It’s common for music fans to get upset when a band or artist goes in a different artistic direction, like the listener at home has some sort of say in what moves the creator of the art. But it happens, and it’s not isolated to metal, but that’s what we’re here to talk about. That often leads to discontent, bad feelings, and records like “Load” and “Reload.”

Two primary members of Blut Aus Nord decided to follow their muse but in a direction away from their primary band. Well, mostly. Yerûšelem is the brainchild of Vindsval and W.D. Feld, and instead of going through the vortex of their brain-chilling black metal, they instead veer toward industrial sounds, strange ambiance, and even a cleaner vocal direction. That doesn’t exactly sound foreign if you’ve followed Blut Aus Nord’s run. Their “777” trilogy bathed in a lot of similar sounds as to what you hear on this project’s debut offering “The Sublime,” a nine-track effort that makes it easy to get lost in their blackened shadows and strange dreams. There’s a lot in which to immerse yourself, be it musically or metaphysically, and each section of the album is a mental adventure and a creation lurking in the fog that feels kind of familiar but is a totally different beast.

The title track gets us started with strange hisses and hypnotic melodies, with the alien words sung instead of screamed, with everything melting into your psyche. The track conjures strange mental visions before ending in echoes and sizzling. “Autoimmunity” acts as a cloud breaking and delivers a soaking storm, with guitars cutting into the picture and the singing ghoulishly floating. Thick bass barrels in and leaves heavy bootsteps behind, while a weird cloud hovers, with the track dissolving into noise. “Eternal” has beats colliding, guitars churning, and the singing feeling like it gives off a New Wave vapor. The music trickles and bubbles, while the purposely repetitive pace lures you into the maze, the music spirals, and everything ends suddenly. “Sound Over Matter” is a brief instrumental that originates in the cosmos, feeling like an alien phantom briefly showing its face.

“Joyless” opens with synth strikes before sludgy thrashing arrives, and the guitars seek to slice off limbs. The vocals bubble in your brain as the heaviness brings unease, and the track ends in a nightmarish void. “Triiiunity” is beat driven before a Godflesh-style assault is unleashed, as the band mashes away. The track feels like it overturns flooded oil tanks, letting the thick goo cover the earth, while the back end sends a panic that agitates your fight vs. flight tendencies. “Babel” has bass and beats pushing, the vocals rolling in mystery, and the guitars giving off steam. The pace clobbers later, pounding through your muscles and leaving deep bruising. “Reverso” brings guitars awakening with the riffs turning their blades inward. The vocals sound like they were spawned in a Petri dish and left to turn into a strange beast, while the playing adds a dangerous chill to the air, the guitars carry the melody, and the finish leaves the senses battered. Closer “Textures of Silence” is a quick instrumental finish based in moodiness and a haunting gaze that leaves an indelible mark.

While it might not totally scratch the itch you have for more Blut Aus Nord music, Yerûšelem come damn close to achieving that means on “The Sublime.” OK, so it’s not their bizarre and hypnotic black metal, but it definitely contains very similar strands of DNA and shows you a different side to what these artists have to offer. This is an icy, frosty new vision from two creators who already had given us some of the more thought-provoking material in extreme music even before this great new venture.

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

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

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

We’re all headed toward some sort of destination from the start of our lives until the end. A lot of us make big plans for ourselves, lofty hopes for our futures, and many of us work tirelessly to get to those goals. However, no matter how much we put in, it doesn’t always work the way we hope, and sometimes we have to face the fact that we won’t succeed no matter how hard we try.

For their fifth record “Ethic of Radical Finitude,” Downfall of Gaia examine those journeys and our hope that one day we can find a safe place we can call our own, which isn’t something everyone is able to accomplish. While not a concept record, this album from the ambitious German sludge/crust/atmospheric metal band does have that theme running through it, even if the whole thing isn’t a complete story. The band—vocalist/guitarist Dominik Goncalves dos Reis, bassist/vocalist Anton Lisovoj, guitarist/vocalist Marco Mazzola, drummer Michael Kadnar—also continues to push their sound while still reaching back to their roots that they planted more than a decade ago. This record sounds massive and huge as well, as the band is joined by guests who help color in the corners and even bring dreamy ambiance, helping make this the band’s most fully realized record.

“Seduced By…” is a quick instrumental opener that lets sounds rise, synth swirl in the cosmos, and then everything blasts into “The Grotesque Illusion of Being” that starts in gazey black metal murk. The track is both elegant and spacious as savage cries crush, a sense of desperation is in the air, and later the heat cools off while steam rises. The track reopens again later, storming and bringing chaos before everything comes to an end. “We Pursue the Serpent of Time” has drums cascading before the song tears open, with raspy growls scraping. Nikita Kamprad from Der Weg Einer Freiheit adds vocals to the track, adding depth to what’s a push and pull of sounds and emotions as the track develops. The music bleeds and gushes, with the emotions running over, a foggy passion landing, and keys dripping as the song ends in a mysterious fog.

“Guided Through a Starless Night” gets off to a clean start before the limbs are torn apart and the riffs begin to muscle up. Raspy growls arrive with the smothering riffs, as sound waves spread, and the track quakes the earth to its core. Just then, a dreamier section rises and takes over, while Mers Sumida of Black Table reads a lengthy a lengthy poetic section over the end, talking of “graves full of bones that do not make a sound,” and fully ruminating in death before the song bleeds away. “As Our Bones Break to the Dance” is thunderous immediately with a furnace blast and scathing screams driving through bones. The leads rips through like a blade, chugging and thrashing heavily, conjuring black metal spirits, and coming to a fiery end. Closer “Of Withering Violet Leaves” feels moody and shadowy as it begins before punches are thrown and melodies bathe in acid. Roared vocals lead the way, though bellowing clean singing follows that, giving off a mountainous vibe before the track corrodes for good.

After many years and five records together, Downfall of Gaia remain one of the more ambitious bands in metal, with “Ethic of Radical Finitude” standing as their strongest evidence yet. Like many of us, the band has been on their musical journey to find where they truly belong in the hierarchy, and with each passing album, they get closer to that goal. They haven’t met their ultimate destination yet, but with each new collection from the band, they climb ever closer.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.indiemerch.com/metalbladerecords

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

There’s always going to be a mushy, somewhat gross spot in my heart for thrash metal, because that’s the form of music that pretty much shaped my formative years. Bus rides to school usually were sound-tracked by bands such as Testament, Metallica, Overkill, Kreator, and Death Angel, artists that remain major parts of my record collection to this day.

That’s made the last decade or so a little tricky, because there has been so much new thrash metal out there and so many new bands playing it, and unfortunately, not a ton of that has resonated with me. So much of it just doesn’t feel right. That’s why I’m overjoyed when a band such as Chilean monsters Critical Defiance comes around and shows everyone how this stuff is done. Their debut record “Misconception” is being released by Unspeakable Axe, and if you Calso carry a torch for the glory days of thrash, this will hit you right in the feels. Driving riffs, gang-shouted choruses, vocals that mangle but are easily understood are major components of this album as the band—guitarist/vocalist Felipe Alvarado, guitarist Felipe Espinoza, bassist Ignacio Arevalo, and drummer Nicolas Pastene—ramps up the intensity and never lets it relent until nearly 40 minutes later when it ends.

“Desert Ways” gets things going by throwing punches, delivering on their thrashy promise as guitars go crazy, and the pace is nuts. The vocals come in gruff shouts, while the aforementioned gang shouts get the blood flowing, with the track coming to a blistering end. “Spiral of Hatred” has guitars spinning out as the track bursts from the gates. Alvarado’s vocals sound a lot like Tom Araya’s, as the pace punishes and chews, and strong dual guitar lines get fired up and dangerous. The track goes cold for a stretch before reigniting and hammering toward the gates. “Punished Existence” has rapid drumming, guitars flying off the handle, and the vocals pounding at your chest. The tempo chugs and blasts away, with Alvarado wailing the song’s title before the crushing ends. “507” is an instrumental that opens with cold guitars trickling before the pace kicks in and delivers punishment. The leads burn and slash, raging through the night before ending in a bath of synth.

“What About You” has drums encircling, as the pace crushes bones, the vocals shred, and they pulverize everything in front of them. The back end of the song is thrashy as hell, upping the ante over the song’s first half, which is pretty smothering. “Onset” delivers blows, with the leads guitars fluttering and everything feeling glorious as hell. Raspy howls and gang shouts send shrapnel, with the guitars driving and surging energy, as the song bubbles and bursts. The track then blasts to a crescendo, with everything coming to a head and exploding into oblivion. “Pursuit of Chaos” is bulldozing as maniacal vocals smear your psyche, and the guitar work takes command. The band hits a heavy groove, feeling like they’re revisiting old NYC-style madness, with everything coming to a massive end. The title track closes with a burst of speed, as the guitars race and explore, and the vocals are barked. The band digs deep for one final blast before freezing winds blow, and a classical-style run drives us to the finish line.

Critical Defiance put a smile on my ridiculously picky face, as “Misconception” reminds me of walking to the bus through mist, rain, and snow while I had headphones plastered to my ears with the volume impossibly high. This is Grade A thrash, the real fucking deal, and if you’re protective of the style like I am, you’ll feel pretty great when this is over. Thrash metal still lives as long as bands such as Critical Defiance are the ones carry its banner.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/purchase/

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

Not all pieces of artwork get their just due in their time, which is a shame that something isn’t appreciated during its actual run. That can happen for any number of reasons, be it a matter of something not getting enough exposure, the means for distribution not being there, or the work just didn’t register at a particular time.

For Belgian doom duo Slow, one of the most fittingly named bands in metal, they don’t have to wait beyond their time for one of their records to get the attention that it deserves. While “IV: Mythologiae” was released into the world in 2015, it wasn’t produced in large numbers, meaning not a whole lot of listeners got their hands on it (at least physically), and since then, the data files for the music had been lost. That was a huge shame for a collection that stirring and strong, their fourth full-length album at the time, but that all has been remedied. The band—guitarist/drummer/vocalist Déhà, bassist/lyricist/concept artist Lore B.—decided to go back and revisit the music, re-record it, and now will put that music back out into the world to greet those who missed it the first time, or who just want to have a physical copy. The band also included a previously unheard song onto the initial five-track effort, a nice bonus on top of finally having a strong version of the album to grasp again.

“The Standing Giant” starts the record floating through clouds, with calming passages sending chills and whispers encircling. The track slowly rips open, delivering a crushing emotional toll, with the pain welling up in your chest. The song is majestic and sad before it dissolves into a bath of sounds and withers away. “The Drowning Angel” has a long, wandering intro, coasting through the cosmos and stratospheric pressure before guitars chime in deep into the song, and growls roll like thunder. The track gets harsh and wrenching, twisting at your guts, while the back end reveals a death-like elegance and a massive, flooding finish. “The Suffering Rebel” begins delicately, as guitars trickle like water from an ice collection before the glacial power is unleashed. The track lurches along like a hulk before cold waves wash over, and we’re back to a slower, gushing tempo. Fluttering synth picks up and creates steam before the track melts into the fog.

“The Dying God” is spacious and eerie as wordless calls are emitted, and even some clean singing works its way into the mix. The track then begins to change slowly, leading into skull-crushing growls, the music raining down, and the playing bleeding toward horrors. The vocals begin to leave scars, as sad melodies and utter darkness envelop, calls ring out in the night, and a strange, angelic shadow swallows the thing whole. “Sorrow’s Shadow” (formerly called “The Promethean Grief”) is the final track from the original version of the album, and it begins pounding, as growls hulk over the surface. The mammoth tempo carves into rock before chills arrive, and echoes scramble your brain. Slow mashing and blistering howls lean into bloody melodies, as the riffs spit anguish, the playing tears muscles, and everything comes to a devastating finish. “The Break of Dawn” closes the new version, and it’s a previously unreleased track that feels right at home here. Synth clouds gather overhead as the track eases into its hold before the song breaks open, and the growls crush heavily. Guitars cut through the fog, as sorrowful melodies soak the ground, yet some rays of sunlight break through to warm the earth. Keys take over and spread, while clean calling haunts before the anguish bleeds over. The track floods and gushes blood with everything crashing out in echoes.

Better late than never for this band, Slow giving us a redone, remastered version of “IV: Mythologiae” is a gift for all fans of their calculated-driving, atmospheric doom. Typically, re-recorded albums are not ones we choose for Pick of the Week, but this music is so strong and moving, we couldn’t help but trumpet this collection to more people in hopes they’ll take a chance on it. Slow is a band we’ve liked a hell of a lot over the year, and having a killer new version of this album is a treasure that will return all year long.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.auralwebstore.com/shop/index.php

For more on the label, go here: http://www.code666.net/

You’re standing in a dank cave or somewhere on the plains, with the spirit of your ancestors overcoming you with inspiration and power. Your blood rushes, your rage wells inside of you, and the art you are about to create not only is there to topple the world but also pay homage to those who paved the path before you, their fires still raging in your heart.

California-based black metal warriors Blue Hummingbird on the Left (their name is the translation of the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli) encompass that organic, open-veined style of black metal, as they’ve paid homage to their Mexican heritage, along with many other members of the Black Twilight Circle, of which they’re a member. On their thunderous debut “Atl Tlachinolli,” the quartet pours fiery war-ravaged black metal, mind-altering echoed cries (vocals lines often sound like they bounce off walls, sending reverberations into each other), and primitive drive into these nine songs that not only stand apart from much of what the BTC put together but also explode past what so many other black metal artists are doing. The band—vocalist/flautist Tlacaelel, guitarist Yecpaocelotl, guitarist/drummer Yayauhqui, and bassist Coapahsolpol—also play in other bands including Axeman, Volahn, Xaxamatza, and Kallathon, and here they spread their fire and energy over these songs that easily can enrapture and stun you.

“Blood Flower” starts the record with a blast as riffs charge and carve into the earth, while the growls echo as they do throughout, with Tlacaelel wailing, “Slowly I climb towards the sun,” with his singing taking on a Lemmy-style vibe. “Sun/War Club” has tribal drumming, traditional Aztec instrumentation, and wild hoots that spark chaos before the riffs crumble, and the vocals tear into your chest. The pace is sweltering and dizzying, with the howls blasting through the wilderness, crazed calls reverberating, and the guitars crying out. “Precious Death” stomps heavily, with mind-warping vocals barreling, and a heat-inducing tempo before things cool off a bit, with melodies splashing, guitars chewing flesh, and everything swelling to an abrupt end. “Hail Huitzilopochtli” wails praise for the band’s namesake, as it’s fast, punishing, and thrashy, with the vocals twisting, rhythmic pounding leading the way, and chants of, “To him we pray! All hail! All hail!” before it smashes closed.

“Rain Campaign” has a ritualistic start, with drums encircling, shakers conjuring spirits, and wild roars unleashing spirits before riffs arrive and topple, and the drumming dusts bones. The track is heavy, crushing, and rousing, as Tlacaelel howls, “Tonight, we will learn what is hell!” as the track blazes into the abyss. “Tenochtitlan” has guitars blinding before the slow-driving pace gets the war boiling, as the vocals bounce off the cave walls. Riffs shift into a tornado, as your brain wiring is twisted, and the song comes to a crunching close. “Life Death Rebirth” also gets to work quickly, with the guitars bringing force and weird wails chilling flesh. The drums pulverize, while the guitars revel in madness, with the track coming to a gurgling, vicious end. “Storm” certainly sounds like one, with the ferocity lashing away and the guitars swimming in atmosphere. A strange feeling works its way into the mix, leaving you clutching for the walls for control and the track eventually halting before the song comes to a drilling finish. “Southern Rules Supreme – Moon” closes the album with guitars ramping up, wild cries echoing and entangling, and whistles calling out and haunting. The vocals stun the senses, as the track races toward oblivion, and the drums deliver the final blows.

Blue Hummingbird on the Left, like many members of the BTC, take great pride in their heritage and take up arms, albeit artistic ones, over those who would dare trample them, the essence of which is all over “Atl Tlachinolli.” The band’s brand of black metal prepares for war to preserve their history, and every fiber of this record is packed with their fighting spirit. This band and record also make sounds most black metal bands wouldn’t tempt, making them that much more enthralling.

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.ironbonehead.de/en/

Or here: https://shop.nwnprod.com/

Or here: https://crepusculonegro.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.ironbonehead.de/

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

And here: http://crepusculonegro.blogspot.com/

Almost every day, this page is filled with bands that bring negativity, violence, and unrest because, let’s face it, so much of the metal world provides that very content. This will be one of the handful of days where we’re going to look at something more positive, music that won’t make you want to throw yourself in an icy bank until wolves come to eat you.

Two years ago, Boston-based prog metal band (that doesn’t even come close to describing them) burst into the public with “Air,” a record that combined black metal melody, exciting playing, and some of the most energetic singing anywhere in metal. The music actually got inside of you and made you feel good. There was a positivity and exuberance to the record that, yeah, TRVE KVLT bros whined about on the internet because it wasn’t PURE BLACK FUCKING METAL, but those not tied down by such silliness found music that could make your heart race. They’re back with their second helping, a nine-track, self-titled affair, and while the music doesn’t race toward the sun with quite the same intensity as, say, “Up and Atom,” there is some merit in pulling back a bit, showing even more texture, and keeping you guessing all the same. The band—vocalist/guitarist Brett Boland, guitarist Casey Aylward, bassist Daniel Schwartz, drummer Matt St. Jean—focus on overcoming self-doubt and pouring oneself into art, a far cry from morbidity and chaos, but definitely a needed breath of fresh air in a world that can be utterly degrading.

“A New Color” starts the record by practically lighting up, building its intensity and unleashing strong singing. Much of the song feels like a long-running verse that weaves, rises, falls, and bursts again. Prog-friendly soloing arrives, with Boland calling, “The hope will lead us on,” as the track burns to an end. “I Dream in Lines” follows and is the ideal partner to the opener, as the riffs are a little darker, the song moodier, as Boland realizes, “If I follow, find the words to the story I’m telling, I’ll be fine.” Much of the song is told through a portrait, with a great chorus that brings the song to its end. “Lost” drips into a fog, as the track settles in a slower tempo, letting things darken a bit. But then atmosphere rushes, while much of the song is gazey and colorful, with the band end picking up and rumbling, cutting through rock. “Fault” has icy synth and a frosty haze before the song gets going, feeling a bit like a more recent-era Rush song. Later on, the track lands heavier blows, the soloing stings, and things end in a blistering echo.

“Breathe” swelters as it starts, with Borland urging, “Breathe in, breathe out,” as the energy bubbles over, and the infectious melody gets inside your bloodstream. “Water” is shadowy at the start, with a crunchy tempo and the synth floating like clouds. The track itself is a little non-descript, probably the least characteristic of the bunch, but perhaps it’s just a grower. “I Wish I Was There When the Sun Set” has a massive opening, like lava blazing to the surface, as the drums punch holes in the ground, and a strong chorus is constructed simply but effectively. St. Jean’s drumming remains the main engine of the song, a bit of a change-up for the band, which is a nice switch to the formula, as the band agitates the fires right to the crushing end. “Beyond the Scope” is heavily electronic at the start, but just when it seems they’ve fallen into a modern rock trap, they break out and inject power into the track. The vocal melodies are strong as hell, which is no surprise, with the final moments settling into a mid-tempo before ending suddenly. “Ideal World” closes the book with a sludgy pace and fog collecting before the drums pound again, and the band unleashes a thrashy assault you won’t see coming. This is easily the heaviest song on the album, as the band lets the final sparks fly before dissolving into the sky.

It took me a long time and years of therapy to realize it’s OK to feel good, and it’s perfectly acceptable to try to overcome one’s darkness, a lesson Astronoid smear all over their second record. It isn’t quite the instant burst that was “Air,” and I’m still feeling my way through it, but they remain true to their sound, their detractors be damned. Nothing can get in the way of Astronoid’s ascension, and it feels like they’re starting to scratch the surface of what they’re capable of doing.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.blood-music.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.blood-music.com/

Photo by Matt Pie

Staring into the face of desolation and horror is not an easy thing. It cannot simply be overcome by being mentally tough or sucking it up or whatever silly advice people spew. The only way to handle the situation is to refuse to blink and just take it on, no matter how bad it feels. I’m describing me watching Tom Brady seemingly ready to go to his 43^rd straight Super Bowl as I type this. Utter terror.

Taking on “Living Tomb,” the ugly and guttural debut record from death/doom mongers Ossuarium, feels just like confronting that pit of terror and disgust that haunts you, realizing your only means of survival is being the one still breathing in the end. Over eight tracks and more than 40 minutes, the band—guitarist/vocalist Daniel Kelley, guitarist Nate McCleary, bassist Jeff Roman, drummer Ryan Koger—unleashes terrifying, gloomy playing that revels in negatively and filth, reminding of death’s putrid roots and the bands that started that effort who also rolled around in doom’s coffins. Nothing feels good, and there isn’t even a hint of light, so all that’s left for you is to dig in for a bruising battle that’ll leave you sore and bloodied when the thing finally brings mercy at the end.

The record opens with an intro cut that sets the stage for what’s to come, almost like the coffin lid creaking open, leading into “Blaze of Bodies” that gets going with doomy trudging and pummeling playing. The growls sound like they come from deep within the gut, as the track lurches ahead, leaving a trail of plasma behind, before the pace kicks up, the music chars, and the horror ends in furious shrieks. “Vomiting Black Death” is a slow burn as it chugs along, later dissolving into clean playing and a foggy murk, and almost three minutes in, we finally hear the growls arrive to curdle blood. Old-style death guitar work smears and brings fiery glory, with the back end of the song landing heavy punches, the grisly growls slicing, and the track ending abruptly. “Corrosive Hallucinations” has guitars swelling along with the growls, with the riffs getting slurry and dizzying before destruction reigns again. The devastation is impossible to shake, as mournful melodies are woven into the mix, cascading and pelting the ground with darkness enveloping and any hint of light being choked away.

“Writhing in Emptiness” hammers heavily, as the guitars blister, and we’re headed straight into a pool of muddy death. Later on, the leads glimmer, and the soloing has a bit of a Pink Floyd-style spaciousness to it, as sorrow arrives, and you’re pounded until the bitter end. “End of Life Dreams and Visions Pt. 1” has guitars awakening and wafting strangely, as a throbbing pace gets under your skin, and monstrous fires rage and melt faces before the track ends suddenly. “Malicious Equivalence” thrashes from the start, as the death-doom sickness spreads, noise sizzles behind, and the track hangs in the heated air, reveling in the humidity. From there, the guts are opened and distributed in the dirt, the track drubs, and final yelps salt the wounds. “End of Life Dreams and Visions Pt. 2” ends the record by driving through hell, with clean lines threaded through the devastation, and the riffs later boiling over and sparking violence. Soloing emerges and splatters, with the growls upping the intensity, and the track eventually melts into the earth, leaving behind a sticky, crusty mess.

The dashing of hope and the onslaught of ugliness dominate “Living Tomb,” a record that should push Ossuarium into consciousness of anyone who hungers to dig deeper into anything that’ll make the soul darker and more diseased. This record is black from the inside out, and as long as you don’t mind feeling a tidal wave of negativity, then you’ll likely find yourself in the presence of a new favorite band. This record and band deliver a mountain of agony, and only those willing to battle that force will come out on the other side still in one piece.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/ossuarium

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

Anette Uvaas Gulbrandsen

If you see the band name The Sabbathian with no details or history of the people involved, what would you immediately think? Abject devotion and worship of the heavy metal godfathers Black Sabbath? That would be a great guess, and way to go on that, but you’d only partially be correct. There’s actually a lot more involved, as you’ll find when visiting their debut record “Latum Alterum.”

The duo that comprises this band will be no strangers to most people. Vocalist Anette Uvaas Gulbrandsen worked with notable bands such as Nàttsòl and Mandylion, while multi-instrumentalist Chad Davis has been a part of groups including Hour of 13, Mountain of Judgement, the Ritualist and plenty more, and their creative union here started in 2012, with their first offering coming two years later on the “Ritual Rites” EP. But that’s all we got from the band as far as recorded content is concerned until their first full-length “Latum Alterum,” which is being released by Svart Records. Back to that sound you may have anticipated. Sure, there are nods to Sabbath on this record for certain. But their genuflection before doom goes far beyond that as they explore all kinds of textures and atmospheres, never holding themselves back from stretching their muscles but always staying true to the doom spirit. This seven-track, nearly 45-minute record is packed with gloomy spirit and dark majesty, while the themes of the songs revolve around the passing over of one’s soul to the other side, hence the title of “Latum Alterum” that translates to “on the other side.” The record is a journey that will take you there, but it also will keep your emotions charging along the way.

“Requiem … Intro” starts the album with the music floating magically and Gulbrandsen singing of “requiem eternal,” before everything moves into “The Brightest Light” that starts with gut-punch riffs and doom power. “I had to leave this world,” Gulbrandsen laments, as the song pushes into territory that reminds of fallen The Devil’s Blood, and the chorus takes off, with her calling, “All I leave behind, all because of you.” The track continues to haunt, while the guitars buzz, and the song has a crescendoing finish. “Liti Kjersti” has guitars barreling in, while the singing takes on an operatic vastness, later sweltering with dark undertones. The song later gets icy, with Gulbrandsen continuing to lead the mission into a mesmerizing gaze that swims in murk. “Head of a Traitor” begins as if in a dream state, with speaking fluttering, and the track later pushing open. “Are you with me?” Gulbrandsen wails, as riffs compound and twist, with the melodies stirring and striking. The singing reaches for the skies again, as an angelic fury spreads it wings, guitars swirl, and the track ends in a pool of sound.

“One Night of Cruelty” gets going with swaggering guitars that bring added attitude, with the singing feeling more abrasive, and the tempo bathing in filth. Gulbrandsen sings of the stench of rotting flesh, adding to the gore factor of the song, while the intensity is increased, and the guitar work chews. Then things get dreamier, as Gulbrandsen sings of “a place where daylight never enters,” before the song is swallowed by mystery. “Embrace the Dark” is the one track where the Sabbath influence is felt the most, especially in the guitars, while the singing snakes through the murk, and a bruising, yet simple chorus makes its mark. The riffs take off, with the singing pushing into the clouds, leaving odd echoes and eventually psyche-laced soloing that makes your head soak in the chaos. Closer “Evil Hvile/Libera Me …Outro” is immersed in riffs, as Gulbrandsen sings in her native tongue, as a humid feel coats your face with condensation. A mystical fog slowly rises, as the track is enshrouded in clouds, organs emerge, and Gulbrandsen’s voice leads us to the beyond, where life changes forever.

With doom’s borders constantly expanding, bands such as The Sabbathian that are both traditional and seeking to push their reach are going to help keep the sub-genre’s blood healthy. “Latum Alterum” is stirring and emotionally impactful, and you can’t help but feel like you’re transferring over to a new level of understanding along with their music. This is a wholly satisfying debut record pitting two of metal’s often unsung warriors here to prove the power contained within them.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.svartrecords.com/product/latum-alterum/

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

It’s been a long week already, and it seems like as good a time as any to dig into something a little smaller yet just as heavy and weighty as anything else. There’s merit to putting on a more compact collection that can get inside of you, break some bones, and leave you heaving on the floor.

Alabama-based death metal horde Ectovoid are back with a three-track EP (out on 7” vinyl and cassette) “Inner Death,” their first music since a split effort in 2016 and their last full-length “Dark Abstraction,” released in 2015, and it still finds them grinding away with dark, muddy death that leaves ample bruising. The three cuts here, spread over an economical 12 minutes, are more of an appetizer before we hopefully get another full record from the band, and despite it being a smaller serving, it still will leave you filled up for the time being. The band—bassist/vocalist C.B., guitarist C.S., and drummer C.M.—haven’t lost an ounce of their intensity and violent proclivities, and this new EP will make anyone happy who cares to dine on the rotting carcass of true death metal.

“Internal Inversion” is a blast of a start, as it gets right at your throat immediately with echoed growls and an assault that comes right for you. The music sounds like crusty old death, as chaos bleeds from the cracks, and everything ends abruptly. “Archaic Memories Unearthed” smashes open with the leads blistering and growls destroying before the pace changes on a dime, with the guitars surging into the mud. The trudging continues over the body of the song, releasing cavernous power and eventually a burst of speed that thrashes to its finish. Closer “Isolation in Mind Continuum” has guitars firing up, with the music bubbling and smothering, blasting in classic death-style soloing that’ll burn your blood. The vocals strangle as the song settles into a death groove, punching away as the track fades into eerie strangeness, odd chants, and misery.

It’s been nearly a half decade since Ectovoid dropped a full-length record on our skulls, but this EP “Inner Death” is a strong tide-you-over release until they conjure a complete album. Hey, we’re not bitter, as these things take time if you’re going to do it right, so it’s nice having something in which to sink our teeth for now. This is a mangling blast that’ll hammer you before you’re even aware of it.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://helterskelterproductions.bandcamp.com/album/inner-death

For more on the label, go here: http://www.helterskelterproductions.se/

And here: https://www.bloodharvest.se/

There is a lot of black metal out there. I’ll go ahead and say it: There is too much of it and too many bands doing the same thing that it’s hard to get excited about newer artists because I’m at complete overload. But this comes with the job, and it’s great when you can put on a record and get your blood going as soon as the music strikes.

That exact thing happened the first time I put on “Malice of Antiquity,” the second full-length from Swedish black metal horrors Astrophobos, the first complete offering since their 2014 debut. OK, so this isn’t exactly a new band, but they’re one that’s working its way back into the conversation, and we were pretty fired up about their 2016 EP “Enthroned in Flesh,” so we did have some working knowledge going into this. But for real, as soon as this thing gets started, it checks every box of what we’re hoping for from a quality black metal band, from the pure savagery, to the darkened melodies, to the complete show of force they unleash. The record is a blast from start to finish, and the band—vocalist/bassist Mikael Broman and guitarists Jonas Ehlin and Martin Andersson (drums were handled by session player Giuseppe Orlando of The Foreshadowing. Former drummer Jocke Wallgren now plays with Amon Amarth)—returns to remind you they belong in the conversation when discussing some of the better black metal bands that have flown under radars.

“Fire of Catharsis” starts the record with a slash to the chest as raw growls blast and the track heads into pure black metal hell. That’s the immediate sign I was talking about earlier that this record would be a keeper. It continues from there with Broman wailing, “Mountainous leviathan is rising from the past, black miasmas slowly spread,” with the track coming to a fiery finish. “Begotten in Black” has riffs exploding as vicious growls strike, and killer melodies pave the way to the chorus. From there, the words are practically spat out, the playing rattles your brain, and the track ends suddenly. “Descending Shadows” has a strong bassline rolling in, guitars rising, and a slow-driving pace leaving welts. The growls scrape along as the horror builds, and after a brief stretch of cold, the madness strikes again, and everything fades out in blood. “Abattoir for Flesh and Faith” has riffs igniting, the vocals carving a path, and the tempo rattling cages. The verses are creaky and well crafted, while a foray into the fog arrives at another assault complete with fierce growls, melody flooding, and a grim, morbid conclusion.

“The Summoning Call” starts in acoustics before a terror tale unfolds, and the band sets up a heavy, engaging atmosphere in which to pummel you as they do right up until the track fades out into mystery. “The Wolves Between the Stars” has fast, catchy riffs right away, with growls rupturing the peace, and the chaos having a European folk essence to it, even though it’s purely volcanic black metal that destroys you right up to its sudden end. “Until the Red of Dawn” also bathes in acoustics to start before the track opens up fully and swallows you whole. The chorus is crazed and manic yet also super catchy, while the final section bites back harder, with Broman envisioning “feasting upon human flesh,” before mercy finally arrives. “The Nourishing Hate” gets going with fluid riffs and Broman calling, “The coming of the night, the arbiter of all,” amid gushing melodies. That intensity continues through a battery of fire and blood before coming to a massive end. “Imperator Noctis” closes the album and arrives with quiet acoustics and whispery vocals before the track levels up with stirring guitars and exploding stars. Once again, it feels like Euro folk is in the DNA of this firebreather, as the riffs storm the gates, the drums quake, and some choral sections breathe different life into the chorus. The drama continues to build to a dangerous level, leading to a heart-rushing, smothering finish that’ll leave you in the blackness.

If you want a seriously drubbing, satisfying slab of honest black metal, you don’t have to look further than “Malice of Antiquity.” Astrophobos hopefully will turn more heads with this nine-track stomper, and each visit with the record has been a bloodbath of chaos we’ve been happy to experience. This is a crushing record that has the makings of one of this year’s breakout metal albums and should push them into forefront of a bustling black metal scene that they could put in a chokehold.

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

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

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