We end this week with something really huge. That is, huge emotionally and musically. A record that feels like it’s bringing the power of the world and dropping it at your feet. An album that might have its hefty share of darkness but can’t help but feel like you’re experiencing grandeur on a planetary level. It’s OK to have fun with a really heavy album now and again, you know.

We haven’t had a visit from Finnish metal squadron Draugnim in six years, but that silence finally has been broken on the band’s third record “Vulturine,” being released by Debemur Morti. It’s massive and jammed with riffs, the songs are beastly, and every ounce of the record bursts with energy. The band’s melding of black metal and pagan metal is dramatic and swelling, and the music they present on this album fills our chest and mind with visions and dreams. The band feeds off northern folklore of their homeland and visit topics such as decay, corruption, and death, and they find a way to make that music lively and not wallowing in total darkness.

Draugnim originally started off as a one-man project led by Morior (who handles guitars and keyboards), but it grew in ranks when vocalist Chimedra and bassist Turms joined the fold. The band got started in 1999, released a slate of demo recordings, took some breaks, and then released their first proper album with 2008’s “Northwind’s Ire.” They followed that up just two years later on “Horizons Low,” and from that point they went silent. Now’s as good a time as any for them to come back into focus. With so many bands dabbling in similar areas often focusing on ugly, guttural sounds, it’s great to hear a band such as Draugnim put some drama and majesty into what they’re doing and give listeners a kick in the face.

The first burst of power comes from “That Name Is Hate,” a track that starts with a downpour before it rips open with huge riffs and a power metal feel to the assault. The vocals are gruff and dark, while synth sheets rain down sounding like battle horns, and majestic melodies carry the song to its end. “As In Hunger, So In Demise” has cold guitars trickling before a gigantic melody fires up, and the vocals crush and rush. Amazing playing surges, with the keys smearing everything. Meanwhile, a psychedelic haze takes hold, and creaky speaking brings the track to a temporary halt before folk-like sounds rage out of the other end. The final minutes are electric and emotional, surging and shining before fading. “A Passage in Fire” blasts right away, with guitars swirling and dizzying, and the song raging and simmering in molten melodies. The track encircles you, smothering with energy, with vicious vocals adding a level of blackness. The final minutes are devoted to a long stretch of playing that trudges relentlessly.

“Grief Unsung” has winds blowing in, with the track settling into a middle tempo that still thrashes hard. A collection of sounds spill down, with gazey guitars gushing, cavernous wails caving your chest, and moody guitars letting thick clouds settle overhead. “Drums of Black Death” has a spindly start that later charges up and spouts dark sentiments. The growls sear, while the melodies oddly take on a blue-sky feel, making it feel like you’re soaring through the atmosphere toward an unpredictable adventure. The guitars keep your blood moving, while the great power makes the final moments of the song feel wonderfully over the top. Closer “Serpent Stone” actually begins quietly, taking some time to let you sample serenity before the roof is torn off. Sleek synth lines add a sense of elegance to the song, while the gurgled growls and simple chorus howling back the track’s title inject wonder and terror equally. More folkish melodies slip in, while the band ramps up their final attack, driving their emotion into the ground with force, and pouring their last gasps of chaos into the song and fading into the night.

I can’t get over what an enthralling listen “Vulturine” truly is. Its massiveness cannot be denied, and it’s a callback to an era when metal could be an overwhelming force and also pack plenty of menace. This record could be celebrated anywhere–in a dark room with headphones, in the spacious wilderness, on a sojourn in your mind–and the scene would be fitting. Draugnim’s absence may have been a long one, but that only makes their return this much more satisfying.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Draugnim-6222303077/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: http://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

Grim terror and ugliness, when delivered in true, legitimate doses, can make death metal feel that much more terrifying. There are plenty of bands that do their best to make it seem like they carry with them the true elements to make their music as terrifying as possible. Then there are those that don’t need to try, because they have that horror buried deep within them.

Canadian death metal beasts Paroxsihzem have flown seriously low under the radar for one reason or another. Their 2012 full-length debut was criminally underappreciated (if you haven’t heard it, go back and change that right now), a collection buried in disturbing filth with songs that could cave in the sides of your head. Their approach (including the use of creepy clips from movies) felt like they were trying to carry the true essence of hell with them, and every trip with that album led to psychosis and smothering intensity.

Following that record, the band released a split with Adversarial, but now they’re back with a new mini-release “Abyss of Excruciating Vexes” that is being released exclusively on vinyl and expands that band’s horrible visions. On this release, they offer up four new tracks, as well as a cover of an awkwardly named Arkhon Infaustus track, that pushes past the sound they revealed on their full-length. The music remains sooty and terrifying, but the sounds are more atmospheric in spots, and the band–vocalist Krag, guitarist/bassist Impugnor, drummer Abyss–show a tendency to reveal new sides of their morbidity. It’s a violent collection that won’t make you feel happy and renewed inside when it’s done.

This 24-minute crusher opens with “Dillanties Torture,” a song that blasts open and smothers repetitively, with infernal growls scorching and weird melodies snaking under the murk. The guitars are slurry and disorienting, while the assault dizzies you, pushing you into scorching howls and some pretty brainy playing. “Bellicose Psychosis” simmers in noise and static before bursting with a rage. The vocals echo as the riffs bring total hell and carnage. The madness spirals out of control, with the band trudging forward and grinding you in their gears. “BZ Experiment” has a calculated pace that tries to deal concussive blows and succeeds. The elements splatter like blood, with the soloing screeching and veering out of control, with the band clobbering you, and the drums dealing out massive death blows. The growls come back in and char, with a choppy, vertigo-inducing assault taking hold. “Isolation” boils in sound, with the drums erupting and bruising, and the playing feeling downright ugly. The guitars trample, the violence feels oppressive and unkind, and the soloing burns away. The record ends with their cover of “D.C.M.” complete with clips from the film “Maniac” and the band putting their own black spin on this already ill-intended track.  

Paroxsihzem remain something of an underrated force, a band that deserve more attention thrown their way. I’m not sure they’re clamoring for more press or anything, but with the smothering they put forward and true commitment to fierce death metal, they should find a larger horde waiting for them anyway. This isn’t music to get you all amped with your bros. This is music that should make you feel low, devastated, and alone.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Paroxsihzem-293704858374/

To buy the album, go here: http://hellthrasher.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.hellthrasher.com/

Bands often are expected, maybe even forced, to compete with the pressure of a great record. People always want to hear what you’re going to do next, how you’re going to top that big milestone, and whether or not that’s fair, it’s what happens. It’s the price of success, adulation, or both pushed together.

Australian death doom unit Inverloch perhaps have even more pressure riding on their shoulders, whether they choose to see it that way or not. They’re not just riding on the success of a record, they’re here to answer to being the second stage of a legendary band (in a sense). With two members of the heavily influential, way-ahead-of-their-time diSEMBOWELMENT in the ranks, people are always going to compare this band to the one that created 1993’s seminal “Transcendence Into the Peripheral,” a record that transformed and inspired a gigantic wave of musicians in its wake, even if that band didn’t survive very long after its push into the world. Inverloch initially formed with the idea of playing songs from the heralded album (under the name d.USK), but as time has passed, they’re gotten into making new music for a whole new generation of listeners. And the results are pretty damn great and wholly catastrophic.

Inverloch came to life in 2011, led by former diSEMBOWELMENT members Matthew Skarajew (guitars) and Paul Mazziotta (drums). They recruited to the ranks vocalist Ben James and guitarist Mark Cullen, and a couple years ago, bassist Chris Jordon joined the fold. The band issued an EP in 2012 called “Dusk l Subside,” and now they’re back with their massive debut record “Distance l Collapsed” that force-feeds the grime and punishment. Really, this is an amazing pick-up spot from the original band, and this record is so packed with sooty goodness that it’s hard to refrain from being giddy with excitement over where the project goes from here.

“Distance Collapsed (In Rubble)” begins the record with waves of sound rolling in, and then the track opens up slowly, with gurgling growls, a death-doom mass, and the pace slithering and mauling along the way. The music gets chunkier for a stretch, and then everything explodes again, with vicious playing, a heavy sense of murk, and sorrowful passages that carry the song out. “From the Eventide Pool” has deep eeriness at first, and then a slowly crawling pace that feels like a black dose of funeral doom. The elements bubble, while guitars drip, and the cavernous growls feel like they can down buildings. The track keeps stretching its wretched wings until it ends in a pool of gloom. “Lucid Delirium” crushes right away, with a sludgy disposition that suddenly gets speedy and aggressive. The growls sound infernal, while the song viciously pounds away, chugging in place for an extended, hellish period, and the drone scorches.

“The Empyrean Torment” is the longest cut at 11:49, and it drowns in noise, while the guitars and growls light the fires. The pace is just smothering and suffocating, giving you no place to run or hide, and the weight of it all bears down and forces gravity against you. Guitars trickle in and add some streams of color to the chaos, while the growls are impossibly gargantuan, the rhythm section heaves boulders of power, and the back end finally gives way, with a fog rising and sounds spreading. Closer “Cataclysm of Lacuna” has a slow menace at its start, blistering and bringing on the slowly meted-out fury. Drums kick up and add to the bruising, while mournful guitars flow darkly, and the body of the song bleeds into tributaries, finishing off its run, and this massive record, with a blaze of noise.

If one wants to put Inverloch on the exam table and compare it fiber by fiber to diSEMBOWELMENT, go right ahead and waste your time. You can hear from these massive five cuts how true to the original mission this band is, and the great thing is we now have a future we lost when diSEMBOWELMENT dissolved. Inverloch are furious, nasty, and every bit a guttural pleasure to endure both on record and live, where they will dice your flesh.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/InverlochOfficial/

To buy the album, go here: https://store.relapse.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://relapse.com/

Apparently it’s split week around here. That’s just fine with us, because a really good collection of songs from one or more artists can serve several purposes. It can be an introductory, it can serve as a tide-over before a new full-length arrives, and it could be for artists who always wanted to do something together to have that chance.

The meeting of German artists Waldgeflüster (led by founder Winterherz) and the U.S.’s Panopticon (Austin Lunn) is a collection that’s pretty much a dream come true for anyone into rich, hazy, atmospheric black metal. Both of these bands have given richly to the metal world with their creations, and their chance to share a split release only makes too much sense. The fact that these two entities share a kinship only adds fuel to the creative fires, where each side comes to the table with a new creation as well as a cover of each other’s work. It’s a really interesting way to go about this, and all four of these songs blend together so perfectly.

Winterherz of Waldgeflüster

As for Waldgeflüster, Winterherz has been at the helm since the beginning a little over a decade ago, though he now has a full band–guitarists Dominik Frank and Markus Frey, bassist Arvagr, drummer Thomas Birkmaier–alongside him to realize the group’s work. The last time we heard from Waldgeflüster, it was on the amazing 2014 album “Meine Fesseln,” a record that, to this day, still manages to fire up my hearts and make me follow this group as deep into the forest as I can go. I’m not sure that this band is talked about enough, at least here in the States, so perhaps this collection can open more ears to this wonderful, captivating band.

Waldgeflüster’s section begins with “Der Traumschänder,” a 12:20-long track that begins with gazey tones before gushing open fully. The vocals are passionate and grip at you, with the song going on fits of rage for times, pulling back and injecting calm at others. Strings later sweep in as the song takes on a folk edge, but that rustic bend eventually is blown apart as the heaviness returns. The singing feels chant-like, while guitars lap up and burn, infectious melodies arrive, and the song’s refrain returns, spinning over and over again, even as the music slowly subsides and fades away. Then it’s on to the cover of “Norwegian Nights” from Panopticon’s “Roads to the North.” This version is faithful to the original, with some added elements drizzled in, vocal harmonies that enrapture, and a great take on one of the most emotionally gripping songs of Panopticon’s 2014 record.

Panopticon

Panopticon is not a stranger to this site, as we’ve been ardent supporters for as long as I can recall. Lunn has done amazing things under this banner, visiting tough social subjects, mining his home spots in the United States for inspiration, and even taking us on a stunning journey physically and spiritually as he found his life’s work. Well, his other life’s work. We last heard from Panopticon on last year’s amazing “Autumn Eternal,” and seeing that Lunn doesn’t take much down time from this project, it’s not a surprise to have new music from him.

Lunn’s contributions start with “Håkan’s song,” a 12:35-lon cut that immediately rages like a storm, blowing debris against the windows and rattling the doors. Energy bristles, while the metallic guitar work rains down and rips everything apart, and the vocals roars and pounds at your chest. The pace is thunderous and exciting, smothering and rollicking before the clouds roll away, and serenity rises. There’s a gentle, atmospheric stretch that infuses the scene with air, and then the track kicks back up again, pouring on the fire and blistering everything in front of it. The emotion remains thick, while the track keeps rushing all the way to the final moments. Then it’s on to his version of Waldgeflüster’s woodsy “Trauerweide II” (called “Trauerweide Teil II” on “Meine Fesseln”), a stripped-back, nakedly folk take on the song, starting with the opening of a beer bottle and Lunn sitting down with the banjo. Lunn opts for English as opposed to the original’s German, and this bluegrass-smoked version is big on melodies, heart, and respect for his friends.  

For those who are fans of these bands, this is kind of a dream-come-true collection that delivers every ounce of power and majesty you’d expect. Their takes on each other’s work not only shows a respect and adulation for the songs they chose, but they even get a new dose of the personality. This split gives and gives with each visit, and it’s well worth your time, on your porch, with a beer drawn, as you ponder your own path through life.

For more on Waldgeflüster, go here: http://www.waldgefluester.com/

For more on Panopticon, go here: https://www.facebook.com/TheTruePanopticon

To buy the album go here: http://eihwazrecordings.com/distro/index.php

Or here: http://store.nordvis.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://bindrunerecordings.com/

And here: http://www.nordvis.com/

Heaviness is a given with this site, right? We all know why we’re here (or at least I do), and that’s to talk about music that’s generally way too heavy for the general public and even those people who think, like, Hot Topic metal is brutal. We have two bands today that are taking that thing a little overboard.

Primitive Man and Northless already are one of the more gargantuan bands in underground metal, but their union on their brand-new, four-track split release is ridiculous. For one, Primitive Man check in with just one 15-minute cut, and it feels like mountains are crashing down slowly, torturously, ready to bury you helplessly under the rumble. Northless provide three cuts, and while the songs are shorter than their split mate’s, they are urgent, violent, and smash you in a hurry. This is an awesome combination, and this release is one of the grimmest, most earthquaking that you’ve like heard over the first three calendar months.

Primitive Man gurgled out of Denver four years ago and delivered their scathing debut full-length “Scorn” a year later on Relapse. Since then the band–vocalist/guitarist Ethan Lee McCarthy, bassist Jonathan Campos, drummer Isidro Spy–has been quiet with full records but have given us plenty of split efforts with bands such as Hessian, Hexis, Fister, and now this piece with Northless. Their ugly brand of sludge and doom is oppressive, unforgiving, and terrifyingly, and they offer up more than a serving full with their lone, but monstrous, contribution to this release.

“Empty Husk” is a 15:01 mauler, with the noise bleeding in and flooding the area, and the track taking its time to devastate you. The vocals roar ruthlessly, with the music smothering and burning, the track beating you into oblivion, and everything continuing to scathe and drag you face-first through the mud. The band strikes mercilessly as the song reaches into its second half, with a psychedelic smear reaching into the cut, and the savagery feeling mucky and suffocating. The end simmers in pure carnage, with wild howls giving way, and the final blows administered and spilling blood.

Northless hail from Milwaukee, and their two full-length efforts are favorites around my home. Like Primitive Man, they haven’t given us a full-length since 2013 with the awesome “World Keeps Sinking,” the follow-up to 2011’s eye-opening “Clandestine.” They ply a similar trade as their split mates, just with more of a ferocious hardcore edge to it, and this unit–guitarist/vocalist Erik Stenglein, guitarist Nick Elert, bassist Jerry Hauppa, and drummer John Gleisner–actually has been pretty quiet since their last record, with this split and their upcoming “Cold Migration” 12″ their first new sounds we’ve heard in a long time.

“Deleted Heartstrings” starts Northless’ portion, with a damaged, weird tempo, and a blisteringly heavy assault unleashed. The guitars sprawl all over, dizzying and trudging, with fiery roars blasting you. The back end finds a way to get even grislier, with the band thrashing mightily and the song finally fading. “The 10,000 Year Wound” is thick and crushing, with throaty howls and some really interesting guitar work settling in. There’s even a hint of atmosphere that precedes a destructive finish that bleeds into “Wasted Breath.” There, sounds hover, with slow, doom-infested guitars bubbling up, and sorrowful melodies unfurling and slipping into total hell. A weird, jagged section lands, with some killer riffs churning, burly damage wreaking havoc, and the song coming to a world-smashing finish.

This is a really fitting, ferocious pairing, and there isn’t one second for you to gather your senses during this dual bludgeoning. A new full-length record is very much desired from both bands, if I may be so greedy, but this is a nice tide-over release until that time arrives. After all, we’re probably going to need some time to recover from the bruising this split delivers, so they have some time.

For more in Primitive Man, go here: http://primitivemandoom.com/

For more on Northless, go here: https://www.facebook.com/NORTHLESS-111496092214579

To buy the album, go here: http://www.halooffliesrecords.com/releases/

For more on the label, go here: http://halooffliesrecords.com/

If there’s a pain point to doing this site, it’s that the albums tend to seriously pile up during heavy release periods. Holy shit, do I have a ton of things that I want to write about but just can’t find the place to devote an entire day to each. I know. There are real problems out there.

Anyway, I have four records today–two by legendary bands–that I really want to devote time, so I’ll do so in tidy, smaller form. Any of these four records are worthy of your time, and depending on the style of metal you like, there’s bound to be something here that will resonate with you. So let’s get going here so I can shut up already with this set-up.

First off, the new thing in metal, apparently, is waking up one day and finding out an awesome band has released a secret album. Krallice has gotten us twice with that scheme, the latest being their massive new EP “Hyperion,” and former labelmates Dawnbringer now have gotten in on the action. The Chris Black-led project dropped their excellent “XX” EP last week on their Bandcamp page, and is this collection ever awesome. Five tracks packed with their trademark classic metal style dash this thing, and I have listened to this pretty much on a loop ever since the thing was available for purchase. It’s as good as anything in the band’s canon, and these tracks are anthemic pounders that will make your blood surge.

The record has an unexpected start with “Why Would You Leave Me?” a track that starts off like a power ballad before the power kicks in and dusts us into the awesome “Into the Maze.” This track tears open, sounding like classic Dawnbringer, with the riffs ruling, the bass pumping, and Black’s authoritative vocals powering the track ahead. “North by North” is the longest track at 7:06, a song that starts with a folkish feel before it thrashes in a calculated assault. The song’s chorus has constantly changing words, but its melody is constant and etches itself into your brain. The track rivets and punishes right up to its group-led “ah-ah-ah” chants that end the thing. “Earth” boils, has great leads, and really gets things going, but then it ends kind of abruptly. It feels a little premature, but it’s fun while it lasts. “The End of the Beginning” is the glorious instrumental closer, a song that sounds born to be entrance music for a top draw in New Japan Pro Wrestling and bristles with power right up to the final moment. The EP is a ridiculous amount of fun.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/deathofhunger

To buy the album, go here: https://dawnbringer.bandcamp.com/album/xx-2

Anthrax have had a really interesting run. Ever since their “Fistful of Metal” debut in 1984, they’ve been one of the forerunners of thrash metal and pretty much have become a household name. One of the bigger stories surrounding the band is their turnstile at vocalist, with Joey Belladonna and John Bush their main voices. As someone who grew up with the early incarnation of Anthrax, I’ve always had a soft spot for Belladonna, and he is in command on his second record back since his return “For All Kings.” Look, it’s not a perfect record. There’s a three-song stretch in the middle that’s kind of bad. But other than that, it’s a strong late-era record from a band that still has it.

Following the moody intro cut “Impaled” that practically begs for opening credits to roll, we get into “You Gotta Believe,” a blistering dose of thrash goodness that is a fun listen with a strong chorus that should go over well live. “Monster at the End” is melodic and chunky, with Belladonna sounding in really good voice. The chorus pulls, and may be the best one on the record, and this leads into the title cut that also is pretty strong work. I noted a weak mid-section of the record, and that comes on the stretch starting with “Breathing Lightning,” its follow-up “Breathing Out,” and “Suzerain” that just feel flat. Things pick up on “Evil Twin” that also should be a live staple and has the most obvious link to their classic era; “Defend Avenge” is a nice dust-up; and the closer “This Battle Chose Us” is actually damn heavy and catchy. Look, it’s not a classic album or anything, but for Anthrax in 2016, more than three decades in, this is a strong effort. And it’s going to beat the hell out whatever Metallica gurgles out next.   

For more on the band, go here: http://anthrax.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://anthrax.com/pre-order-for-all-kings-now/

For more on the label, go here: http://megaforcerecords.com/

Speaking of the Big Four, Megadeth have pretty much rambled on with very little inactivity since their “Killing Is My Business … And Business Is Good” debut in 1985. They’ve pretty much been a revolving door of cast members, though, with Dave Mustaine the only constant, and things seemed really bad when they released their awful last record “Super Collider.” But “Dystopia,” their 15th album, finds another new Megadeth lineup, but one of their strongest in years. Mustaine and long-time bassist Dave Ellefson are joined by guitarist Kiko Loureiro (Angra) and drummer Chris Adler (Lamb of God) to produce one of the finest Megadeth records in several tries.

The album has a nice four-song run at the front, starting with “The Threat Is Real” (including Middle Eastern-style female vocals mystifying) and the band totally launching into things. Mustaine’s vocals sound grim and pointed as ever, the chorus bashes, and the guitar work floods over top, sounding ever so fluid. “Dystopia” sounds like classic Megadeth, with excellent playing and a chorus that is razor-sharp and well-delivered; “Fatal Illusion” is striking and heavy, thrashy and fiery, and a really stellar song; while “Death From Within” fades in, striking hard from the start and showing us even more flash via the new partnership of Mustaine and Loureiro. As the record goes on, it has its ups and downs (clunky “Bullet to the Brain” could have been lopped off, while “Post-American World” sounds like they’re ripping off their own “Symphony of Destruction”; yet instrumental “Conquer or Die!” is strong, “Lying in State” demolishes, and their cover of Fear’s “Foreign Policy” is charged up). Venomous and political as ever (I purposely left out Big Dave’s politics; I want to concentrate on the music in such a short space), Megadeth sound revitalized. If this lineup can stay together, this could be the start of a nice run for the band.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.megadeth.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://megadeth.shop.livenation.com/store/?currency=USD&src=MDTWEB

For more on the label, go here: http://www.universalmusic.com/

We don’t do a ton of noise rock around here, and I’m not really sure why that is. But we’re breaking that a little today by discussing “Dane On,” the debut full-length record from Baltimore’s Baklavaa. The latest entry from the always reliable Grimoire Records, this band piles on the gritty goodness that might remind some of the Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, or even the North Atlantic, and this is a punchy, dizzying, warped record that can disorient but always delivers the face-bruising goods.

Over 12 songs, this band–Ted, Flynn, Dominique, John–makes a dizzying, channeled assault that gets noisy and blaring on killer opener “Candy Cane” that has some cool vocal melodies, yowls pushing in later, and an intensity that builds along with the song. “Ointment,” the featured song from the record so far, is trippy and abrasive, with talky singing, some slurry parts, and a finish that just crunches. “Tampered With” has a slow-driving menace to it, with shouts of, “I hate myself!” settling in amid the smudgy playing and deranged bursts. The dual “Gold Candier” tracks are cutting, with the first a snarling helping of post-hardcore haze, only to give way to the more aggressive, sinewy second half. The highlight for me comes later on with “R. Plastic,” a maniacal song that has an old hardcore feel and bloody tongue-in-cheek wails of, “Spend money on me because I’m worth it.” That line certainly can be applied as the tagline for this entire record.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Baklavaa-231197142621

To buy the album, go here: https://grimoirerecords.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/GrimoireRecords/