in metal. It is beautiful and strange, and sets a really cool trajectory for this band that we are definitely going to be following.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Ophanim -- Tämpelskläng | Eisenwald | Atmospheric Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Tämpelskläng's dense atmospheres and unique riffing slightly recall other acts, but there is an element of mysticism and Antiquity which pervades this album's melodic sense, no doubt a result of Meister Tekel's own Tanakh studies. Yes, Judeo-Christianity plays a part in this album, but not in a religious fashion. Meister Tekel's personal interest in spirituality plays a large role in Tämpelskläng, but not as a belief system and more a vessel for his own spirituality.
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Kvelgeyst -- Blut, Milch und Thränen | Eisenwald | Black Metal | Switzerland (Zürich) As a member of the Helvetic Underground Committee, you can expect Kvelgeyst's black metal to promenade off the beaten path. Blut, Milch und Thränen was conceived as two large tracks that were later divided into smaller movements. As such, the record has phenomenal synergy, tying together Kvelgeyst's basic but satisfying black metal riffs and their batty excursions in the vocals department. It's weird black metal at the end of the day, but also some of the most immediate black metal released this month.--Colin Dempsey
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Strange New Dawn -- New Nights of Euphoria | Svart Records | Progressive Rock + Doom Metal | Norway (Kristiansand) Containing former members from both Green Carnation and In the Woods..., Strange New Dawn's third album draws from epic streams of progressive rock and doom metal. At times unabashedly nerdy, especially the gloriously overdone "Seek It," New Nights of Euphoria's appeal lays in its earnestness. There's no pretension here, just pure charm.--Colin Dempsey
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Temple of Scorn -- Funeral Altar Epiphanies | Transcending Obscurity | Death Metal | Denmark (Aarhus) When I say that Temple of Scorn's debut album is well-put together, that's not to imply that it's squeaky clean. Far from it, in fact. Funeral Altar Epiphanies is a butcher of an record--it's bloody and wields barbaric tools, but also effortless in its execution, as if every slice has been practiced to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.--Colin Dempsey
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Slôdder -- A Mind Designed to Destroy Beautiful Things | Majestic Mountain Records | Sludge + Doom Metal | Sweden From Ted Nubel's full album premiere:Energetic and alive, this sophomore album hums with jam-honed cohesion that heavily contributes to the listenability and dials up the electrifying sleaze. Whenever a riff throws its weight around, it comes with crashing accompaniment and leaves a mark. In longer jams like "Warpaint" and "Still no Friends," the band ventures into exploratory soundscape-crafting, turning churning riffs into a vehicle for hypnotic coercion, but most of the time we're getting cymbal-wash-packed rock stomps and a few d-beats thrown in to really get the pot boiling.
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King in Yellow -- King in Yellow | Independent | Stoner Rock + Metal | Mexico Fuzzy and sinister stoner rock -- not a super uncommon combination, but the stellar guitar playing here does set it apart.--Ted Nubel
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Everson Poe -- The Tower | Trepanation Recordings | Post-Black + Doom + Sludge | United States (Chicago, IL) It's hard to stop listening to this once you start. Emotionally powerful and at times tough to process, The Tower explores a fictional trans woman's story through a mix of piercing yet murky extreme metal and audio clips taken from very real, very depressing government proceedings and protests. Fury, grief, fear, and above all a sense of urgency interlock within these two massive tracks.--Ted Nubel
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Almost Honest -- The Hex of Penn's Woods | Argonauta Records | Stoner Rock + Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) Almost Honest uses this new record to dive into and expand upon the lore of Pennsylvania -- and their weird, proggy stoner rock is an excellent medium for eccentric storytelling. Stories are truly at the heart of this, and the band plays the part of both charismatic entertainers and cryptic lorekeepers.--Ted Nubel
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Mêlée des Aurores -- Aube cannibale | Sepulchral Productions | Black Metal | Canada From Jon Rosenthal's full album premiere:Using "piano, contrabass, violins, keyboards and other mutilated instruments," this Quebecois duo's points of comparison are obvious, but the execution found here is suffocating and less focused on technicality, instead opting for big atmospheres via slow-moving chord progressions and vast, horrific harmonies.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft69xn24AWA&ab_channel=SepulchralProductions
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Lilyum -- We Are Disobedience | Broken Bones Promotions | Black Metal | Italy A shoestring budget, drums that sound like garbage cans, and bitter riffs are all indicative of Lilyum's lo-fi black metal status. However, November feels like the time of year for such metal as the temperatures drop without snowfall and days condense to mere hours sandwiched between blackness. Luckily, Lilyum aren't overly reliant on their production to substitute for quality music. They'd likely sound just as malicious were they to record in a proper studio.--Colin Dempsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvtjku7DVus...
New Releases 11/26-12/1
Underdark -- Managed Decline | Church Road Records | Post-Black Metal | United Kingdom Underdark's ability to find a middle ground between captivating melody and arresting desolation continues to impress; Managed Decline has plenty of incredibly sad moments that also, well, go hard.--Ted Nubel
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Panopticon -- The Rime of Memory | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal + Folk | United States (Ely, Minnesota) Another solid release from Panopticon, this is the perfect record to usher in the colder season. As usual, if you're looking for something folky and layered with some of the trappings of metal, but a lot more folk than metal, this is a solid pick, pushing the artist's sound even further.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Walking Corpse -- Our Hands, Your Throat | Transcending Obscurity | Grindcore + Death Metal | Sweden (Gothenburg) Time to dial up some hyper-kinetic death-grind with the second album from this full-of-beans Swedish trio, filching their name from an old Brutal Truth tune and perpetrating the peppiest case of undead fever this side of the Mr. Vampire franchise. But it’s not all paint-peeling harum-scarum, Walking Corpse fuse their high-speed ruckus with bludgeoning breakdowns and boggy-bottomed sludge-trawls, exhibiting an acute case of Cotard’s for the zombie generation.--Spencer Grady
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Extortionist -- Devoid | Unique Leader Records | Metalcore | United States (Idaho) The latest from Extortionist truly lives up to their name with the way the band bend the laws of physics, and music, to create this latest release. There are definitely moments that are predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical creativity.--Addison Herron-Wheeler
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Gilded Form -- Gilded Form | Burning World Records | Drone Metal | International (United States + Netherlands) As an instrumental song that stretches across 40 minutes, "Gilded Form" is in no rush to arrive at its destination. That is, if it even has one. It's a drone metal album through and through (yes, the entire album is a single track) but with Southern-fried guitars, giving it a brighter sheen when compared to other drone metal acts.--Colin Dempsey
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Культура Курения -- Полночь в Новосибирске | Independent | Black Metal + Post-Punk | Russia (Novosibirsk) Культура Курения crossed over into DSBM on their underrated debut Некрофилия, but that was because it sounded like their guitarist and rhythm section played post-punk while their vocalist decided black metal vocals best fit the mood. They only released a single album, a few EPs, and a couple of splits before disbanding, though they've now returned with Полночь в Новосибирск. There are no streams available yet, but if you want a portion of black metal in your post-punk rather than the other way around, you should keep Культура Курения on your radar.--Colin Dempsey
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Ni -- Fol Naïs | Dur & Doux | Avant-Garde Metal | France (Bourg En Bresse) The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works was a formative album for me, so my brain is hard-wired to appreciate anything faintly resembling it. Ni's Fol Naïs comes close, though it swaps metalcore for math and progressive rock. They write some seriously sticky riffs and aren't afraid to get wild with their time signatures, both of which get to shine since Ni are largely an instrumental project.--Colin Dempsey
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Helfró -- Tálgröf | Season of Mist | Black Metal + Death Metal | Iceland (Reykjavík) Helfró's sophomore album boasts riffs so cold they've crystallized, plus vacuum-sealed tightness in the songwriting department. On it, they dive into the minds of mass murderers to understand how they function. Rather than coming off as gory, it's detached and surgical, which suits the thematic content well--Colin Dempsey
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Prosperity Gospel -- Society of the Spectral | Comfort Monk | Black Metal + Shoegaze + Hardcore Punk | United States (Columbia, South Carolina) The best way to describe Prosperity Gospel is that they're an American black metal band. This is not a statement about their patriotism but how American acts both in and outside of black metal strongly influence their riffs, vocals, and track structures. Shoegaze and hardcore punk are front and center here, occasionally superseding the black metal components. The result is a decidedly 2020s-sounding album.--Colin Dempsey
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Troll Rounds Out 30 Years As A Band On “Trolldom” (Album Stream)
Troll have, in various guises and lineups, been around for a long time. The brainchild of musician and vocalist Nagash (also of The Covenant/The Kovenant), who founded the band in 1993, Troll's output has been meager over the past two decades. In the shadow of their first demo, Trollstorm over Nidingjuv, and debut full length, Drep de Kristne, Troll's varied output over the past 30 years has been centered around one instrument: keyboards. This garnered Troll some dislike early on, but with the new (old) school re-embracing the digital instrument, these Norwegians can truly shine again with their first album in 13 years: Trolldom.
Generally mid-paced, even at its speediest moments, Trolldom preoccupies itself with crafting spooky and terrifying atmospheres more than they care about "being the fastest" or "grimmest' band on the market. It's a mix of solid, melodic songwriting and uniquely Troll-ish ambiance-craft that gives the world a nostalgic, but still current listen. It's not about re-inventing the past, but being inspired by it, and bassist Sturt tells me as much in conversation ("It’s old school or nothing!") when discussing Trolldom. This is an intriguing contrast to the hyper modernized Neo-Satanic Supremacy, released on Napalm Records in 2010, but Troll have since rediscovered the trail they blazed, as evidenced by their 2020 EP Tilbake til Trollberg, the only music to materialize within the past decade-plus.
Closing a vast period of time, and reaching a huge milestone for Troll overall (30 years is like 200 years in black metal time), Trolldom is proof that old dogs don't need new tricks, necessarily, but Troll's ability to learn from and expand upon their past is more than enough to survive in the current landscape. Listen to Trolldom in full ahead of its release below.
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From Nagash:
This album is a lasting dream, and an eternal nightmare.
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Trolldom releases December 8th via Polypus Records. Now if only I could manifest a new Malignant Eternal record…
a0998218917_10
Troll Rounds Out 30 Years As A Band On “Trolldom” (Album Stream)
Troll have, in various guises and lineups, been around for a long time. The brainchild of musician and vocalist Nagash (also of The Covenant/The Kovenant), who founded the band in 1993, Troll's output has been meager over the past two decades. In the shadow of their first demo, Trollstorm over Nidingjuv, and debut full length, Drep de Kristne, Troll's varied output over the past 30 years has been centered around one instrument: keyboards. This garnered Troll some dislike early on, but with the new (old) school re-embracing the digital instrument, these Norwegians can truly shine again with their first album in 13 years: Trolldom.
Generally mid-paced, even at its speediest moments, Trolldom preoccupies itself with crafting spooky and terrifying atmospheres more than they care about "being the fastest" or "grimmest' band on the market. It's a mix of solid, melodic songwriting and uniquely Troll-ish ambiance-craft that gives the world a nostalgic, but still current listen. It's not about re-inventing the past, but being inspired by it, and bassist Sturt tells me as much in conversation ("It’s old school or nothing!") when discussing Trolldom. This is an intriguing contrast to the hyper modernized Neo-Satanic Supremacy, released on Napalm Records in 2010, but Troll have since rediscovered the trail they blazed, as evidenced by their 2020 EP Tilbake til Trollberg, the only music to materialize within the past decade-plus.
Closing a vast period of time, and reaching a huge milestone for Troll overall (30 years is like 200 years in black metal time), Trolldom is proof that old dogs don't need new tricks, necessarily, but Troll's ability to learn from and expand upon their past is more than enough to survive in the current landscape. Listen to Trolldom in full ahead of its release below.
…
…
From Nagash:
This album is a lasting dream, and an eternal nightmare.
…
Trolldom releases December 8th via Polypus Records. Now if only I could manifest a new Malignant Eternal record…
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When you leave Saint Vitus, you’re content. You know there’ll be more points of semi-escapism to wander back to. That’s good, because there’s much work to be done in the outside world: a place that desperately needs the type of energy we give to art and music, given also to awareness and participation in social, political, and progressive movements. This is the fuel we can use to build a world separate from corporate interest, insane greed, and continual dehumanization.
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