Wicked horrors and blasphemies have been a part of heavy metal since the dawn of time, and if that’s something that wilts your skin, maybe try another form of music. Some bands go way over the top with the whole aesthetic, which can border on hilarious if they’re missing the substance. But there’s plenty of room for music that will burn down your inhibitions because their blades cannot be denied.

Phoenix-based Savage Necromancy definitely don’t pull back on the outlandish song titles, brutal imagery, and names that most definitely are not their given monikers. Diabolical Fuckwitch of the Black Flame is responsible for odious war chants and chthonic incantations, her roars splitting your veins; Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations is in charge of unholy axe beheadings and demonic arch-fiend summonings; while Grand Marshall of Hell heads up as ceremonial conjurer of semenic rhythms & thunderous primitivity. That all sounds insane, but if you take on their debut full-length “Feathers Fall to Flames,” you will know right away this is serious shit that’ll take off your head. Originally released last year, the record is getting wider distribution from the always trustworthy 20 Buck Spin in advance of the band’s forthcoming second album. I can only image how vicious that thing is going to be.

“Milenio de la Crucifixión” starts with chilling organs and chanting in Spanish, the drums tap, and the guitars sludge. Doom bells call as the track begins to bludgeon, bleeding into “Baptized in the Cum of the Goat” that’s stomping annihilation from the start. The growls scrape filth as vicious playing steamrolls, and things rampage dangerously. The vocals corrode as the punishment goes off the rails, heading into “Conquest of Nazareth” that pummels right from the start. It feels like you’re on the ground with a shin at your throat as madness manifests itself, the vocals feel like death emanations from beyond, and group chants slither, bringing the track to a merciful end. “Gibbous Moon of the Horned God” delivers trudging riffs and growls that tear through your midsection, and the playing is utterly psychotic. The soloing just goes off, clobbering your senses and not allowing you a simple breath before it’s on to “Storming the Gates of Heaven” where muddy riffs become a force with which to contend. Guitars slash wildly, caring not what artery they might sever as barked growls, funeral bells, and decimating drums rob your lungs of vital oxygen.

“Genocidal Frostfukk Terrorstorm” blasts by before you even realize what hit you, bringing vicious growls and splattering guitar work that destroys before dissolving. “Black Metal Victory” takes the reins and races with thrashy guitars, splintering playing, and vocals that sound like demonic possession taking place in your ears. The playing sprawls and swallows you whole, rushing to its finish and colliding with “Unholy Banner of the Black Tower” and its gale force assault that drags you along with it. The growls carve at sanity while the guitars find new levels of craziness to pull you along, your mouth dragging over the ground. The power trudges as the wild howls mar your brains, pulling into “Disgorging Christ’s Kingdom” where guitars send cinders flying and riffs cutting through bone. The playing is fast and nasty while the drums cave in the side of your head, and everything ends … hellishly. “666 Dead Angels” closes this barnstorm of evil with drums igniting fires, growls ravaging, and a beastly assault getting the better of you. Speed again is a factor as the playing singes, riffs poke, and taunting laughs from the underworld burn out of time.

“Feathers Fall to Flames” has been out in circulation for a bit, but teaming up with 20 Buck Spin should mean more ears and eyeballs will be tuned to the Satanic madness that is Savage Necromancy. This is vile, raw stuff, a horrifying helping of unfiltered death and black metal playing as ravenously as possible. This band isn’t here to score style points; they’re here to remove your head and fill it with black piss and blood.

For more on the band, go here: https://savagenecromancy666.bandcamp.com/releases

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/savage-necromancy

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

I have always wanted to go to Japan, and I’ll preface this by saying not only have I never been there, but I’m not a fan of long journeys, so there’s a great chance it’s a trip I’ll never make. Most of the allure comes from that land’s rich pro wrestling history, of which I’d indulge generously, but it also feels like a fantasy land that doesn’t seem like it can be real. It holds so much intrigue for me.

Czech atmospheric doom/death dreamers Et Moriemur certainly had richer inspiration when crafting their new record “Tamashii No Yama” (translates to “mountain of soul”), an album based on the Empire of Japan. To see the ambitious vision through for this seven-track, 40-minute experience, the band—vocalist/pianist Zdeněk Nevělík, guitarists Aleš Vilingr and Honza Tlačil, bassist Karel “Kabrio” Kovářík, drummer Michal “Datel” Rak—employed a host of guest musicians to realize this vision. These players add elements such as drums, acoustic guitars, violin, cello, viola, harp, shakuhachi, and choir parts to flesh out these songs that capture your imagination immediately. Yes, doom and death are basic elements here, but there is so much creative imagination and ambition one might not expect from a heavy record that it makes for an even more powerful force. Something mostly indescribable.   

“Haneda” starts with a strange TV transmission before pianos drip, strings reach, and we’re unexpectedly being soothed with sounds one would not expect to open a heavy metal record. Which is super refreshing, and the track goes on with cello scrapes and a strange aura forming and melting into “Sagami” where the drums disrupt your dream. Guitars glaze and wild howls decimate, the keys tracing every step. Hypnotic melodies thicken as the vocals wrench your heart and bound into “Oshima” that brings thick doom blood and layered strings. The guitars chug as an ugly fury oozes through cracks in the walls, shrieks mix with a foggy horizon, and the playing has a chambery edge. Then the crevices yawn, unhinged howls send jolts down your spine, and the guitars churn, leaving only ash behind.

“Izu” sludges as noises hang in the air, and then the growls gurgle and combine with strange keys, a choral part making your brain flutter. Anguished cries intensify as the sounds swell, keys trickle, and the dust eventually settles. “Nagoya” brings chilling shakuhachi that ushers in pulverizing doom and harps plucking at serenity. Group vocals swell as muddy energy meets up with jagged guitars, the power settles, and piano drains into the sea. “Otsuki” digs right into your chest with a death assault that knowns no mercy and vocals that dig into your psychosis. Guitars light up as the playing navigates through the mud, and then a dizzying tear leads to a calming sequence with piano, moody strings, and an overnight flight into closer “Takamagahara.” Piano, speak singing, and gothy doom color the first bit of this 13:51-long epic. Shrieks and growls mix as the buzz gets heavier as the tempo wrestles back and forth, melody glistens, and a dreaminess melts into a funeral doom-style dirge. Elegance blackens as voices call out, shrieks squeeze, and the playing burns, dissolving into anguish and atmosphere, bleeding into time.

Et Moriemur continue to push the body of their sound and their influences with “Tamashii No Yama,” a challenging and daring record that requires repeat visits in order to achieve full absorption. There’s so much going on here, and their collection of guest musicians do a fantastic job fleshing out these songs and adding texture from the source material into this music. This is a mesmerizing, exciting display, and it again proves that metal has no real boundaries if you’re willing to take chances.

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

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

Or here (Europe): https://transcendingobscurity.8merch.com/

Or here (India): https://tometal.com/store/

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

Black metal is a swollen ocean that hardly can handle another drop, yet we all know this storm has no chance of subsiding, and the shores are going to disappear. The rain is coming down in sheets, and it’s nearly impossible to navigate to find the parts of land that are fruitful. Or something. Look, there’s a lot of black metal, and it’s not that easy to find what’s actually worth your time.

But it’s out there, evidence of which comes from Atlanta-based black metal crushers Vimur who are offering up their mighty third record “Transcendental Violence.” It’s not that the band—vocalist/guitarist Vaedis Eosphorus, guitarist Australis, bassist Kiehül Hesperos, drummer Ætheøs—is reinventing the wheel, nor do they need to do that. Instead, they channel black metal carnage and strange textures all over these seven tracks that do not quit. There’s also a goddamn space lion roaring cosmic hell into an unsuspecting planet on the cover, and how could you go wrong with that?

“Aeonic Upheaval” opens in thick darkness with pounding and trudging, the drums taking everything apart. The fiery pace bursts, and we’re in the midst of chaos even as some clean lines attempt to salve the carnage. The vocals crush as things get nasty and thrashy, burning out into hell. The title track massacres as melodies rush and the pace rampages. The shrieks are bloody and furious, the guitars corrode flesh from the bone, and the final crush leaves chests flattened. “Infallible Contra Animus” delivers melodic leads that make your blood rush and black metal terror that continues to build, the playing storming harder as the track develops. The madness disintegrates any sense of serenity as the vocals thicken, and terrifying blazing ends in a pit of acoustics and eeriness.

“Emanations From the Sun Behind the Sun” surges from blackness and then comes unglued, the guitars having their way and flattening with power. The shrieks rip as the playing melts, oppressive heat gets more ominous, and then the speed becomes a greater factor and mauls to the finish. “The Greatest Dying” brings stinging guitars and a tempo that dices muscle as the intensity increases. Ugly darkness hovers overhead as the guitars churn, leaving off thick smoke like exhaust from a tire fire. “Death Absolution” is slow driving, moving as the howls echo in the distance, numbing your mind. Things go cold as the bass tunnels through the earth, and then the guitars get warmer, the shrieks shatter bone, and the last moments blur out of existence. “The Warrior Seers” closes the album with guitars dawning and speed being liberally applied, mangling and hammering before you can even get settled. Mystical sheets soak the molten physicality, atmosphere continues to pump, and that ignites the other end where the bass spirals and drums blister. The guitars glaze plasma while the shrieks breathe fire, and the final moments leave sparks in the air.

As black metal’s ranks continue to swell, identifying the bands that have the true magic in their veins and can channel that into the music can become a task. Luckily, Vimur make it easy on us with “Transcendental Violence,” a record that has a cover that’ll look crazy as fuck on a store shelf and hopefully will intrigue buyers with what’s contained. What they’ll find is wild, devastating black metal that’s true to its core and feels like it’s taking off your flesh.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/transcendental-violence

For more on the label, go here: https://boris-records.com/

There’s a hugeness that some records just can’t quite convey, no matter how mighty they might be, and seeing a band in its live form can hammer home that point. That’s not to suggest that the recorded medium is somehow subpar or not worth your time. It’s just that when you hear the music in your headphones or on your turntable, it isn’t the same oxygen-ripping experience as when band is in front of you.

Despite sharing a hometown with The Long Hunt, the instrumental doom trio from Pittsburgh, I didn’t get to see them live until after their debut full-length album “All Paths Lead to Hear” was released. Once I was in the same room and heard them play the songs in the flesh, I could not believe how much more powerful the experience was, and that’s no knock on that album. It remains a favorite. But their second full offering “Threshold Wanderer” really gets at the heart of this band—guitarist Trevor Richards, bassist Allison Kacmar Richards, drummer Mark Lyons—and the force they harness. Over six immersive, earth-shakingly heavy, woozy, psyche-washed tracks, the band flexes their muscles, working into your bones and giving you a closer taste to what taking them on live is really like. On top of this, Trevor Richards used the downtime of the pandemic to work on his 3D modeling skills to craft an album-long video that gives you a visual glimpse into this record that revels in the themes of exploration and traveling between worlds. I mean, it only took eight months and 1,000 hours of work, so make sure you check it out April 1, the day the album is released (you can see some song clips now on their Bandcamp).

“Prelude” enters amid windchimes, birds chirping, and a seemingly serene, gentle scene that rolls into “The Tower” where guitars immediately begin to char. The playing open and lays in the punches, dread builds, and the spirit swaggers into dusty scenery as if the desert is sneaking up on you. Things hit heavier, the guitars increase, and the bass plods through your chest and out the other side. “The Golden Bough” is an immersive adventure that has the drums pacing and then the guitars scorching as organs slip in and give a vintage psyche feel. The heat continues to build as the dust settles, the playing crunches, and the keys swim in madness, the clouds darkening and wafting. The senses are scorched as electric currents batter and burn off after the end bubbles to the surface.

“Night Falls on Black Wings” is the longest track, running 12:34 and driving slowly, the bass chugging and bloodying mouths. Red hues thicken and warp your vision, the playing pounds with precision, and birds start to caw, the elements of your dreams bleeding into reality. Sitar splashes give a Middle Eastern vibe, and your brain begins to wander, your spirit moving along with other ghosts as orange and purple color the horizon. “Crossing the River” works into a gentle haze, the bass makes ripples in the water, and the guitars guide everything through calm winds. Things then turn disarmingly blissful, filling your chest with warm emotion as you move into 12:12-long closer “Procession of Dust.” Drums hover as the guitars give off exhaust, and things feel grim and rusty in a hurry. Doomy riffs unload before the guitars begin to explode, cutting through the mist, the bass making its way through the storm. Psychedelic whirring and electric pulses combine, the intensity builds, and the guitars feel like lasers slicing through multiple planes of existence, the sounds melting into space and the final hints of sitar.

“Threshold Wanderer” is a gigantic step forward for The Long Hunt, a band that already was operating on a high and fully immersive level. This record is more indicative of their mighty lives shows where you can feel like you’re both at their mercy and enthusiastically along for a journey that challenges and sparks you. This is a record fitting for so many different settings from long night drives to stargazing to getting your own creative juices flowing before trying to expand your own artistic marks.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://thelonghunt.bandcamp.com/album/threshold-wanderer

There are myriad forces against which we do battle. The ones that come from the fantasy element are harmless enough, because those are struggles we have in our heads that can be exciting but ultimately don’t leads to any actual carnage. Then there are the ones around us in real life that threaten to do us in and tear apart society as a whole, structures be damned.

Surely Scottish force Tyrannus didn’t just throw some names in a hat and select one. There’s a good reason for their moniker as their music is pointed right at forces in our own world that embraces fascism and all the bullshit that comes with the package. But there is more than that in these songs that comprise fiery debut record “Unslayable” as the band—vocalist/guitarist Callum John Cant, guitarist Fraser Gordon, bassist/synth player/backing vocalist Alistair Harley, drummer/percussionist Alasdair Dunn—also delves into fantastical horrors and bludgeoning hell, things that would be fought on a level none of us could ever fully imagine. It also helps their mix of death and black metal feels so frenetic and immersive, and this record is an exciting, bloody surge from start to finish.

“A Cruel Dream” opens with clean, moody tones and a thick fog beckoning, and then it’s from that intro piece into “A Worse Reality” where leads burst and send colors flying. The riffs stampede as the drums crunch, and savage heat teams up with speed to rip oxygen from your lungs, and the melodies soar over top, laying waste to everything. “The Flood” is raw and smashing as it starts, gnarly growls leaving bruising on your body. Spacious leads enter the mix, infusing the scene with rich oxygen, and then the vocals shred anew, feeling bestial and punishing, coming to a clobbering end. “It Taketh” is the best track here, mostly because of the lyrics that are gruesome. The guitars light up and deliver force as Cant howls, “Cut the tongue, sever the head, pin the limbs, bind the legs, boil the horror in an iron pot, evil will come to a stop.” This exchange will get locked in your head forever. The bass plods as the guitars tingle, even sounding zany and wonderfully cartoony at points, and everything ends in complete chaos.

“Lake of the Undying” is a strange, eerie instrumental cut that feels like a classic Testament era, melting the mind and flowing into the title track that just rips from the gates. The playing is fast and sinewy, the melody is fluid and infectious, and then things go cleaner for a stretch before violence returns and buries you in shallow soil. “Light the Last Sun” serves up riffs and steaming fury, then gritty growls and a powerful assault continue the insanity. Guitars trickle as things ramp up again, cleanliness giving way to devastating horrors. The playing is slowly bludgeoning as the vocals get uglier, the title is chanted heavily, and the final moments burn out in the sun. “Break the Will of Evil” is the last track, and it starts with bass mauling, the gas pedal smashed, and shrieky howls making the mangling verses even thornier. Clean singing swims into the mix, vibrant riffs come barreling toward you, and Cant wails, “No more hatred, no more oppression, just beauty and love, we will win, we must win and break the chains.” It’s a rousing end to a blistering, exciting experience.

“Unslayable” is a compelling mix of cosmic horror and battling against overzealous forces looking to bring down democracy in place of tyranny. Which, as noted, makes the name Tyrannus fitting and their debut record a truly eye-opening document that not only is packed with righteous themes but also devastating playing that will bring you to your knees. This record will fill your heart with power and glory as well as the will to fight back against anyone trying to hold you back.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://linktr.ee/Tyrannus

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

We are at a ridiculous high point when it comes to death metal. It feels like there never has been the amount of bands playing the deadliest sound in metal’s arsenal, and so many are doing it at such a high level that if you can’t find something great in which to indulge, you might not be trying at all. You don’t even have to try hard. Minimal effort and exploration could fill your record shelf.

Kontusion might be a fresh entry into death metal’s heavily populated terrain, but its members—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Mark Bronzino and drummer/synth player Chris Moore—hardly are newcomers to heavy music. Having spent time with bands such as Repulsion, Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan, and ANS, the duo has been making ridiculous sounds elsewhere, and on their self-titled debut EP, they prove they, too, have a powerful, entrancing way to create death metal. These four tracks rip by in no time, but while they have your attention, they’re putting their force to good use, proving there is plenty of room to make great death metal, and they’re as capable as anyone else at devastating you.

“Unrelenting Pain” launches with feedback and crushing riffs, the growls feeling muddy and animalistic. The pace just punishes, strange synth melts into the pot, and then a burly return bludgeons and decimates. Things get gritty and brutal as the growls punish, and misery spreads. “Rotting With Sickness” has riffs firing up as the playing crumbles into hell, and the growls warp your brain. Cavernous hell spread as the growls echo and the murk increases, the synth thickening and making your vision cloudy. The soloing burns, the keys glimmer, and sounds drain out into hell. “Blood Church” crushes right away with the drums loosening bricks and complete chaos setting in their claws, the melodies going absolutely nuts. The pace gets fiery and frantic, and the drubbing ends in frenetic madness. “Charred Remains” closes things with scalding noise and scorching guitars, the speed becoming an even greater factor. Growls gurgle thick oil as the noise echoes, synth dashes across the sky, and the final moments grab you by the throat and refuse to let go.

Kontusion aren’t reinventing the medium with their self-titled debut EP, but no one said they had to do that. The four tracks here are packed with riffs and violence, a rowdy burst of fury that feels timeless and urgently fresh. This is a punisher, and hopefully these vets have a proper full-length record up their sleeves to pay off the wounds they so generously open here.

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

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

Nightmarish visons no longer have to be relegated to sleep as our imaginations, if we allow them to take the leap, can get us places reality cannot. Getting lost in art and music is a great pathway to such an experience, and if you find something that can get your brain hung up on the horrific and perverse, then you don’t have to leave this planet to have such a harrowing journey.

I say that because I could not get utter terror and fear out of my mind when tackling “Adorned in Ruin,” the second record from Aussie death metal beasts Golgothan Remains. This record comes on like a beast, takes you over mind and body, and leaves you wondering what the fuck it is youactually just experienced. These nine songs are not easy to digest, even if you have a wealth of death metal experience, because this is warped in an entirely different monster. The band—vocalist Matthieu Van den Brande (his work is particularly warped), guitarist Matt Hillman, bassist Adam Martin, drummer Aled Powell—get to work early by cinching in their claws and making your reality come crashing to the ground, with you having no handle on how to get this madness straightened.

“Veneration of Carnal Blasphemy” dawns with dark guitars and strange growls corroding, the playing dissolving bone. Wild howls tear into the scene, the tempo destroys, and the pace races to the end. “A Shrouded Longing for Promethean Fire” have riffs tangling and death growls carving, scraping off the top layer of flesh. Speed and precision combine, the guitars mystify, and the vicious tear continues until dissolving in its own juices. “Wandering Through Chambers of Deathlike Void” opens in a blinding terror as animalistic carnage begins to lurk. Fiery leads and wild yells turn back, hypnotic riffs surge, and the final gasp is thorny and brutal. “Opulent Incarnation of Persevering Torment” brings stinging guitars and vocals that torch the flesh, then the drums belch a burst of speed. Guitars blur and kill as the pace blackens eyes, and the remnants are sucked into the void.

“The Malign Hordes of Aborrence” arrives amid mystifying guitars and then rumbling speed, the vocals sounding pained and hoarse. The pace slows to a dizzying haze, the drums unload, and the guitars eat at the senses, leaving you a bloody mess. “Forgotten Lores of Hatred and Bloodshed” brings cool riffs and a relentless assault, the playing teasing your psyche. Growls retch as the guitars heat up, strangeness is permitted to spread unabated, and the final moments are mashed into the earth. “…Of Morbid Blood and Serpent Skins” is packed with insane riffs and shrieks that can peel flesh, churning into tornadic terror. The drums hammer as the attack gets more involved, and the viciousness rambles downhill and into “Void II: Towards the Joyless Elysium.” Ambient hiss pushes as guitars leak, and a detached voice bleeds into your bloodstream, paving the way toward closer “On Lifeless Wings of Malice” that is trudging and weird as it starts. Clean yells bleed into torment, scratchy growls have their way with you, and the playing stirs, causing the room to spin uncontrollably, the end coming swiftly.

“Adorned in Ruin” is a record that eats into your brain and resets what you know about death metal, leaving you mangled and flattened. Golgothan Remains are another collection of beasts who are twisting and gnawing death metal into their own vision, everyone else’s expectations be damned. This is a penetrating experience that can leave a new wave of horror dashed across your mental well-being.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://sentientruin.com/releases/golgothan-remains-adorned-in-ruin

Or here: https://brilliantemperor.bigcartel.com/

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

And here: https://www.facebook.com/BrilliantEmperorRecords

There are 10 million heavy metal bands out there playing umpteen billion different styles of the heaviest of the arts, so it might sound a little silly to say when one of those is missing for a decade, it leaves a hole in your heart. But we’re humans, and we make emotional connections that are beyond our control, so, yes, it very much is possible to feel the weight of one band’s absence.

Canadian crushers Mares of Thrace are an unabashed favorite around here, this desolate place on the internet we inhabit, and there was question in our hearts if we’d ever get a proper follow-up to their killer 2012 record “The Pilgrimage.” Yet, here we are, in 2022, and we have that record in the form of “The Exile,” a six-track bruiser that keeps faithful to the band’s sound but also adds some new twists and textures that make this arrival that much more exciting. Vocalist/guitarist Thérèse Lanz (who also happens to be an incredibly gifted artist) remains at the helm and joining her on this leg of the mission is bassist/drummer Casey Rogers (taking the place of long-time member Stef MacKichan), and they carry on and do so with fire, precision, and emotional power. It’s almost like they never left, and this record feels like home—granted, a deranged, fully engulfed one—from the moment the first breath of music is pushed into the world. We missed this band for sure.

“Onward Ever Onward” opens confirming what no one should have doubted in that, yes, Lanz still has a bagful of snarling riffs that creep up on you and dice your flesh. Her roars bellow as the drumming splits your veins, the tempo mashes fingers, and the mud begins to thicken at your feet, making your travels incredibly hard to complete. “Dark Harbours” is cold and eerie when it starts, the moodiness thickening like a scratchy gray storm cloud before the pace tears open. Guitars carve tributaries as the shrieks pummel, anguish spilling from every crevice, riffs multiplying and mounting new assaults. The punishment increases as a fluid, exciting pace gets into your bloodstream with the song rumbling out into sound. “Offerings of Hand and Tongue” is one of the most different cuts in the band’s entire catalog, the playing feeling breezier, even sultry as Lanz sings cleanly, increasing the emotion to new levels. The playing pushes and pulls, heading into stormy waters where the harsh howls eat away at you, other times the waters subside and let newer textures take over. Later, the guttural ferocity takes over, the playing creating thoughts of battling phantoms, you with no weapons, as the struggle gets the better of your mind.

“Mortal Quarry” has some of my favorite guitar work on the entire record, its introductory riff lancing dangerously, the melodies burning your flesh. The shrieks feel like they’re digging internally for your life source, delirium rises as the vocals get nastier and the low-end trudges, then it feels like everything reverses course, as dangerously as possible, flattening your physical well-being as the drums cave in your chest. “In All Her Glory” is speedier as it strikes, taking you on a runaway mission downhill, picking up velocity and terror along the way. The vocals fire hard as the pace gets more inventive, and atmosphere allows you some breath, but you know that comfort is temporary. The vocals continue to smear ash in your mouth, and the playing eventually melts into the ground. “The Thread That Will Unravel You” ends the record with slow-driving heat, vocals blistering, and the guitars making a game of toying with you and refusing mercy. The bass thunders beneath the surface, feeling steely and cool, while Lanz fires up again and delivers howls that sound like they’re tearing apart her throat. The final moments coil and strike once more, adding insurmountable heat and punishment that will takes days, maybe weeks from which to recover mentally and physically.

Having Mares of Thrace back is one of the early-year feel-good stories, even though “The Exile” will do its best to deliver psychological scarring as the duo treats you to carnage and spacious madness. Lanz is a force the metal world absolutely needs, a performer whose fire and tenacity are front and center, making her someone whose work lives in your head permanently. She and Rogers are a formidable team, one that shows a muddier, bloodier side to this band that is more vital than ever realized.    

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

To buy the album, go here: https://linktr.ee/maresofthrace

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

None of us chose this life. We were sucked into this planet for better or worse, and we have to make do with what we have and what we’ve learned and try to make the best of it for ourselves and hopefully other people. But there’s a lot that gets tied into that, and there are things that we had nothing to do with that we have to sort through and absorb, and it’s a lot to handle considering, again, we didn’t choose this.

That bleeds right into “Key to a Vanishing Future,” the new record from Falls of Rauros that is unlike anything you’ve heard from this band before. They took on that whole concept of having to deal with a life put on us and the history that colors what happens now and the means of accepting that and using it to make a better future for everyone. Yet there is religious and political bullshit that hold that back, a refusal to own up to why oppressed people feel the way they do, and only the ones who are willing to take on the burden and acknowledge where we’ve gone wrong are going to be true agents of change. Musically, this as diverse as Falls of Rauros ever have sounded. The band—vocalist/guitarist Aaron Charles, guitarist/vocalist/keyboard player Jordan Guerette, bassist Evan Lovely, drummer Ray Capizzo—expand far beyond black metal into deeper progressive waters and just straight-up heavy metal, and it’s a goddamn revelation. This is their best record in a collection of great ones.

“Clarity” gently opens the record, the guitars raining down like a warm spring shower, and then the scorching begins as the jaws unhinge and open. We surge into gazey flooding, punches windmill through an atmospheric gasp, and things crumble anew, the vocals stretching with the atmospheric pressure, ending abruptly. “Desert of Heart” is lush and spacey when it lands, then the bass trudges, and the vocals head into the stratosphere. Steamy and proggy, the melodic rush gets more oppressive, the synth moving with woodsy energy, and then the soloing erupts and heads for the stars, wrenching and washing before the track comes to a shimmering end. “Survival Poem” is moody and foggy, and then the power explodes, the verses raining punishment. The vocals shred as the guitars race and tangle, the pace rustles, and the leads catch fire, blazing a path into the cosmos.

“Known World Narrows” dawns with cloudy bass that spits deathrock vibes and guitars soaring, and the playing moves into more sinister waters. The shrieks mar as the pace floods, the speed becomes an even greater factor, and wild cries call off into the distance. Things get ugly as the vocals menace, keys wash onto the floor, and things come to a rushing end. “Daggers in Floodlight” melts in dark and stormy, mellotron giving off a proggy, vintage feeling that coats your cells. Things rumble as the leads glimmer, the playing goes off, and the keys return to the vibe that opened the song. Melodies rain down and flood the land, then sunburnt guitars deliver the warmth needed for total absorption. Closer “Poverty Hymn” crushes from the start, shrieks strike, and the tempo is active and surging, delivering punches. A gazey storm goes cold and sends shivers up your spine, chilling your flesh, and then the playing ignites all over, sending your brain into overdrive. Melodies flood your mind as the band gives one final chance to bask in solemn mist that leaves your face coated in a thick film of precipitation.

It’s really difficult to give a proper summary of “Key to a Vanishing Future,” one of the most inventive and exciting records in all of Fall of Rauros’ rich creations. Speaking as a non-musician, it’s exciting and heart pumping to hear this band work through progressions seamlessly and create an experience that takes you away from this earth, so I can only imagine how impressive this record actually is if I had any idea how they put it together. This is a new beast altogether, a creation from a band that already was operating on an insane level and somehow figured out how to make it more intense.  

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

To buy the album (vinyl due later this year), go here: https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/key-to-a-vanishing-future

Or here: https://store.eisenton.de/en/search?query=FALLS+OF+RAUROS

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

And here: https://www.eisenton.de/

Every year toward the end of the summer, the goddamn Renaissance Festival returns, giving everyone a chance to enjoy entertainment from ages ago when sword clashes were a regular occurrence, and bloodshed would occur on horse-galloped battlefields. It’s fun for an afternoon, but it’s also a reminder how much comfort and actual luxury surrounds us. We can have a sandwich driven to our homes in minutes!

Danish black metal dreamers Heltekvad are heavily awash in eras from centuries ago, and their Medieval brand of wickedness rushes to the forefront on their impressive debut outing “Morgenrødens Helvedesherre.” The record is an enormous amount of fun, it’s deadly, and it brings to you the essence of jousts and duels to your very headphones and or speakers. The band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Ole Luk, guitarist/bassist Simon Skotte, drummer/backing vocalist Simon Frenning—create a pretty unique collection here. It’s not like they’re the first band to scratch that Middle Ages itch, but they do so with such enthusiasm and genuine drive that you can’t help but get lost in the dust as the band storms over seven tracks and almost 36 minutes of chaos.

“Organdies åbenbaring” starts with guitars circling and the sound of an unsheathed blade, howls coming at you from insane angles. The drums smash as the guitars continue to build, deranged wails get under your skin, and hypnotic riffs form a tornadic shield and drive you into a vortex. “Ærbødig er den som sejrer” opens in what sounds like a Middle Ages festival, flutes dancing, the atmosphere festive, and then the track starts to open wounds. The guitars race and surge while speedy chaos erupts, vocals tear at flesh, and everything grows in scope and pressure, ending with howls bringing a final dose of menace. “Ved sværdets klinge skal du forgå” rips in with guitars carving and the shrieks eating away at you, the guitars crashing and flooding. The playing storms even heavier, amplifying the madness, doubling down on the ferocious nature of what’s going on here, comforting flutes carrying you out.

“Eder og hæder” explodes right away, leveling with a stormfront that’s unforgiving and penetrating, rapid-fire playing digging into your brain. Guitars dice as gut-wrenching playing makes breathing a challenge, and the heat just simmers, wilting you in an atmospheric agony. “Fornægter din æt” has a gusty start that lets winds whip dangerously, the shrieks maiming even as the melodies pick you up and whisk you into battle. The tempos grow more humid, caking your face in sweat as the playing chars and leaves you in a pile of ash. “Du skæbnesvangre stund” bellows in with synth that sounds like glorious horns opening battle with the guitars lathering up with speed and power. The vocals mash as things get more volatile, the guitars leave a numbing effect, and everything ends suddenly in spastic gasps. “Døden står ved himmelens port” is the closer, and it basks in glowing synth and thick murk before the power ignites, and the playing comes rampaging. Guitars spiral as the vocals deliver punishment, hellish pain is dealt in generous doses, and everything ends with melodies flooding and a general sense of unease.

“Morgenrødens Helvedesherre” is one of the strangest black metal records you’re bound to hear this year, which we mean in a charming and disarming way. Heltekvad’s driving Medieval sound is razor sharp and full of hurricane-force melodies, and the textures, sounds, and instruments from that era add a much different attitude to a subgenre that sometimes forgets that being inventive is a favorable trait. This is an album that’s catchy, feels like it transported from the deep past, and remains invigorating and splattering the entire time.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://ffm.bio/heltekvad

For more on the label, go here: https://www.eisenton.de/