We tend to veer toward music that’s about the human condition, especially when it centers on darkness and struggles that make our very existence a lot to take sometimes. Probably why I listen to a lot of folk music. For a long time, expressing your sorrow or showing vulnerability was a pox in heavy music, but as time has gone on and people (well, some of them) have grown up, that has changed.

While they might not be what you’d immediately think of a heavy music, Fool’s Ghost are making their way through downtrodden times and emotional turmoil on their debut record “Dark Woven Light.” A duo comprised of vocalist/keyboardist Amber Thieneman (Liberation Prophecy, Sandpaper Dolls) and Nick Thieneman (Young Widows, Breather Resist), the band unfurls songs that feel like they originate in the shadows and only come out at night when it’s the easiest to send haunting chills down your spine. Recorded in their hometown of Louisville, Ky., with Kevin Ratterman (which makes sense as he worked with like-minded acts such as Emma Ruth Rundle and Jaye Jayle), the band produced 10 tracks that likely aren’t going to damage your hearing, but it’ll creep into those spaces where you keep all the things that weigh down on you mentally in order to provide some soothing partnership.

S“Epilogue” starts by slowly trickling into the scene as keys glaze and Amber sings, “The evening twilight fades away.” The track moves gently but assuredly with the vocals and music blending into time. “Golden” has guitars awakening and buzzing with the music glimmering and creating sunlight beams. “Everyone and no one is listening,” Amber notes as the song builds its strength, and murky melodies bow out in the night. “Touch” shimmers in the moonlight as the playing echoes, and Amber calls, “I just want to feel your touch.” Warm drumbeats amplify the sorrow as the longing spreads, and the song echoes out. “Fugue” takes its time setting up its ambiance as Amber urges, “Moving, keep moving, sink or swim.” The nighttime vibe is thick and sparks your brain while the track rumbles into the earth. “Chasing Time” quivers and moves in slowly, letting its wings unfurl. “I want to break my body to see my bones, what I’m made of, will I ever know?” Amber laments while the music pays the mystery nicely, later tripping with keys and guitars trembling.

“Sparked” moves directly as Amber calls, “Don’t give up and don’t give in,” before the track moves to a chorus that’s as punchy as anything on here. The vocals just soar as melodies mesmerize, putting emotional pressure into this gutsy song. “All Hours” has keys dripping slowly and the song takes shape while the guitars glide and gloom thickens. The chorus is thick and rich as Amber wonders, “Why do we break each other’s hearts?” The track moves through the ether as the chorus moves, and everything fades to black. “In Between” has ominous tones opening as the keys spread and Amber notes, “Dream of you by day, hopes are high.” Guitars slide and immerse while the darkness envelopes, and the song retreats to its hiding place. “Shut Away” is blusier and dirtier as drums awaken, and the power starts to open. “I’m not fine, you’re not fine,” Amber warns while the song crawls slowly, and then the chorus opens. The band lands some punches along the way before the embers burn off. “Ghost Heart” is your closer, and it brings with it some of the tenets of the opening track. Piano drips as Amber delivers softer words, calling, “We’re slow to learn from the stillness within.” The idea resonates as the playing, like a ghost, of course, brings everything to a final rest.

Fool’s Ghost is a band whose music might actually work better in the fall, when the days are darker and colder, and your heart is at its most impacted. Not that “Dark Woven Light” doesn’t work just fine now, because it’s not like heartbreak and mental wounds take a break when the sun is shining, so you can be assured these songs won’t abandon you. This is music that allows all of us who have our moments of weakness and need to find solace a chance to bask in the same shadows.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/Fools-Ghost-672679909593868/

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

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

There are many band names that, once you hear them, you have a decent idea as to what the music might sound like. Did anyone think Bolt Thrower was going to be brainy prog? Did any listener expect warm folk passages when they first learned of Morbid Angel? Did anyone think a band called Mastodon could one day make boring-ass records that are forgettable the moment they’re over?

Despite doing this site for, holy shit, eight years now (?!), I haven’t heard of or especially heard every band, no matter how many records a group might have. So, when “Acts of Repentance,” the fourth long player from Australian blasters Wardaemonic landed in my email, I wasn’t super familiar with them. But I expected outright chaos and violence in their music, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s just what I got. Over five tracks and nearly 46 minutes, we’re treated to mammoth-sized tracks that bludgeon through and through. There also are pockets of strangeness and disorientation that could scramble your brains as the band—vocalist/drummer Maelstrom, guitarist Lord Bane, lead guitarist Anharat, bassist/synth programmer Blitz—adds imagination to their vile assault instead of just obliterating with no variety.

“Act I – Introspection” starts with dreary strangeness before aggression begins to pound away, and the playing blisters and destroys. An odd haze swims through the fury as an intense pace clobbers, and rubbery guitars confound. Crazed shrieks rain down as the track erupts into infernal mashing, hissing wildly before spilling into “Act II – Admission” that fires up right off the band. The band clubs as a monstrous pace creates a mound of ash, while the guitar work burns through proverbial barrels of fuel. Red clouds hang overhead as a furious storm arrives in downpours, there is a blur of chaos that ignites, and the final minutes are bathed in psyche strangeness and guttural pummeling.

“Act III – Castigation” has fog marring vision while scary chills go down your spine, and then the drums begin marching hard as the growls well up. Stinging hysteria chews at the psyche while the guitars mix through, and a coldfront approaches. The song chugs at mid-tempo while the playing reopens, guitars spiral, and the track drips away. “Act IV – Sufferance” delivers cosmic coldness before animalistic growls tear through time, and clean bellows smoosh your chest. Cool riffs spark further blazing, simmering in their juices, creating eerie strains. The track levels all over again with murky singing, melodies rupturing, and the assault bleeding away. “Act V – Repentance” ends the record by starting with tornadic pressure as the growls eat away, and the drumming decimates. Clean guitars flow in later and have a numbing effect, bringing temporary reprieve before the hammers drop again. The playing ravages the mind, the wind whips, and noise rises and burns away, bringing the record to a smoldering end.

Wardaemonic deliver exactly what you think they do on “Acts of Repentance”: smothering punishment that warps you mind. It’s been five years since we got new material from this band, and in that time, it seems as if they stored up aggression and frustration and unleashed it on this record. This is a cataclysmic display that leaves your flesh scorched and your psyche scarred.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.de/shop-en

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

It likely goes without saying that death metal and black metal are intrinsically violent and, from a musical standpoint, should not be considered styles for anyone who fears danger. But some bands take that more seriously than others, and their records can sound like pure war zones that could chew into your psyche and trigger your fight-or-fight response.

One of those is NYC’s Ruin Lust, a band that had sort of an off-and-on first few years before they solidified their assault and have delivered two scathing records in the past two years. The latest is their forthcoming “Choir of Babel,” a five-track, half hour exercise in unforgiving torture and music that makes it feel like the weight of the world is on your chest. Comprised of well-traveled crushers—vocalist/guitarist J. Wilson, guitarist S. Bennett (Vorde), drummer/vocalist M. Rekevics (Fell Voices, Yellow Eyes, Vanum)—the band follows up last year’s devastating “Sacrifice” with a bloody, aggressive display that feels like the earth’s rock is all melting together, creating an unavoidable lava flow that overcomes you, filling your body with hell, and feeling no concern for your mental well-being. This sounds over the top. It isn’t. In fact, it’s very possible I’m underplaying the intensity here.

The title track rips off the lid to hell with grim tidings and a furious eruption that bursts like a volcano. Growls scar while the mauling terror rips across the land, with guitars spilling pools of blood. Yells and growls mix and mar as thrashy fire engulfs the vicious end. “Prison of Sentient Horror” has guitars scorching and outright animalistic rage boiling over, melting flesh. Tornadic playing rises and twists your brain while metallic disaster strikes, and a searing solo tears in and creates havoc. The drums pummel bones to dust while the track spills its guts on the floor, leaving a massive stench.

“Worm” crushes from the start as the drumming rattles, and melodies are drowned underneath the chaos. From there, storming ferocity creates an increased amount of danger as blinding death ravages, horrific power overloads, and feedback smears to the end. “Bestial Magnetism” has guitars coming in black waves as a full assault is mounted, and the ruffles encircle you as gruff growls spit bolts. The playing comes apart by design as shrapnel burns through your body, as infernal destruction makes its way toward unsuspecting victims. Growls tear at throats, a wild fury grips, and everything burns out in madness. “Rite of Binding” is the 8:53-long closer that wastes little time attacking your wounds, as nasty growls and razor-sharp riffs swing wildly. Wild cries crush as the guitars hammer away before the pace slows down, grinding the brakes and letting the smoky aftermath choke you. An ominous fog hangs over the track as the growls mash and a hypnotic torture suffocates before the band violently hits the speed pedal again, driving you to a deathly finish.

Ruin Lust are here, they’re firing on all cylinders, and “Choir of Babel” is a disarming record that puts to shame the furious intent of most other death and black metal bands out there. Not that it’s a competition or anything, and likely they don’t give a fuck what everyone else is doing, but there is a resentment and sense of metallic revenge to these songs that rots them to their core. This isn’t music for reading or relaxing or vibing out. This is for all-out war, and if you’re not prepared to face it, you definitely won’t survive.

For more on the band, go here: https://ruinlust.bandcamp.com/

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

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

Photo by Kira Solomon

The young year hasn’t quite reached its quarter mark, so it’s still ripe for us to find new bands that will make lasting impacts on our year and, preferably, our listening futures. That means there are plenty of opportunities for records from fresh artists to sneak up and knock us on our asses, with said punishment totally welcomed if it means further solidifying metal’s lifeline.

That said, the Maryland-based doom psychonauts Dirt Woman have come out of the gates with their excellent five-track, 56-minute debut album “The Glass Cliff” that has pummeled our eardrums since ripping open the promo copy of the music. The band also has an interesting origin story as vocalist/guitarist Zoe Koch and drummer Gabe Solomon started their project in Ocean City, inspired by the late Donnie Corker, also known as the Dirtwoman, a cross dresser who lived in Richmond, Va., who was heavily involved in politics, music, arts, and food banks in the area. Corker also acted as a living floral arrangement for the Hamaganza holiday rock charity event that combined local dignitaries and creators. Corker’s story and activism inspired the duo, and later they were joined by guitarist Kearny Mallon and his brother and drummer Avery Mallon to round out the band, and the results from their first full-length together prove they sparked magic and are a true doom power to behold.

Lady of the Dunes” begins with heavy drone before the riffs begin to pummel, and Koch’s singing begins to infect. The track is burly and slowly melodic, flattening as more filthy guitar work slithers in, and dual lines entrance. The pace bashes as Koch’s vocals swelter and smother with the playing burning and bashing to the end. “Creator” punches for 13:09 and spits a ridiculous amount of fuzz as the track mashes away, and the music stings your senses. Koch’s singing haunts and glows as the drums leave welts on your chest, and warm static flows like a river as the power swells. The playing floats before the pace rips open, and the guitar work is from the same terrain as High on Fire and classic Sabbath. Bluesy fires rage harder, slowly melting away and crushing chests as the band creates metallic alchemy that deliberately bows out.

“Fades to Greed” begins ominously as the riffs tease, and Koch’s voice continues to command. The playing spreads and smokes your mind with the guitars spiraling and steamy speaking sprawling into the scene. The track then reopens and starts up its assault all over with psyche-washed guitars warping and everything liquifying metals. “Demagogue” runs 13:30 and has the bass quivering and the vocals penetrating as they soar into the atmosphere. The track slowly fills your head as the track goes from sweltering to outright trippy, continuing to build momentum as the waters warm up, and the leads release heat as the soloing comes in and melts. Koch’s singing hammers again before the tempo chills out, and the end is flushed in psychedelics. “Starhawk” runs 13:45 and closes the album, starting with chunky riffs and layered vocals that trip your mind. The guitars light up before dissolving into a strange haze as things hulk along and soloing tears off for the stars. Koch’s singing dominates and gets inside you as spellbinding playing increases the magic, and the band starts to unload hammers anew. As you’re being lulled into a calculated beating, the tempo suddenly shifts into a speedy barrage, bruising your eyes and bursting torches as the track comes to a thunderous finish.

Not only are the songs on Dirt Woman’s debut record “The Glass Cliff” filled with smoky, swaggering songs that overdeliver, the production sounds absolutely perfect, like you’re left with dusty sunburn when it’s all over. Koch is a killer singer out front, helping make these songs even more mesmerizing, and the rest of the band packs a punch that promises doom muscle and stoner gazing in equal amounts. This is a promising first step, and where the band goes from here is up to their smothering imaginations.

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

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

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

Some things, great as they may be, just aren’t meant to last. Things have a shelf life, and when they run their course, we just have to let them go. So goes the story of Morbus Chron, the incredibly promising, future-thinking progressive death metal band from Sweden that left us after just two records, that last one coming six years ago. What they could have been.

Here we are in anew decade, and the germs of what Morbus Chron planted see life in a new project Sweven, named after Morbus Chron’s 2014 swan song and helmed by that band’s founder Robert Andersson. For him, there was no other name to even consider for the band considering how “Sweven” transformed him as a creator, and since this group is essentially an extension of those same ideals, the decision was easy. Joined by guitarist Isak Koskinen Rosemarin on lead guitar and Jesper Nyrelius on drums, Andersson moved forward with what he was creating in Morbus Chron, a band that would end of influencing a great deal of the current progressive death metal movement and taking it to its next logical step. That’s found on their deliriously good debut record “The Eternal Resonance,” an eight-track beast that washes over you with strange fluidity, psychedelic scarring, and savagery, but not in a way that totally mimics Morbus Chron. There are definite differences here from that band and what others in the field are doing, making this another piece that should expand death metal’s mind.

“The Spark” is the instrumental opener that has clean guitars fluttering before the pace steps up, going into a progressive plunge that pushes into “By Virtue of a Promise,” a 9:21 cut that trickles slowly before things flow eerily into anguish before Andersson’s wails jar. The track is both thrashy and spacey with the soloing rumbling before the playing gets harsh again. Aggressive melodies pummel, while the emotional toll is heavy. “Reduced to an Ember” has a jazzy start that chills the flesh before the tempo is shredded apart, and riffs spiral into a cascading section that bleeds imagination. Rough wails and exploratory guitars combine and create a chaotic feel before keys and acoustics buff the edges, and the playing gently mystifies. “The Sole Importance” runs 8:03 and punches right away with guitars driving, Andersson’s vocals grunting, and the track melting into sci-fi fantasy. The playing turns melodic and trippy with an underbelly that contains a full bleeding heart. A hypnotic gaze gains steam as the soloing sprawls, bleeding out into a vortex.

“Mycelia” plays tricks with your mind, as hand drumming paces, and grim howls fan the flames. The tempo picks up and stomps bones as the vocals rip down your neck, and the playing keeps adding intensity. Keys join up and drip into the guitars, with the track ending with jazzy serenity. “Solemn Retreat” is the longest of the bunch, hulking over 9:43 and beginning submerged in water. The vocals push in and feel gruff while the guitars stretch and begin stinging your senses. The track feels like it floats for a bit, with the temperature shifting from hot to cold as some tremendous lead guitar work comes in and soothes your wounds. The back end lets the blood surge heavily as manic cries hit the air, and the track disappears into the stars. “Visceral Blight” enters with clean guitars as the pace trudges over the land, and the track ignites into a proggy explosion. Smeary keys blend in and create blurry vision as the playing gets pushier and stranger, the drums decimate, and things come to a crushing end. “Sanctum Sanctorum” closes the record by entering slowly, creating an ambiance before the guts are torn out. The track starts racing hard, making your adrenaline gush before it settles in the clouds and appears ready to drift away. The band returns to speed for a stretch, which works into gazey ambiance, pastoral chants, and the music turns into a metallic stream that drains into your nightmares.

Morbus Chron are truly irreplaceable, and they’re a personal favorite of mine. Funny, I once had someone at Century Media dig up a Morbus Chron T shirt deep in their inventory for me to buy, which was nice of them. But this is about Sweven, Andersson’s current beast, one with similar DNA but with obvious mutations. This is an exciting endeavor, one that places one of death metal’s most inventive minds back in the game at a time the genre is exploding. This utterly swells with possibility that hopefully Andersson is able to see through well into the future.

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

To buy the album, go here (pre-orders start March 9): https://van-records.com/

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

Photo by Simon Francis

There is your run-of-the-mill science-fiction that is ripe for being turned into motion pictures the public will devour, and then there’s the hardcore shit that takes research to understand half of what’s going on. To be honest, I’m super into the latter, essentially because I’m a gigantic dork and can’t help myself but get lost in those things.

When it comes to warped metal machine Lychgate, they definitely fall into the spectrum of content you need to thoroughly research if you want in on everything that’s going on. I mean, you can just show up for the music and be fine, though it’s also on the challenging side as well, but you’re not that kind of listener, are you? I’m not. I have to know everything that’s going on here, so that took me to endless Google searches when tackling the band’s new EP “Also Sprach Futura,” their first for Debemur Morti. Here, the English band delivers four mind-bending tracks that visit topical terrain such as the evolutionary theory of transhumanism; simulacra and simulation, a philosophical discourse by French sociologist Jean Baudrillard; and the fictional Golem XIV, a military AI machine that begins to create its own consciousness. That’s just scratching the surface of what the band—vocalist/guitarist Greg Chandler (Esoteric), guitarist D. Lindsley, and guitarist/keyboardist/organist C. Vortigern Young, bassist K. Webb, and drummer J.F. Vallely—jam into a 20:24-long effort that isn’t too much to take from a time a standpoint but will break your brain.

“Incarnate” punches open as organs sprawl all over, with zany chaos exploding unchecked. Buzzing singing and furious growls smash boundaries as the pace dizzies, keys flutter, and the track ends in a pool of drama. “Progeny of the Singularity” has a super proggy start before organs rumble, and a death-style assault tears open doors. The playing is ugly, hellish, and intimidating, with clean calls registering behind the madness. An eerie strain washes through and chills while the track gets heavier and muddier with the bass hammering. Ferocious shrieks run wild, with the song mauling before a flash finish. “Simulacrum” percolates and drips as slow chugging bruises, and clean calls perk ears. The track is even breezy for a stretch before lurching growls rupture calm, and the playing scrapes raw skin. Clean strangeness wafts in and adds more confusion before the body is shredded, and the final punches clean house. “Vanity Ablaze” ends the collection with the organs haunting before crunchy thrashing gets under way. Vicious growls mix with a clobbering pace before melting into a cold front where the guitars drip before turning into ice. Fires solve that problem as they ravage the cold, twisting and contorting, while the growls spit cinders, and pastoral organs swallow everything whole.

Lychgate long have created difficult music for complicated people, and like the theory of transhumanism, the band does seem to be progressing beyond their earthly coils on “Also Sprach Futura.” There’s a lot to dig into here, and with each layer comes more complications you must deal with in your mind. It’s a good stepping in point for those who have yet to approach Lychgate and want a quick glimpse, but afterward, there’s no undoing this experience that alters realities.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

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