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Discharge made their long-awaited return to NYC last Friday, taking over the Marlin Room at Webster Hall after Visa issues forced them to delay their spring tour. The show, originally scheduled in May, featured Eyehategod as direct support. NOLA’s own have had their own set of setbacks recently; Frontman Mike Williams’ health struggles had led the band to cancel some shows and use surrogates for others, including two shows over the summer where Phil Anselmo stood in, and this current tour, where Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe took over the helm for twelve shows.
For less-beloved acts, massive changes in schedule and lineup might run a tour into the ground. For these powerhouses, though, the uncertainties served only to build anticipation and it showed in attendance as well as enthusiasm. Despite it being an early show, the venue was well-packed by the middle of the first set, NYC locals Disassociate. It was at-or-near capacity when Toxic Holocaust took the stage around 7:30pm, opening with “War is Hell” They kept it old-school, playing mostly from An Overdose of Death (“The Lord of the Wasteland”, “Wild Dogs”, “In The Name of Science”, “Gravelord”).
Eyehategod’s setlist hasn’t changed much in the last couple years. “New Orleans is the New Vietnam”, “Agitation! Propaganda!”, and “Sisterfucker” (parts one and two) can almost always be expected, with the addition of “Medicine Noose” after the release of the band’s 2014 self-titled album. There could be any number of reasons for this lack of variety from a band with such an extensive catalogue, but no one’s complaining; their intensely loyal fan base is always fully-engaged when they’re on stage, anticipating each introduction with unfettered glee and Friday was no exception.
Randy Blythe, a monstrous vocalist, was an excellent decision as a substitute for Mike Williams. He is accustomed to larger venues, having played countless major festivals with Lamb of God, and he brought the same volume of energy to the 600-capacity Marlin Room. He was funny and viscously spiteful. After paying tribute to William’s and leading attendees in wishing a speedy recovery for the infirmed singer, he impugned the crowd’s commitment to nihilism, asking them if they’d come from Williamsburg and encouraging them to “do something stupid: Do drugs, get naked, lose your fucking minds [sic]… Fuck your neighbor… Without a condom.” On the intro to “Sisterfucker”, he asked concert-goes: “Aren’t you ashamed that Donald Trump is from New York? …Who’s voting for him? Probably a bunch of Staten Island sibling fucking rednecks…” Blythe’s hateful delivery of every word, groan, and scream breathed new, magnificently uncomfortable life into the music.
Discharge released their seventh album, End of Days, in April. The album has been well-received, ranking at #10 on UK rock charts upon it’s release, not that Discharge played more than the singles from it. The accompanying tour was hotly-anticipated and fans were amped to see them finally take the stage after months of postponement. Their enthusiasm was not wrong-headed. Three songs in, Discharge launched into “Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing”, throwing the full force of decades of experience into their performance. The hour-long set facilitated one of the most rambunctious pits the Marlin Room has likely seen in quite some time.
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Disassociate
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Toxic Holocaust
Summoning “Lions, Tigers and Bears” with Slift’s “Ummon” (Music Video Premiere)
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Few things in modern life compare to leaning back, toking up, tuning out, and delving into some heavy-as-hell psych-rock. French outfit Slift deliver extensively in this regard: they stuffed their February 2020 release Ummon so chock full of heady hooks and rocking leads that the band feels nearly explosive with all the energy they channel. It's all wrapped in a smooth, no-bullshit delivery, the kind that sets any awesome band apart from just the good ones. And awesome indeed Slift are, as this new music video for "Lions, Tigers and Bears," the big-ass closing epic from Ummon, demonstrates with a particularly straightforward charm. Just the band, the crowd, and the song, nothing more, because nothing more is truly ever needed when your band kicks this much ass. It's hard to get enough of their intoxicating blend of, well, psych-everything -- Slift achieves a jam righteous enough to bump your head but supple enough to invigorate your mind. Check out an exclusive premiere of the new video below. Stay frosty, everyone....
https://youtu.be/EolgMJXI4M8...
Ummon released February 28th via Vicious Circle....
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Dessiderium’s “Cosmic Limbs” Retrieve Life From The Eternal Void
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When the music actually bleeds, I'll be there to lap it up. The core of metal, like all music, is emotion; certain emotional ranges, though, find exaggerated presences under metal's blistering light. Many point toward anger, and that's probably accurate albeit somewhat generalized, but frustration and aggression and loathing more specifically all showcase themselves especially vividly with metal. And while any album can be both joyous and angry, sanguine and effervescent, etc., one broad sense-feeling seems to emerge across strings of albums in given genres. This is why thrash metal finds suitable time differently than, say, doom metal, though what constitutes appropriate for a given setting or state of mind is all up to the individual. The point is that metal's broad emotional associations make sense but end up baked into a comfortable realm from which escape becomes ever more difficult. Metal has a tendency to overdo it sometimes, and for me, I've realized that I find myself desensitized or oversaturated, or both, with its hyperbolic emotional content. It was when I stumbled across Dessiderium on Bandcamp -- specifically, the self-titled opener from the solo project's upcoming release Shadow Burn -- that I came to the above realization. Musically, the album comprises high-octane melodic death metal with a seriously techy edge; immediately, I was expecting bog-standard tech-death emotionality i.e. the complete lack of emotionality or a totally overblown, fluorescent emotionality that might as well be absent anyway. Instead, project mastermind Alex Haddad wove so much of his heart into these songs that their feeling cries even louder than the sound itself. The convergence of two things I love in metal but rarely find together -- blistering technicality and the gut-punch of real feelings -- really comes alive on this album. Haddad wrote it for a lost loved one that passed tragically in her early twenties, an experience rawer than anyone should have to bear. I will never claim to know his pain or understand his suffering, but it is plain that this music literally bursts from every seam with emotion of this extreme degree. Shadow Burn bleeds with it, actually, and the laid-bare love in Haddad's heart gives this album meaning beyond its artistic one. But both meanings meld as one, though, nailing that perfect synergy very few metal albums I've heard have been able to achieve. Dessiderium's music here isn't always "sad," or whatever more specific descriptor you want to use, though clearly there are moments of tension, frustration, and despair that fit perfectly within the album's arc and theme. Recalling past times with a lost loved one, for instance, doesn't always invite sadness; doing so sometimes brings back the pure joy of those experiences. There are moments on Shadow Burn so uplifting and revitalizing, downright poppy even, they radiate the warm light of cozy afternoons spent with a loved one. Memories are all we have, but music is far more permanent, and that's the honest beauty of Shadow Burn: the essence of someone real and now gone has been concreted into the echoes of eternity. It's not just about the loss, it's about the life, and that's really the bottom line of Shadow Burn. Most heavy metal albums throw life into the void; this heavy metal, though, somehow yanks it right back out. I'll leave it there. Shadow Burn wrenches your gut and blows your mind at once, and it's as life-giving and enriching as any metal I've ever heard. It rips hard, it really does, so just crank it. Stream "Cosmic Limbs" exclusively below, with two more singles available at the preorder link....
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Shadow Burn releases June 25th; preorders are available via Bandcamp.
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Our Favorite Heavy Albums of 2020 So Far
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Sweven -- "The Eternal Resonance"[/caption]
Sweven -- "The Eternal Resonance"[/caption]
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Let this assemblage of heavy tunes guide you into realms both terrifying and exciting. This is a data dump of what we feel has topped 2020 so far in terms of metal (and more, really). It's difficult to narrow things down to ten albums, always, but doing so allows for a hyper-curated selection that benefits anyone looking for the best of the best. Get into our minds, and we'll keep feeding yours....
Andrew Rothmund
As usual, drowning. More thoughts here. Below, my favorites; or, what I deem to be the best in terms of blowing my mind to goddamn smithereens. Fovitron -- Altar of Whispers Fixions -- Dark Days Beneath the Massacre -- Fearmonger Volcandra -- Into the Azure Azoth -- Magnitude of Extinction Ulcerate -- Stare Into Death and Be Still Spectral Lore + Mare Cognitum -- Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine Slift -- Ummon Satyr -- Locus Leeched -- To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse...
Jon Rosenthal
Talking about music right now seems so selfish. We must do better. Paysage d'Hiver -- Im Wald Sweven -- The Eternal Resonance Black Curse -- Endless Wound Circle of Ouroborus -- Viimeinen juoksu Fluisteraars -- Bloem Carved Cross -- Severance of Disparity in Absolute Acrimony Lamp of Murmuur -- The Burning Spears of Crimson Agony Katatonia -- City Burials I'm In A Coffin -- Waste of Skin ONO -- Red Summer https://youtu.be/0oFnjWS4cpU...
Ted Nubel
The killer music coming out this year has been much-needed ammunition in my mental struggle against the isolation and anxiety that's basically defined 2020 -- in particular, doom metal and stoner rock have knocked out one great release after another, making trimming my list down tougher than I expected. I've just hit the six-month mark writing for Invisible Oranges, and in a way I've been dreading doing a list like this -- attempting to remember music I listened to, much less attempt to sort it out, is a challenge. So, when pulling this list together, I focused on the music that I keep coming back to: stuff that helps me get through the drearier days and nights. In these picks, you'll find plenty of top-notch riffs and groovy heaviness, though I've also included Drown for skull-flattening funeral doom consideration and Wrekmeister Harmonies' latest release, a drone-laden journey suitable for very late night musings. Huntsmen -- Mandala of Fear Drown -- Subaqueous Ripped to Shreds -- 亂 (Luan) Yatra -- Blood of the Night Acid Mammoth -- Under Acid Hoof Cirith Ungol -- Forever Black Hällas -- Conundrum Wrekmeister Harmonies -- We Love to Look at the Carnage NITE -- Darkness Silence Mirror Flame Bone Church -- Acid Communion...
Langdon Hickman
It's never easy to pick a clean ten for a mid-year list, but 2020 had a harder go at it than most. The Australian wildfires feel like they were a year ago or more, but in truth were only a few months, while the entirety of COVID-19/quarantine era plus the most recent (and absolutely righteous and long-deserved) round of Black Lives Matter protests have swept up the world. In the midst of all of this, heavy metal was still happening, even as releases slowed or got pushed way, way back to compensate. Still, there was, as always, an embarrassment of riches, so many good records that, aside from a few I could finger right now as appearing on my proper end-of-year list, the rest is basically plucked from a whim. My taste is certainly showing in my list, I'll admit, and while in other years I might have tried to control for that by deliberately including some more industrial, black metal, crust, etc. to compensate for my natural inclination, this year it feels okay to just go with the flow a bit. Some of these albums already feel like they've been part of my life for years given all that's happened and how often they've been played by me during all of this. The following list is unsorted. Oranssi Pazuzu -- Mestarin kynsi Spectral Lore + Mare Cognitum -- Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine Sweven -- The Eternal Resonance Paradise Lost -- Obsidian Ulcerate -- Stare Into Death and Be Still Elder -- Omens Cryptic Shift -- Visitations from Enceladus Garganjua -- Toward the Sun Katatonia -- City Burials Fluisteraars -- Bloem...
Joe Aprill
While my first published work for Invisible Oranges wasn’t until a little over two months later, it was actually my participation on last year’s mid-year best-of list where I had my debut. It’s been a rollercoaster of 12 months personally for me since then. I’ve encountered emotional highs attending international metal festivals on two continents and interviewing some of my favorite musicians of all time -- I also had a difficult low point with a romantic relationship falling apart. That low point occurred halfway into the world circumstances we’ve all been experiencing in recent months; from the still everpresent mortal threat of COVID-19 to the shaking fury at witnessing police brutality and political negligence. As the world and our own minds seemingly crumble apart, it’s as always during such dark times that music and the arts in general have provided a certain mental and even spiritual relief and comfort. So here are ten metal albums this year that so far help keep me sane. Fluisteraars -- Bloem Posehn -- Grandpa Metal Esoctrilihum -- Eternity Of Shaog Secrets of the Moon -- Black House Cult of Fire -- Moksha/Nirvana Paradise Lost -- Obsidian My Dying Bride -- The Ghost of Orion Midnight -- Rebirth by Blasphemy Cirith Ungol -- Forever Black Malokarpatan -- Krupinské Ohne...
Ivan Belcic
You might see a lot of people talking about how we should "use metal to escape during these times," or other similar ideas, but that's not quite the right way to go about it. Escapism is a luxury available only to those privileged enough to avail themselves of it -- to escape from police forces declaring war against civilians, not only in America, but across the globe, or from the thousands of daily deaths from a viral pandemic that governments around the world refuse to take seriously in favor of keeping the capital flowing, or from the ever-encroaching fascist creep. But that's not to say we can't find solace in our music. Metal is at its most poignant when it serves as a balm, when the listener can pour all their grief, rage, frustration, and anguish into it, and find it there to welcome these feelings. Don't look away from the struggles people are facing, especially if you aren't facing them yourself. Your relative insulation places you in a better place than most to gather your resources about you and do something about it. Despite how undeniably awful so many things are, creative people persist in excavating that primal urge which gurgles up from within. And when it's your time to act, let their creations steel your nerves. Aara -- En Ergô Einai Sweven -- The Eternal Resonance Barrens -- Penumbra Violet Cold -- Noir Kid Beggar -- Compelled to Repeat Psychonaut -- Unfold the God Man Fleige -- The Invisible Seam Velnias -- Scion of Aether Ainsoph -- Ω - V Uprising -- II...
Sahar Alzilu
Already, not even halfway through 2020, there's been a considerable bulk of memorable and wonderfully composed releases across multiple genres. Among them, I've observed two general trends. First of all, 2020 really seems to be shaping up to be a year of EPs, as several of these shorter releases (shall we say under the 30-minute mark) have, quite simply, blown more traditional full length albums out of the water. Additionally, 2020 has definitely been the "year of the synths," as many of my favorites from this year have featured a heavy keyboard or otherwise electronic presence. It's been quite the journey these past five months, I'm hoping the patterns I noted above continue, and I'm hungry for whatever the coming months bring. NGHTCRWLR -- Let the Children Scream Zalmoxis -- A Nocturnal Emanation Bríi -- Entre Tudo que é Visto e Oculto Dragged Into Sunlight -- Terminal Aggressor II Chong Wizard -- The Mind Stone Descend Into Despair -- Opium Moodie Black -- Fuzz Fange -- Pudeur At the Altar of the Horned God -- Through Doors of Moonlight Grin -- Translucent Blades...
Andrew Sacher
It's been an intense year, heavy music helps. Fuck racism, fuck police brutality, get involved. Code Orange -- Underneath Huntsmen -- Mandala of Fear Higher Power -- 27 Miles Underwater Infant Island -- Beneath Envy -- The Fallen Crimson Umbra Vitae -- Shadow of Life Ulcerate -- Stare Into Death and Be Still Ulthar -- Providence Wake -- Devouring Ruin Sightless Pit -- Grave of a Dog...
Tom Campagna
Lots of variety in heavy music especially since for most of the year the only way we can experience it is through a speaker or headphones. In light of these trying times, we look back upon the lessons learned for 2020 but also toward applying real change to this flawed world which we inhabit. Diversity reigns supreme because for all the problems that this society holds, each requires the right amount of attention and insight. Until that happens here’s the soundtrack to oblivion. ACxDC -- Satan Is King Afterbirth -- Four Dimensional Flesh Cirith Ungol -- Forever Black Haunt -- Mind Freeze Intronaut -- Fluid Existential Inversions Kvelertak -- Splid Lucifer -- Lucifer III Malokarpatan -- Krupinské Ohne Midnight -- Rebirth by Blasphemy Sweven -- The Eternal Resonance...
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Upcoming Metal Releases: 6/14/20 — 6/20/20 (Plus Last Week)
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Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the weeks of June 7th to June 13th and June 14th to June 20th, 2020. 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....
Surprise Releases + Things We Missed
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Gravesend -- Preparations for Human Disposal | Stygian Black Hand | Black Metal + Grindcore + War Metal | United States (New York) Harsh, harsh, harsh warlike metal from urban wastelands. I say warlike here because, while Gravesend does, in fact, fulfill the chaotic parameters of war metal, there is a clarity found within their riffing which sets them apart. Some might call this "lo-fi," but I call it outrageous and crushing. This is meant to be a wall of noise (sort of) -- fuck your concepts of fidelity and riff construction.-- Jon Rosenthal
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Almyrkvi + The Ruins of Beverast -- Split | Ván Records | Black Metal | Iceland + Germany This split pairs two of the best bands that this label currently has to offer: Almyrkvi and The Ruins of Beverast. The former continues its enveloping, space-tinged brand of Icelandic black metal, while the latter picks up on the quasi psychedelic, blackened doom approach explored on Exuvia. At a whopping 43 minutes, this feels closer to a full length album than what many other splits offer, and drops a lot of interesting hints at where the parties involved may be going from here with their sounds.-- Sahar Alzilu
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Last Week's Releases
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I'm In A Coffin -- Waste of Skin | Independent/Digital | Suicidal Black Metal | United States (Texas + Massachusetts) Twelve years ago, I'm In A Coffin burst onto the then-waning "depressive black metal" scene with serious musical chops and an over-the-top character which made some think they were a little less than serious (make no mistake, I'm In A Coffin meant it). Now, after years of false-starts and promises of a follow-up, Waste of Skin shows a matured iteration of this suicidal black metal duo. All the years of anticipation certainly pay off -- Waste of Skin is a powerful statement in over-the-top, shrieking, howling misery.-- Jon Rosenthal
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Ice Howl -- Cadence of the Cursed | Heavy Metal | United States (Indiana) From Ted Nubel's premiere of "Light the Bonfire":"I've eagerly lapped up each Ice Howl release over the last few years -- while every EP has pushed forward mastermind Jason Roach's vision of power metal laced with the stopping power of the rest of heavy metal's variants, the main draw for me has been the top-tier retro riffs they're packed with.Cadence of the Cursed has these in spades, all mainline worthy, but as a whole there's another appeal: the blazing passion behind this album is obvious, both for heavy metal and the subject matter, and every listen fuels your own kindling spark just a little bit more."
-- Ted Nubel
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Behold! The Arctopus -- Hapeleptic Overtrove | Willlowtip Records | Experimental Death Metal | United States (New York) From Langdon Hickman's premiere of Hapeleptic Overtrove:It's always a delightful challenge to describe a new Behold the Arctopus record, especially one like Hapeleptic Overtrove. For those of us that like our heavy metal experimental and technical, this group traditionally represents one of the most extreme liminal edges that can be explored, creating music that's as baffling as it is euphoric, as much of a deep cerebral brain scratch as it is jarringly avant-garde. At times they seem to lean closer to Ryoji Ikeda's particularly timbral approach to experimental rhythmic techno than to, say, Judas Priest, often only feeling metal by the choice of tones for the instruments rather than anything even close to resembling a riff. But that is, ultimately, what makes them so endlessly compelling; they represent the R&D department of heavy metal and experimental/avant-garde work, producing legitimate challenges to your palette in an era where mere extremity no longer does the trick (not even old avant-garde tricks like 80+ minute songs).
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Ulthar -- Providence | 20 Buck Spin | Death Metal + Black Metal | United States (California) Providence is a granite slab of insanity, and I love it for that. I can barely last through this entire album (maybe it scrambles my brain in just the right way), but the accomplishment of doing so always pays off in dividends. Top-notch stuff, as many were expecting from this band.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Upcoming Releases
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Lamb of God -- Lamb of God | Nuclear Blast | Metalcore | United States (Virigina) The best Lamb of God album in recent times. Feels brand-new but also like the band has taken a stripped-down, back-to-basics approach to their furious blend. Catchy guitar riffs form the centerpiece once more, and Randy's vocals are as gritty as ever. I was a huge Lamb of God fan back in the day, and Lamb of God is exciting me again about those times. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Randy Blythe earlier this year before the band absolutely devastated a tiny-cap venue (and right before coronavirus really fucked things up).-- Andrew Rothmund
https://youtu.be/nYZLs0Wg2so...
Kall -- Brand | Prophecy Productions | Black Metal + Rock | Sweden When Lifelover broke up after the tragic passing of primary songwriter B., a void was left in their strange corner of the music world. No longer would there be that same sort of sardonic, psychotic fusion of black metal, post-punk, and rock music. Does Kall, the spiritual continuation of Lifelover, fill its shoes? Sort of -- Kim Carlsson does a great job of maintaining the sort of depressed, desperate character which defines his overall musical output (see: Hypothermia, Kyla, Life is Pain, et cetera), but Kall misses the point when it comes to being "Lifelover Mk. II" -- I miss the B.'s sarcasm and strange psychoses most of all. Is it bad? No way, it's great, but it certainly is no Lifelover.-- Jon Rosenthal
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Nexion -- Seven Oracles | Avantgarde Music | Black Metal | Iceland Fiery icy shit from the land of fire and ice. Despite all the dissonance and clangy chaos, eerie and devilish melodies emerge from the noise to carry you forward into, well, the gaping maw of death.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Hail Spirit Noir -- Eden In Reverse | Agonia Records | Avant-Garde + Post-Black Metal + Psychedelic Rock | Greece There was a time when "post-black metal" meant the brave new face of the avant-garde in black metal -- something before the weird portmanteau of post-rock and black metal. Hail Spirit Noir is the embodiment of that daring to be creative and reinvent the tired face of black metal. Psychedelic, bizarre, and always moving, Eden In Reverse turns the genre on its head for all to see.-- Jon Rosenthal
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Aversio Humanitatis -- Behold the Silent Dwellers | Debemur Morti Productions | Black Metal | Spain I loved the density and outright speed of Aversio Humanitatis' prior album Longing for the Untold, and it looks like I'm pleased again with Behold the SIlent Dwellers. In fact, the band's black metal onslaught is even thicker and punchier than before, which I think is the main selling point here. The album belts its way through its runtime with a mighty sense of fury, and rarely lets up for a break.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Vile Creature -- Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm! | Prosthetic Records | Black Metal + Post-Metal | Canada Thick, viscous, blackened -- Vile Creature is, musically, a lot of things, but that's only a part of the puzzle. The two-piece's signature mix of sludge and drone is driven by a wildly powerful creative spark that leads to plenty of surprises ( the title track features a choir, for one) and effectively transmits the emotions backing this fine-tuned aural carnage.-- Ted Nubel
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Eye of Nix -- Ligeia | Prophecy Productions | Atmospheric Sludge + Doom + Black Metal | United States (Washington) It’s still a thrill to stumble upon an enjoyable band that’s contemporary but not exactly brand new either, which is exactly what occurred for me upon hearing the lead single off Seattle band Eye of Nix’s third album, Ligeia. The album has an oceanic fury behind its mix of Neurosis like sludge with black metal (particularly of the Icelandic variety), lulling in the listener with hypnotically tense calm that at any moment gives way to a raging maelstrom. Such themes pop up across the lyrics and song titles as the album title itself originates from one of the Sirens of Greek myth, beautiful human-bird like creatures that lured sailors to their doom with their singing. All of which is perfectly embodied in the double threat of front-woman Joy Von Spain’s guitar work and vocals. The latter of her talents can not be praised enough with her ability to command both demonic bellows and majestically sublime singing. I eagerly await someday to witness in the flesh this band’s siren call, though hopefully replacing heads bashed on jagged shores for headbanging in front of a stage.-- Joseph Aprill
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Pale Divine -- Consequence of Time | Cruz del Sur Music | Heavy Metal | United States (Pennsylvania) 25 years into their career, Pale Divine is still finding ways to keep their riff-driven doom fresh. Their latest full-length, which sees ex-Beelzefuzz guitarist Dana Ortt adding additional wizardry and vocals to the group, is as tight and riffy as one expects from Pale Divine -- every guitar melody is a delight, and the mix of crunch and full-throated roar in the tones hits just right. It's wildly different than basically anybody else out there, somehow, with a healthy dose of straight-up weirdness and an obsession with twisty, intricate riffing. If you haven't heard this band before, this is an excellent way to get introduced -- but if you're already aware, there's some surprises brewing here.-- Ted Nubel
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Dearth -- To Crown All Befoulment | Sentient Ruin | Black Metal + Death Metal | United States (California) From Andrew Rothmund's premiere of "Writing in Cellophane Cages":Imagine blackened death metal so caustic it could degrease your driveway. That's what California outfit Dearth is aiming for: the complete and total strippage of every unwanted molecule from your brain. The band has an upcoming full-length called To Crown All Befoulment that weaves and wonders through the annals of total death like murky moonshine coursing through your veins. It leaves you warm and fuzzy at first, with groove-laden surges between bone-crunching dirges; after its runtime is complete, though, you're left vacuumed and completely drained. This is the sort of metal for a new age, one of still-somehow digestible chaos.
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Sepulchral Curse’s “Swarming Blackness” Stings Like Death Metal Bees
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Ugly times merit even uglier music, and Finland’s Sepulchral Curse are equipped to provide us with the grotesqueries we deserve. Their upcoming full-length Only Ashes Remain is a pustule-covered mass of writhing appendages that lash out at any traces of vulnerability. Once entangled, listeners find themselves dragged in towards the band’s fang-rimmed maw, dripping with caustic saliva. We’ve got the album’s second track “Swarming Blackness” streaming below in an exclusive premiere....
https://youtu.be/SBgpYaTAq1s...
The song is immediately rife with conflict. The lumbering chords and plodding bass, along with drummer Tommi Illmanen’s hands, attempt to set the pace, yet his feet have other intentions -- two snarling and incensed dogs desperate to break free of their leashes, straining with all the power their bodies can muster. Only when the verse begins do the rest of the band relent and charge ahead to indulge their hunger for violence, and once they do, there’s no regaining control. Kari Kankaanpää’s subterranean growls are caked with sludge and mucous and are, in a twisted sense, quite rich. The fullness of his low register makes the abrupt leaps up high even more arresting, so glaring is the contrast between the two styles. Where Kankaanpää’s gutturals are noxiously viscous, Ilmanen’s ceiling-scraping yowls are chillingly acidic. The blending of these two distinct identities makes for an intriguing interplay that brings a welcome dynamism to the music. Sepulchral Curse are death metal without pretense, yet there’s an undeniable subcurrent of finesse running through the record. Their fury is paramount, but executed with nuance and skill, with songs that reach beyond predictable structures and conventions for a satisfying depth that invites multiple listens to wholly appreciate....
Only Ashes Remain releases July 31 via Transcending Obscurity Records....
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Eyehategod with Randy Blythe
Drouth’s “A Crown of Asphodels” Gives Life but Tempts Death
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Black metal, in this grander arc of all heavy metal, doesn't seem to be letting up in the slightest -- everywhere we look, there are bands cutting sharp edges into black metal's already storied history of atmospherics, noise, and emotion. And the more bands tear apart, reconstruct, and rethink the style, the more diversity and potential for engagement the subgenre can enjoy. Portland's Drouth has been honing their sound for the better part of the last decade, infusing their onslaught with a tinge of death metal for an extra dose of intensity on top of the blackened blasts that cornerstone their work. The band's upcoming second full-length Excerpts From a Dread Liturgy feels hell-bent on perfecting the interpretation and execution of something familiar, but in doing so, ends up feeling entirely fresh and crisp. Check out a stream of the album's closing song below....
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Excerpts From a Dread Liturgy releases July 31st via Translation Loss Records....
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Hail Spirit Noir’s Glistening Synth-Prog Elevates our Realities (Album Stream)
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It was back in 2012 when Hail Spirit Noir’s debut Pneuma came completely out of left field and floored me. The band’s peculiar method of infusing a retro progressive and psychedelic rock sound with black metal felt like something I had been in search of for a long time, but had never actually encountered until that very moment. In the years that followed, subsequent releases from Hail Spirit Noir saw the black metal elements toning down in lieu of a more immersive effect. It should come as little surprise that this year’s Eden In Reverse, the band’s fourth full-length, ditches the black metal dimension almost entirely in favor of a full embrace of a quirky new take on progressive metal. I’ve never been too big a fan of contemporary progressive metal -- much of it has devolved over time into djent or absolute technical meandering, both of which lack emotive appeal. Hail Spirit Noir never had a problem with either of these two extremes, however, drinking ever deeper from the inspiration pool of 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock. Enjoy a full album premiere before tomorrow's release below....
https://youtu.be/YGvXGtnCiLg...
The outward manifestation of this creative link comes to its peak on Eden In Reverse -- the overarching synth presence is immediately noticeable, long a crucial element in Hail Spirit Noir’s songwriting but one that has now spiked considerably into a more pronounced role. The result is the creation of a feeling akin to being wrapped in a warm and otherworldly cocoon: pervasive synths create a spacious and heavenly atmosphere that enshrouds listeners. Into its second half as well, they also come to add a noticeably groovy, jam-oriented flair to the songwriting, especially on the phenomenal closer “Automata 1980.” The abandonment of a black metal personality, notably in the vocal department, draws immediate attention. Eden In Reverse eschews the shrieks and snarls Hail Spirit Noir made use of before -- it’s all about the majestic cleans now. This is a welcome transition as older material had harsh vocals that would roar over top otherwise more mesmerizing or far-out passages. Eden In Reverse features no such distractions, and instead the gorgeous vocal harmonizing conjures a mood of being treated to some delirious, off-planet symphony, with the singing guiding the way through a psychedelic ether. The absolutely magnificent “Incense Swirls” is perhaps the perfect example of the new Hail Spirit Noir sound: expansive, confident, and with a distinctly futuristic tinge. Although Eden In Reverse is more relaxing and mellower than its predecessors, it is not without its heavier moments. On “Crossroads” or “The First Ape On New Earth”, black metal undercurrents can still be heard in the chord progressions and overall grit of the production. This is a minimal element that demands an attentive ear, and even the most energetic moments on Eden In Reverse still lean toward “heavy prog metal” than straight-up black metal. Through all the various compositional wanderings featured on Eden In Reverse, the production must be applauded. Crisply welcoming and all-encompassing, the mixing here leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination -- each aspect of the instrumentation is allowed equal opportunity to shine in its own right. “Alien Lip Reading” may be the best example, bringing the guitars, synths, and vocals to the forefront in its first half before dialing down the knob on these three and giving more attention to the bass and drums in its second. Eden In Reverse is, at its core, a dense journey that rewards multiple listens, and its production does more than enough to shed light on the various layers of its songwriting. The album retains the distinct signature that made the band so uniquely captivating in the first place: Hail Spirit Noir continues to embrace a broader, more harmonic vocal approach and early synthwave influences while still subtly injecting some black metal techniques into the final recipe. Ambitious and imbued with an individualistic energy, if nothing else Eden In Reverse demonstrates Hail Spirit Noir’s ongoing commitment to the long term evolution of their songwriting. Major deviations from sounds established on earlier releases can see bands falling flat on their asses. That's not possible here for Hail Spirit Noir, as they shift their technique just far enough to result in a distinctly new sound while at the same time edging close enough to their roots to not morph into an entirely different entity. Distinctly forward-thinking while staying true to some of their own conventions, ethereal ambiance combined with a charismatic heaviness makes Eden In Reverse an absolutely mouth-watering release.-- Sahar Alzilu
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Eden In Reverse releases June 19th via Agonia Records....
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“The Pulsing Wet”: Lament Cityscape Builds Concrete Sorrow
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Ever industrious in their pursuit of industrial obliteration, Oakland's Lament Cityscape presents a new, towering offering. The Pulsing Wet EP, second in their concept-driven trilogy, offers three slices of desolation that mix industrial metal with post-punk, post-metal, and sludge leanings to create an especially caustic compound. Crack into this grime-ridden trifecta now, as we've got it streaming exclusively now:...
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Across the album, every shift in tone and tempo doesn't stray away from the gristly core -- rather, they reinforce it, adding dimensions and uncomfortable clarity. Starting off with grating alt-rock disaffection in "Lustre," the swaggering rock drive transitions into a layered post-metal soundscape in "Bleedback Loop": initial blackout rage finds eventual catharsis, but not without a struggle. The concluding track "The Great Reveal" echoes the opener's aggression like distant reverberations; filtered screams mourn inaudibly amongst percussion and disharmony. Crafted with precision and sledgehammer-level impact, The Pulsing Wet EP follows a clearly defined arc as it wrecks you -- or maybe a circle, as it ends up in a spot where hitting play again feels like a natural move. The EP is set to release on a date of some significance -- the summer solstice. Given the current circumstances, the band offers the following statement on its release:It feels pretty disgusting doing any kind of self-promotion right now, so writing this gives me shitty vibes. We will be donating all proceeds from The Pulsing Wet to Black Futures Lab. I know we are a small band but, hopefully, we can raise enough to give them a couple of hundred bucks a couple of times. They are a wonderful organization.
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The Pulsing Wet EP releases June 20th. Preorders available via Bandcamp....
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Khthoniik Cerviiks’s Bizarre “Odyssey 3000” Takes Death Metal Into the 30th Century
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It is said that strange is as strange does -- the true embracing of the weird and outsider is something which is inherent, and all other attempts are false. Weird is something that you are rather than something you can emulate, and bands like Khthoniik Cerviiks embody the true face of the bizarre in metal, if not the whole of music itself. Listen to an exclusive premiere of "Odyssey 3000" below....
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Make no mistake, Khthoniik Cerviiks is a death metal band first and foremost, and the intensity found within their second album makes a strong case for that, but the mental acrobatics and cerebral movements found within songs like "Odyssey 3000" take them far beyond the definitions of mere death metal. This is far beyond the gore worship which the genre calls its roots and takes death metal into the 30th century. Embrace the strange, but only if it truly calls to you -- like what Khthoniik Cerviiks has done....
Æequiizoiikum releases July 17th on Iron Bonehead Productions....
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“puissancerevee”: DDENT’s Industrial Doom Inherits Dream Powers (Music Video Premiere)
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Interesting developments in the arts always seem to be underway in France, and DDENT nestle rather snugly into this paradigm. The instrumental work of guitarist Louis Lambert, this project firmly straddles the borders between doom, industrial, and black metal. Dense and lumbering while also maintaining an airy, melodic flavor, his potent fusion continues with upcoming release Couvre-sang. Check out an exclusive premiere of the music video for the album's fifth track “puissancerevee” below....
https://youtu.be/-rngQgF6oy4...
DDENT are grounded predominantly in doom more than anything, but it’s the undercurrents of black and industrial metal that give Couvre-sang a signature edge. Listening to “puissancerevee," as well as the rest of the album, a sense of wonder imparts itself, helped by the realization that DDENT is the work of just one musician this time (the rest of the band only joins him on stage). The towering waves of riffs and drumming Lambert summons here easily make it sound absolutely huge. Fans of bands that succeed at doing a lot with relatively little should especially stay tuned for this one.-- Sahar Alzilu
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Couvre-sang releases July 3rd via Chien Noir....
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Master Boot Record’s Dark Synthwave Injects Cyberpunk Into New Adventure Game “VirtuaVerse”
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If you want a short version right away: VirtuaVerse, both the point-and-click adventure game and adjoining original soundtrack, are good. They are not only good, they are the current apex of synthwave as a genre, equal-footed sibling to the feature length film Blood Machines, which was penned by Carpenter Brut. Through these, synthwave as a genre fully extends into the two media formats that are most critical to it, with one exploring the profound influence of video games on the genre and aesthetic and the other exploring sci-fi and horror film. One of the many appreciable elements of VirtuaVerse is how rich it is as an object, how many fruitful and satisfying disconnected strands of thought and influence come together in its creation. It was inevitable that we would receive a concept album that is a video game, rather than one inspired by games or inspirational for them. After all, we've gotten all kinds of other variations on the form, from stage productions from Dream Theater to graphic novels from Coheed and Cambria and more -- even Blood Machines, equal in quality to this project and perhaps more approachable as a roughly hour-long film, is not unique in being a film-length project born from music. VirtuaVerse seems to be the first concept album released as a video game as its original format, deserving not just a review of the game and music itself but also a deeper look at the relation of games and heavy metal (and how a project like this came to be in the first place). The charms of VirtuaVerse start at its title screen. After the requisite short intro film and publisher logo splashes, VirtuaVerse greets you with a detail-rich depiction of a classic late 1980s or early 1990s computer desktop setup, complete with oversized and overweight CRT monitor, a horizontal tower complete with a floppy disc drive, and a veritable treasure trove of curling sticky notes, half-finished cans, and partially-posed plastic figures. Each of these items is a clickable link, be it to the developer's website, Master Boot Record's Bandcamp, the label's site or more. This kind of detail-rich opening menu screen has been in vogue for some time now, showing up in places as varied as indie darling Surgeon Simulator and AAA mega-smash Call of Duty: Black Ops. It's a form meant to indicate that even on that first meaningful click that the project to come is one that values small details and completeness of vision rather than just a streamlined central experience with minor set dressing. That sense of richness of detail and fineness of filigree, with the above being just one example, is one that runs through the entirety of VirtuaVerse, both as a game and, more importantly, as a game-as-album....
https://youtu.be/-BJ8zokyzac...
It's fitting for the genreform of the game that this collaboration would so highly value keen detail work. Point-and-click adventure games are a genre not typically predicated on length but rather their depth, swapping out the sometimes endless cutscenes of JRPGs or continuous online play component of multiplayer-oriented fare with a keenness of writing and cleverness of puzzles. VirtuaVerse doesn't skimp in this department, clearly designed with thorough notes of the LucasArts classics like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and the Monkey Island series, and with a decent share of red herrings to boot. The one relatively major change for people used to this style of game are the various quality-of-life improvements all across VirtuaVerse. For one thing, it seemed on my playthrough that there were no out-and-out wrong answers to puzzles, nor successful combinations of items that yield no results. What this means effectively is that, for those among us untrained in the galaxy-brain mindset needed to approach most point-and-click adventure games, you can effectively brute-force the game. This is less satisfying than cleverly ascertaining what needs to be done, of course, but it also means that the game can be completed comfortably in the ten-hour window rather than some of the harder games of this genre which can slog on for 20 or 30 hours not because they are long but because you are just plain stuck. The logic behind the puzzles of VirtuaVerse is also substantially more forgiving. While characters do not often out-and-out state exactly what they want from you, nor do environments place a big blinking arrow over items of interest, the scenario writing is clear enough that a cursory scan of your inventory and the area will quickly map out who needs what and when. Compare this to the sometimes exceptionally abstract puzzles of the Monkey Island series, where in one passage you must put a ship's anchor into a key lime pie and hurl it at a mime to get a prize. I'm not saying there is no one on Earth who would think to combine an anchor with a pie, but I recall when I was younger spending a good two or three days stuck on that particular puzzle because, pitiful human mind-thinker that I was, I never would have thought to combine the two until my good friend who'd already completed the game clued me in on it. This brevity -- a $10 game that you are able to 100% in roughly seven hours -- may feel scant, but VirtuaVerse prides itself on density over length. If we are honest, video games often pad out their length with meaningless collect-a-thons, aimless open-world map-filling and side quests that offer little save more ways to fiddle with the controls. VirtuaVerse, meanwhile, is as tight as the bulging muscles beneath a bodybuilder's taut glistening skin, functioning more like a long interactive film due to the satisfying combination of its density and legible puzzle logic. This sense of density also helps highlight the strengths of the writing and worldbuilding. The world of VirtuaVerse will be immediately recognizable to anyone who's even so much as browsed the "cyberpunk" entry on Wikipedia, but while it may be tempting to knock off points for unoriginality, the game clearly communicates that it's more interested in a concentrated aesthetic experience than in being groundbreaking. It is fair, of course, to want new and exciting ideas, be it from games or music or film or any other artistic medium, but there is a value as well to well-crafted honing of existing ideas, especially if they are clearly communicated as aesthetic/genre experiences and not pretentiously preening as groundbreaking fare when they aren't....
[gallery galleryid="846:70196" galleryindex="0" carbonlayout="grid" gallerytitle="VirtuaVerse Screens" ids="14803,14802,14801,14800,14798,14797" showthumbs="no" ]...
In this capacity, VirtuaVerse's bonkers plot, which over the course of the game tilts further and further toward hallucinatory cyber-shamanic Cronenbergian flair, certainly satisfies. The game is even wise enough not to linger too long on the sometimes boomerish or mildly problematic portrayals of things like sex work, indigenous people, shamanism, phone/internet addiction, or the like, making damn well sure to present the protagonist as too fucked up, destructive, and self-centered to be much more than just another perspective among many. And it's worth noting that the main character is a real piece of shit. There are multiple moments where your actions lead to the deaths of minor characters or the destruction of their livelihoods, all of which main character Nathan shrugs off with only a minor twinge of regret. The means justify the ends to him and, as ugly as the world is, it's only ugliness that gets you through to the other side. The game, meanwhile, has a slight narrative remove from these actions, using short cinematics to make you confront how truly fucked up and self-centered Nathan is being and how little he seems to regret any of it. The slight removal of agency caused by the genreform of point-and-click adventure games also helps cut the tendency for this type of writing in games to become tedious and moralizing like Undertale at its worst or, moreso, something as boorish and thin as The Last of Us, a game which simultaneously forces you to be violent while chiding you for it. VirtuaVerse by dint of its form is not a game of you playing as Nathan but more you suggesting things to Nathan, such that when he acts selfishly against your own morals as a player, it feels more like reading the bad actions of a character in a novel or in a film. It doesn't feel like the game is chastising you as much as remarking on this type of self-centered, self-elected "hero" figure who (minor spoilers ahead, sorry) winds up maybe just making everything worse rather than making anything better. The lensing is deliberately somewhat ambiguous; it's a nasty, fucked up world Nathan lives in, with pushers and killers and abusive corporations and fascist cops and more. But it also doesn't cut him any slack for the things he does in response to that world. For instance, he continuously baselessly accuses his girlfriend of cheating on him, something she vehemently refuses and at times chews him out over. You can see where his thoughts come from, but not from a place of sympathy; he is endlessly insecure in a way that seems to drive his narcissistic destructive behavior and so, when you finally get to play as his girlfriend in a brief segment set (sit down for this one) in an underwater nuclear missile base largely battling a giant octopus, you begin to really sour on how shitty he is to her. When Nathan's actions lead to the permanent psychosis of a homeless man, it feels awful; when he destroys the pride-and-joy drone of someone he only acquired by getting them black-out drunk, you feel like a monster. You destroy a band's life in order to functionally steal their bus all after you arrange to have a man pledging to join a gang killed by gunfire all so you can rifle through his pockets for a badge. That things end poorly for Nathan in the end feels sour, almost too dark to be bittersweet. But it also chiefly feels deliberate. Cyberpunk within VirtuaVerse still at least holds some semblance of punk spirit, and so the long hard look at the vile things people give themselves license and excuse for feels like one of its chief thematic criticisms. Couple that with the hysterically surreal and bleak ending and it's hard not to walk away satisfied. It is during the final credit crawl that VirtuaVerse reveals one last trick. It is not, it turns out, a game made by Theta Division and scored by Master Boot Record. Or, rather, it is, but this presents things in the wrong relation....
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Up until that point, I was under the impression that this was to be an interesting formal experiment for Invisible Oranges, another step in our continued light experimentation to see just what a metal website can satisfactorily cover, what tendrils of heavy metal culture and influence (in either direction) we could grapple with satisfactorily. I discovered that Vittorio D'Amore, also known as Master Boot Record, had not only developed the original concept and penned the story, he had also aided in the game design and dialogue writing of VirtuaVerse. He had done this, it turns out, because he is one of three members of Theta Division. In retrospect, this shouldn't have been shocking; frankly, I had wanted a fresh and unhindered look at the game and its soundtrack and so, after taking the assignment, I deliberately dove in blind. My notes, then, which constitute the review of the game at least, are based on that relatively blind experience, taking the game for what it was before me rather than having the better-shaped understanding of what I had just played that came from completing it and seeing that little bit in the credits roll by. The late-stage revelation to me that VirtuaVerse was not a game with a soundtrack by a chiptune/industrial metal artist but in fact a game-as-album felt like a rattling and satisfying sea-change in my perception of the project, something that nudged it from merely really good to highly recommended. It makes sense, structurally, for someone related to synthwave to eventually produce a game. Hell, heavy metal and games in general go way, way back. Doom and Doom II, the legendary first-person shooters of the early 1990s, famously had a soundtrack at least partly composed of straight-up stolen heavy metal tunes rearranged for the buzztooth synth sound of Creative Labs Sound Blaster soundcards, with songs from groups as big as Metallica and Pantera getting that retro/bitcrushed treatment. This event had three notable off-shoots: First, and most obviously relevant for VirtuaVerse, it was that precise decision that generated the fundament for synthwave as we know it. There are other influences in the pot as well, obviously, from the leather jacket stiffened cool of Judas Priest to the broader world of chiptune and video game music (especially of the 16-bit era) to the classic cybernetic kosmische horror and sci-fi soundtracks of artists like John Carpenter, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. But without the iconic heavy metal soundtrack of Doom, of which its massively influential opening level's piece "Hangar" is a barely-disguised version of Slayer's "Behind a Crooked Cross," it is highly unlike the specifically metal-inclined vein of synth music found in synthwave would ever have come to be. Second, the success of Doom as a franchise plus the increasing notability of its stolen music pushed id Software to go for the real thing for its spiritual sequel Quake, where they famously commissioned Trent Reznor to record a full original soundtrack for the game. Reznor's soundtrack, released between The Downward Spiral and The Fragile, was received with rapturous praise, living comfortably alongside the other albums of that early hot streak of his. The third offshoot of Doom's stolen metal tunes built upon both of the previous fruits of that action when, in 2016, the rebooted Doom installment was announced to not only have an original heavy metal guitar soundtrack composed for it but one that was also to be procedurally interwoven into the fabric of the game itself. One of the trickiest components of soundtrack work, and something you have to be mindful of when either critically reviewing or even just casually listening to soundtrack material, is that it is made to live within the source context. Often, compositions for games or films will have deliberately curated senses of spaciousness and emptiness that should critically not be viewed as a gap or empty space within the song. These spaces are meant to be filled with diegetic sound, be it the sound effects of a video game or the dialogue and scenery sounds of a film, offering a fullness in context that often cannot be fully created outside of that context. This is ultimately why certain punk, grind, and extreme metal bands began interpolating film samples and the like into their work, all an effort to replicate the implicit sensory overload of a well-arranged soundtrack/visual-ludo media interconnectivity. This original procedural heavy metal guitar soundtrack for both Doom 2016 and its sequel Doom Eternal offer a direct connection in the interrelation of metal and games explored in VirtuaVerse, one where it suddenly feels wildly improper to view the game and the soundtrack as separate, one derivative of the other....
https://youtu.be/9ovmmNr2-Jg...
It is tempting to compare VirtuaVerse to the other wing of relation of metal and video games, that of the game derived from the music and not the other way around. We have more examples of species in this space that you might immediately assume. Iron Maiden, for instance, have been hard at work in this arena, with entries such as the first-person shooter/greatest hits game/music collaboration Ed Hunter that celebrated the return of Bruce Dickinson to the band, the top-down Asteroids-like packaged with The Final Frontier's special edition, or the surprisingly competent gachapon smartphone RPG Legacy of the Beast. Likewise, I wrote some time earlier about Amon Amarth's platformer for smartphones, a game that attempted to justify a nearly ten dollar price tag with at least the premise that it was a fully-realized game. These attempts at synthesizing games and heavy metal music live on the other side of the fence from the world of Doom however, not satisfactorily moving the ball forward on a synthetic and syncretic hybrid of the two but instead inverting the process, music being the groundwork for a new game rather than an equal partner in its object-form. Hell, even Double Fine Productions' Brütal Legend, a thoroughly composed AAA real-time strategy title built off of the backs of dozens of heavy metal songs and figures, still ultimately felt (among other shortcomings) like a list of songs of interest to the developers rather than an equal-footed partnership of music and game. VirtuaVerse the game is, critically, the album itself. The game acts as an efflorescence of the concept of the piece, taking the dramatic thrust of works by King Diamond, Dream Theater, Nocturnus, Queensryche, and more and taking it to the ultimate apex that something like synthwave demands. Where Doom, Quake, Hexen, and the eventual Doom remakes all sought to transform material from the worlds of death, dark ambient and thrash metal into subject for their hyper-violent odes to the ecstasies of those genre spaces, VirtuaVerse instead lives within a space that tends to be retrogazing, reconstructing a hauntological future rich in the past. It becomes fitting when, textually, a great deal of VirtuaVerse the game becomes about recovering and utilizing old technology and hacking methods more likely to be found in The Anarchist's Cookbook than a modern-day dark-web Tor-accessed site. It likewise makes conceptual sense as well that Master Boot Record and Theta Division would choose point-and-click adventures to be the platform for expanding their concept record into a full playable game. Where fellow synthwave artist Carpenter Brut expanded the lore of the video for "Turbo Killer" into the feature length film Blood Machines befitting the explicitly cinematic thrust of his approach to synthwave, Master Boot Record has always premised itself on computers and computer life, especially that of older technology. VirtuaVerse is a good, solid addition to the genre it bases itself in, and the music packaged along with it not only does a damn fine job of evoking the cold, ruthless cybernetic cool of a grimy and amoral cyberpunk future, it also holds up well under the scrutiny of an isolated headphone listen. But perhaps more importantly, in a world where anyone can record a record at home and release their record to Bandcamp, VirtuaVerse as an overall project affirms the power of going that extra mile for a project. This is not meant as a slight to those lo-fi and street-level offerings of others, and often even this type of extended production would be ill-fitting for certain groups or projects of that type. But it is hard to separate the intense satisfaction I feel viewing VirtuaVerse as the ultimate summation of Master Boot Record as an entity, strong enough that D'Amore could feasibly retire the project and rest easy knowing the mission was completed. This sense of overall aesthetic completion is so incredibly rare and, frankly, many artists don't tend to even try. VirtuaVerse deserves more than for someone on a website to sit back, say it's pretty good and call it a day. This is a special project, deserving of thought and rigor and the same type of love that separated-at-birth sibling project feature-length film Blood Machines seems to be receiving. Hats off to you, Master Boot Record and Theta Division. You did a damn good job....
Listen to the VirtuaVerse soundtrack by Master Boot Record on Bandcamp; it was released May 12th via Blood Music. The game is available on Steam. [gallery galleryid="846:70196" galleryindex="1" carbonlayout="grid" gallerytitle="VirtuaVerse Screens" ids="70208,70210,70211,70212,70213,70214" showthumbs="no"]...
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Discharge
On Their First Release in Nine Years, Orfvs Performs a “Ceremony of Darkness” (EP Stream)
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From the casting of the First Spell, black metal's spiritual self has been tantamount to the full genre experience. Musical and visual atmosphere are equal, and Orfvs, in their first release in nine years, hones black metal's true center. This duo, featuring prominent members of the Finnish underground, turn the clock back to when black metal discovered itself and first sharpened its blade -- keyboards, hypnotic riffs, and nightmarish vocals can be found here, but in a minimal sense. The music found on Ceremony of Darkness compounds upon itself, a spiritual force which is to be reckoned with....
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Ceremony of Darkness releases June 26th on Spread Evil Productions....
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Maximum Music: Neptunian Maximalism’s “Éons” is Brave, Bold, and Beyond (Album Premiere + Review)
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When I first laid eyes on the cover of Neptunian Maximalism’s debut album Éons, I was immediately gripped with a feeling that something especially massive was contained within. I was right -- it's a triple-disc effort with a runtime over two hours comprising a challenging journey through landscapes of drone, free jazz, and folk music. While not “metal” by the standard definition, Neptunian Maximalism still conjure an absolutely colossal sound that evokes heaviness in every sense of the word. Éons’ structure arcs over its three discs, as each disc expresses a different aspect of Neptunian Maximalism’s diverse range. To the Earth embarks in a particularly grandiose fashion, with a pronounced ensemble of horns blaring confidently. Over its six tracks, this first part leans primarily toward the droney jazz side, with Neptunian Maximalism's compositions carrying an unhinged, almost improvisational feel throughout. Fans of music boasting a wide array of instrumentation will be right at home here, as the group immediately ground themselves in a vastly layered style that plunges listeners deep into a delirious drone-jazz orchestra. Check out an exclusive full stream of Éons below before its Friday release date....
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To the Earth establishes two essential dimensions of Neptunian Maximalism’s personality: urgently pulsating, tribal-tinged percussion plus an otherworldly ambiance oozing of mythological influence. The former manifests in a variety of drums, cymbals, gongs, and similar instruments, while the latter comes out mostly in the chant-like vocals and the track titles. It also features the most wild and avant-garde music on Éons -- at times feeling like it's spontaneously generated and at risk of completely falling apart. That said, Neptunian Maximalism always elicit a feeling that their songwriting, while chaotic, is nonetheless deftly guided by an unseen hand of order. Éons' second installment To the Moon sees the project moving their sound the closest it will come to more standard conventions. Dominated by the “Vajrabhairava” tracks, guitar enters the picture here for the first time, conjuring a noticeably heavier atmosphere laced with shades of doom and black metal influences. This is especially noticeable on the second “Vajrabhairava” track, a brief interlude in the larger whole but one that feels more like an extended guitar solo than anything. The percussive element comes to its peak on To the Moon, propelled throughout by an unstoppable procession of drumming akin to a war march. The latter tracks also see the horns from earlier returning the forefront again, reinforcing the expansiveness of Neptunian Maximalism’s orchestral atmosphere. Éons concludes with To the Sun, described by Neptunian Maximalism founder Guillaume Cazalet as “a solar drone opera.” It’s a fitting label, as this third disc is the one most embracing of drone-heavy, dark ambient songwriting. A feedback-laden wall of noise opens Éons’ final chapter on a more minimalistic note -- here, the instrumentation isn’t nearly as broad, and Neptunian Maximalism instead focus on formless compositions that gradually build to a crescendo like lava oozing from the mouth of a volcano. Embracing a more deconstructed form of songwriting, a pervasive sense of guidance throughout To the Sun rises, particularly via the saxophone. On “Heka Hou Sia,” for instance, while a thick fog of drone shrouds the bulk of the music, the sax still lights the way through Neptunian Maximalism’s dark ambient tunnels. Although Éons' three sections branch in noticeably different directions stylistically, recurring motifs across them unify the songwriting and solidify Neptunian Maximalism’s distinct identity as a group. The horns and percussion are undoubtedly the vital ingredients in this massive recipe: the former maintain the towering, experimental jazz orchestra vibe, and the latter are crucial to establishing the tribal, folk-heavy atmosphere and propelling the music forward with a pressing sense of momentum. The subdivision of Éons into separate discs ultimately comes as a smart move -- each one feels like a separate movement in some kind of surrealistic jazz opera. For an album over 2 hours in length, Éons never appears to have any “filler” moments at all. Whether generated through improvisation or not, each track feels instilled with a distinct purpose, placed carefully in its respective position to better develop a certain idea or dimension of Neptunian Maximalism’s personality. The music is inclined heavily toward repetition, making it strikingly catchy as well, and it offers up a plethora of memorable melodies listeners are likely to take with them. Neptunian Maximalism bring an opaque, demanding offering to the table that is by no means easily digestible. For those looking for a stimulating, exceptionally crafted journey with a wide range of dimensions to appreciate, Éons demands immediate attention, but delivers unlike hardly any other magnum opus of its kind.-- Sahar Alzilu
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Éons releases June 26th via I, Voidhanger Records in digital and vinyl formats....
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Upcoming Metal Releases: 6/21/20 — 6/27/20
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Here are the new (and recent) metal releases for the week of June 21st to June 27th, 2020. 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....
Surprise Releases + Things We Missed
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Stygian Crown -- Stygian Crown | Cruz del Sur Records | Doom Metal | United States (California) The band calls their style "Candlethrower," a portmanteau of Candlemass and Bolt Thrower, but I hear more aggressive traditional heavy metal mixed into the core thrust of epic doom than anything. Still, the result is an exceptionally driving approach to the genre with a good amount of muscle beneath the grandeur.-- Ted Nubel
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Panopticon -- Live Migration | Bindrune Recordings | Black Metal | United States (Minnesota) I saw Panopticon's mind-blowing performance at Migration Fest 2016; this 2018 iteration of the fest saw Panopticon nail it again. It was super awesome for project mastermind Austin Lunn to showcase his live sound like this -- his albums are so intricate and pleasurable to listen to alone, but live, Panopticon's music feels even more profound.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Upcoming Releases
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Bell Witch + Aerial Ruin -- Stygian Bough: Volume I | Profound Lore Records | Funeral Doom | United States (Washington) Joint efforts like this usually end up being special, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, a joint effort involving Bell Witch is some world-shifting stuff. The inclusion of dark folk into funeral doom's sombre and passionate proceedings feels natural and potent, offering a massive variety of texture to dress the themes in.-- Ted Nubel
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Dessiderium -- Shadow Burn | Melodic Death Metal | United States (Arizona) From Andrew Rothmund's premiere of "Cosmic Limbs":There are moments on Shadow Burn so uplifting and revitalizing, downright poppy even, they radiate the warm light of cozy afternoons spent with a loved one. Memories are all we have, but music is far more permanent, and that's the honest beauty of Shadow Burn: the essence of someone real and now gone has been concreted into the echoes of eternity. It's not just about the loss, it's about the life, and that's really the bottom line of Shadow Burn. Most heavy metal albums throw life into the void; this heavy metal, though, somehow yanks it right back out.
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Thætas -- Shrines to Absurdity | Maggot Stomp | Technical + Brutal Death Metal | United States (New York) We all have that friend (and perhaps you are that friend for many) who knows almost everything there is about the latest demos and the happenings in the death metal underground. A key resource for that metalhead archetype has been California based label Maggot Stomp who, in only a couple years, have quickly developed a distinct nose for upcoming death metal across the country. One new talent that Maggot Stomp is helping elevate above the mire is New York death metallers Thætas with their debut full length Shrines to Absurdity. The album serves as an excellent witness to the group’s ability to meld the technical and dissonant mastery of Gorguts with the brutality of local legends like Suffocation. If you’re in the mood for death metal that slams as hard as it warps spacetime, you can hardly do better than checking out Thætas.-- Joe Aprill
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Pyrrhon -- Abscess Time | Willowtip Records | Extreme Metal | United States (New York) Total. Fucking. Madness.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Lantern -- Dimensions | Dark Descent Records | Death Metal | Finland I’ve been following Finnish death metallers Lantern since their almost decade-old debut Subterranean Effulgence EP. While I may never love one of their works more than that one, it’s been undeniable observing since then how Lantern has become even more distilled and potent in their assault. Their songwriting magic of hammer pummeling riffs combined with tundra cold melodies stays the same on third release Dimensions but isn’t without some general weirdness and playfulness thrown in, whether on the weepy eyed crooning jam of “Portraits” or ever twisting epic journey of closer, their longest song ever at over 14 minutes, “Monolith Abyssal Dimensions.” Lantern provides here a fine icy slab of death metal to chill on during the upcoming brutal summer heat.-- Joe Aprill
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VoidCeremony -- Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel | 20 Buck Spin | Blackened Death Metal | United States (California) VoidCeremony's debut is a perfect example of what I call "brain-scrambling death metal." It scrambles your damn brains. This band finds music in complete and total blackened death chaos, and if that isn't impressive, I have no clue what is.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Neptunian Maximalism -- Éons | I, Voidhanger Records | Drone + Psychedelic | Belgium From Sahar Alzilu's upcoming full review of Éons:With their gigantic debut, Neptunian Maximalism bring an opaque, demanding offering to the table that is by no means easily digestible. But for those looking for a stimulating, exceptionally crafted journey that reveals something new with each playthrough, Éons is mandatory listening.
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Paysage d'Hiver -- Im Wald | Kunsthall Produktionen | Black Metal | Switzerland Im Wald comprises some of the absolute finest black metal ever summoned into human reality. I mean, you can't listen to this album and not turn to ice. The constant chills Paysage d'Hiver delivers aids in this effect -- this music is definitionally epic, not like "oh it's so epic, man" but instead quite literally "look up the definition of epic in the dictionary and there you'll find this album." It's so intense that its behemoth length becomes nothing but a sliver in the vivid scopes of life and death it conjures.-- Andrew Rothmund
(Bandcamp stream available starting Friday. In the meantime, check out Jon Rosenthal's Entry Level column where he invited Wintherr to share albums instrumental to his growth as a musician. Also, don't forget this incredible interview from a few years back.)...
Creature -- Ex Cathedra | I, Voidhanger Records | Avant-Garde Black Metal | France From Andrew Rothmund's premiere of "Neo Habilis":It comes down to catchy songwriting that doesn't rely on cheap hooks or the standard assortment of "things people generally like" -- instead, Creature finds a sound that you had no clue you'd be into. Like the rest of the album, "Neo Habilis" can be a lot to absorb at once, and maybe that's the only downside to Creature as a project. But, given enough saturation in this music, if you're keen to do so, the mastery will become crystal clear in no time.
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Serocs -- Vore EP | Everlasting Spew Records | Death Metal | (International) The pedigree here is already impressive: members of Chthe'ilist, Benighted, and Sutrah help comprise Serocs whose new Vore EP totally fucking rips. I love this kind of technical death metal that doesn't sound so tech-deathy all the time -- here, threads of old-school death metal conjoin with polished, modern touches to offer a balanced and dynamic listen that feels expansive instead of narrow. Also, riffs. Lots of riffs.-- Andrew Rothmund
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Mystras’ “The Murder of Wat Tyler” is Black Metal That Sets Castles Ablaze
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It's been a strong year so far for Ayloss, the mastermind behind Spectral Lore who partnered up with Mare Cognitum earlier this year for a magnum opus collaboration album that blew our minds.The Greek multi-instrumentalist succeeded wildly there, charting new territories with thickly atmospheric music made perfectly for cosmic exploration -- now, though, Ayloss has grounded himself in a new black metal style simultaneously more concrete yet as abstract as ever. The project is called Mystras, themed around Middle Ages history and brought to fruition in a much rawer, harsher capacity. The debut release Castles Conquered and Reclaimed tells stories not of kings and royalty but instead the common folks who were more often than not trampled under despotic leadership. In that way, it finds much more "harsh reality" to echo than the more spacefaring black metal with which Ayloss has made his name; likewise, the sound on Castles Conquered and Reclaimed requires much more volume to resolve, but when it's cranked, the tunes bleed through the rawness with an especially beautiful and delicate touch. We're greeted with the signature undulations that make Spectral Lore such a tantalizing listen -- these songs feel effortlessly strung together and flow with particularly amazing aplomb -- but now, with Mystras, it's caked into a gritty concrete that, at times, can be a lot to digest. Check out an exclusive stream of the album's third song "The Murder of Wat Tyler" (and check up on some Wat Tyler history) below in lyric video form to get a taste. For me personally, the more raw black metal is, the less chances there are that I'll find myself attached -- Mystras, though, is an exception, and I've found myself hooked on these nine chapters in what feels like a tome of rebellion and suffering. Enjoy....
https://youtu.be/7HtpbRA9nq8...
Castles Conquered and Reclaimed releases July 17th via I, Voidhanger Records in digital and vinyl formats....
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