Some of the more interesting bands operating in the heavy music space are the ones that keep pushing forward and refuse to adhere to templates that have grown stale. The ability to push other buttons and take chances keeps things fresh and exciting, and while some listeners might get irritated they aren’t being served the same thing over and over, the ones with open minds eventually will understand.

Doom duo Foehammer—guitarist/vocalist Jay Cardinell, drummer Ben Price—created punishingly slow music ever since they arrived nearly a decade ago. And before you freak out, they’re not exactly running Iron Maiden-style gallops nor blast beats past you, so calm down. On “Monumentum,” their mammoth second record, a five-track double album, the band changes things up a bit. While they still heavily worship at the altar of lurching doom, there’s more aggression, some speedier sequences, and expanded imagination. Speaking of which, there also are homages to authors such as Ursula K LeGuin and Jorge Luis Borges as well as their own mythology they weave into this song, which makes this even more exciting and immersive.

Opener “Orm Embar” runs a healthy 14 minutes, the ground rumbling and Cardinell’s growls ripping through the earth’s crust. The playing is dark and deathly, plodding along as the band’s brutally deliberate pace enables the bruising to really set into the muscles. The tempo drives as the drums blister the flesh, a sinister vibe getting bigger and more troubling to battle.  “Oblivion of Sand” lands blows right away, pushing and scathing, slowly beating you into the ground. Guttural growls unleash their claws as the guitars heat up and spread, the drums blister, and the heat increases to a boiling level of danger, spitting strange energy. The growls crush as somber waters soak the ground, cosmic fog grows threateningly thick, and everything washes into the horizon.

“The Disk” brings massive aggression and destructive growls, pummeling and slashing away. The vocals bubble as the playing gets smothering and heavy, pounding brutally as guitars jolt and invade your nervous system. The tempo chews muscle, the playing scorches, and everything is left flattened. “The Great Cortege I – Accession of the Elder” is hazy and slow when it starts, opening into mysterious darkness, increasing the cloud cover. Guitars fry as the drums mash, the growls curdle, and the pace keeps pummeling, the menacing growls adding to the morbidity and draining the final drops of life. Closer “The Great Cortege II – Anointment of the Gift-Child” runs 14:20, the longest track here that starts by drilling into your guts. The ambiance is hypnotic but also devastating, noise wells and drones, and the menace becomes an even more formidable force with which to reckon. Heavy fire blasts, guitars create seismic waves, and the playing spirals into cosmic heat and eventually fades away.

Foehammer make a massive step forward with “Monumentum” as the duo adds more spice and savagery into their music and pepper you with doom that plods and always leaves you hanging on each note. The fantastical elements built into the music are completely at home and add an exciting element that helps this music rise above of the expected trappings of music this style. This is a meaty, hammering record that should earn this band more followers and leave bodies buried in their wake.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://silentpendulumrecords.com/collections/all-products

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

We are very lucky in that we live in a time when metal’s legends still are among us, creating great art and proving the style has true staying power even after its creators have spent so much time in the trenches. Judas Priest and Iron Maiden continue to make strong new records and tour, and having seen Metallica on their short stadium run this summer, it’s clear they still absolutely bring it.

That also applies to longtime doom standard bearers Candlemass, who continue to make strong music nearly 40 years into their run as a band. Just as the air is getting colder (actually, it was like 80 here today, but that won’t last…), this legendary act returns with “Sweet Evil Sun,” their 13^th album and follow-up to 2019’s “The Door to Doom.” On this record, the band—vocalist Johan Lanquist, guitarists Lars Johansson and Mappe Björkman, bassist Leif Edling, drummer Janne Lind—digs back to their roots, delivering epic doom metal but also grounding that in where this stuff came from in the first place. Lanquist (who returned in 2018), Björkman, and Edling all date back to their “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” debut, and they still have the fire and ominous energy to be as relevant and fiery as they are on this album.

“Wizard of the Vortex” kicks off the record with crushing riffs and strong singing, two hallmarks of any good Candlemass song. The chorus is gothy and hearty, the soloing rips out and delivers electricity, and Lanquist calls, “Spreading her wings down, down, down, down,” as the track ends on a folkish note. The title track erupts with guitars blaring and melodies twisting, a classic 1980s feel driving through your blood. The soloing melts as the fiery pace kicks harder, and Lanquist howls, “Oh mother of the world, you are one.” “Angel Battle” is sinister with grittier singing and the guitars bringing aggression, Lanquist calling, “The war to end all wars.” Guitars melt as the playing turns into slow and doomy storming, rolling under thickening cloud cover and fading into steady rain and chiming bells. “Black Butterfly” powers with its blackening riffs, the murk hanging overhead and making the shadows feel more threatening. The band finds a way to get more haunting, the chorus smokes, and the guitar playing spirals into a pile of ash. “When Death Sighs” features Jennie-Ann Smith of Avatarium who adds her dramatic vocals to this stunner. The chorus is steamy and alluring as great darkness falls, the classic doom strains flex, and the calls of, “Now tell me who you love,” reverberate in your cells.

“Scandinavian Gods” is ominous with thornier singing and slow-driving, sooty playing that coats your face with black. “Sing for me brother, sister, and son, sing for the brave and old,” Lanquist bellows over the chorus, adding a catchy, dark edge to the playing, the soloing taking off into the sun. “Devil Voodoo” starts acoustically with the singing deliberately moving, the pace eventually bursting open. The chorus punishes as the guitar playing brings some bluesy heat, and then we settle back into slower, more delicate terrain as Lanquist calls, “Can I really do what you want me to?” as everything soaks into gothy soil. “Crucified” lets guitars utterly melt, kicking in and leaving dents in your skull, bringing a spirit that darkens the skies. The pace stews and steams, sludgy guitars emerge, and everything slowly evaporates into thin air. “Goddess” takes its time sinking in its hooks, while the vocals scrape prone flesh, Lanquist howling, “Do you really feel betrayed?” The guitars take off as the singing toughens, the power slithers, and the ominous call of, “The beginning of the end,” makes the aura feel apocalyptic. Closer “A Cup of Coffin” is a brief instrumental outro with the bass lurching, guitars heating up, and detached applause raining down and dropping the final curtain.

Candlemass obviously are legends of the doom genre, carrying the banner for four decades, and creating so much diverse music, even within their own catalog, that the world owes them a debt of gratitude. “Sweet Evil Sun” is a chance for this reworked version of the band, once that stretches all the way back to their formation, to flex their muscles and continue to prove the fire they have left for the world. This is a strong, immersive, powerful set from a band with nothing left to prove that continues to create great art regardless.

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

To buy the album (U.S./Canada), go here: https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/

Or here (rest of the world): https://napalmrecords.com/

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

At the risk of making longtime readers roll their eyes out of their skull, yes, we’re doing the pandemic opening again. But hold on! There’s good reason for it. That period of time had a horrible impact on a lot of people’s mental health, mine included. The news cycle was relentless, and having a new virus we knew little about creating havoc and taking lives was a lot to handle, and it’s not over.

On Destroyer of Light’s incredible new record “Panic,” the timeframe once again rears its head, reminding us of all the ways we lost ourselves trying to mentally deal with something unknown. But this record doesn’t just touch on that topic as the band also visits subjects such as natural disasters and other upheavals that have us losing our fucking shit trying to figure out how to deal with the aftermath. That period of freakout inspired the band—vocalist/guitarist Steve Colca, guitarist Keegan Kjeldsen, bassist Mike Swarbrick, drummer Kelly Turner—to create these seven tracks that are some of the richest, most diverse of their entire run. It’s a great doom record for sure, but there’s so much more packed into this thing that deviates from their previous four albums (killers them all) but also ties them all together, creating even more room for creativity.

“Darkshimmer” opens as a siren and sinks right into a heavy doom riff, and then the singing swells with shrieks mixing in and adding the thorns. The power mauls as the leads soar, bringing a psychedelic edge as the growls smear blood, the singing swings back, and the energy finally fades out. “Contagion” might hit a little too close to home for those still psychologically impacted by the pandemic, the sludge thickening and chugging. Ominous singing stings the ears, and the chorus, while incredibly dark, also pushes you to the emotional brink. The guitar work continues to pay off the hopelessness, the playing takes off, and the growls smear as the soot hangs in the air. “The Midnight Sun” opens with a clip from “The Twilight Zone” episode from 1961 of the same name as the song. The riffs are catchy as hell and the singing gets you, pushing the gas pedal and increasing the steam. Later, there’s a slow-driving force that brings a psyche haze as everything glimmers and scorches to the end.

“Before You Die” delivers a swarm of guitars as a slow, plodding pace takes over, a shadowy vibe spilling into a hypnotic pall, the guitars washing over everything. The playing drubs as everything slowly spirals, the darkness increases, and the guitars set the scene ablaze. “Cold Air I” dawns with atmospheric guitars and a spacious energy, the singing pushing you to your will. Melodic leads and a warm bath of emotion floods, the electricity stretching until strange bubbling rushes to the surface. “Cold Air II” starts with acoustics and washed-out singing, a synth haze buzzing overhead like an alien ship. The cosmic essence gets thicker, beams of light tear through the night, and somber storming pulls to the finish line. Closer “Nightmares Come True” opens and immediately boils, the vocals taking to the air as the guitars rise with everything. A strong chorus utterly rips, and sludgy punching takes its toll, Colca calling, “Search for the truth, feed the lies, your mind destroys you,” a true dagger to finish this killer collection.

Who amongst us hasn’t felt complete and total desperation the past few years alone? Destroyer of Light calling this record “Panic” is a perfect move, encapsulating not only how we’ve felt during a health crisis but the way people react to natural disaster and events we have no hope of controlling. This not only is a step ahead for the band musically, but it’s also a thought-provoking collection of songs loosely stitched together by the concept of losing your total fucking mind.

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

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

There are times when I like to enjoy some very legal Pennsylvania marijuana and take the hottest shower I can handle before going to sleep. The effects of all of that is a sensation like I’m floating, entering into a strange dream state even though I’m wide awake and letting myself drift off to wherever it takes me. I don’t advise operating machinery when this happens, so we’re clear.

That experience is one that I feel without the benefits of drugs and steam when experiencing “Song of Salvation,” the incredible new record from death/doom duo Dream Unending that follows last year’s “Tide Turns Eternal.” The leap from record one to two is astonishing, and that holds even more power considering how great their debut is. The band—guitarist/bassist Derrick Vella (Outer Heaven, Tomb Mold), drummer/vocalist Justin DeTore (Sumerland, Innumerable Forms)—enters into a mystical land of frost and fog, strange transmissions, and the thorns of death and doom that feel like they stretch the lifespan of all heavy metal. They’re also joined by noted metal luminaries (we’ll introduce them later) to help realize their visions and create an atmosphere that stands on its own as something that’ll infect your cells and make it impossible to shake its power.

The record has epic numbers as bookends, the first being the opening title track that runs 14:05 and trickles into guitars launching and growls lurching. The murky coldness keeps getting thicker, the condensation on your limbs freezing you as mystical playing makes you see visions, and then the grisly powers open again. Dark, steamy trudging has its way, the howls penetrate your psyche, and the final minutes work to fully disorient you as it dissolves into mystery. “Secret Grief” features Phil Swanson (Hour of 13, ex-Sumerlands, myriad other bands) and Leila Abdul-Rauf on trumpet, and everything moves quietly and cleanly, giving you comfort that feels a little unsettling. The heat envelops as the horns haunt, strong and hypnotic playing is a bed for the clean vocals and growls to intermingle, and everything is engorged before ending abruptly.

“Murmur of Voices” is a brief interlude built with clean guitars bubbling, warm winds blowing, and whispers jarring you from sleeping, pulling into instrumental track “Unrequited” that melts into the rocks and soil. An elegant ambient glaze drizzles as the guitars burn deeply, synth clouds spread, and the body feels like it’s rising into outer space, floating endless among the stars. Closer “Ecstatic Reign” is the longest track, running 16:03 and trudging open, leaving muddy bootsteps behind. Growls pummel, but that aggression is encapsulated in dreamy interference, McKenna Rae’s (Phantom Divine, Revelry) gentle calls as The Implorer making the tension calm and your mind able to wander. The playing reignites later, bursts of lava blazing the night sky, a doomy pall covering the land and bringing on the cold. Max Klebanoff (also of Tomb Mold) twists his howls with DeTore’s as the pressure gets heavier, and then Richard Poe enters as The Dreamer, narrating and haunting. “The search continues, the dance lasts forever, can you hear the song that plays?” he implores as the final bursts of fury register, the growls engulf, and the swarming leads bring this dream to a stunning end.

Dream Unending’s artistic output seems not of this world, an environment seemingly only accessible in slumber or when indulging in mind-altering experiences. “Song of Salvation” exists on its own island, a piece that I’m not sure any other band in heavy music could equal, a vision that entrances and pulls you into their world with electricity and numbing energy that spills right into your brain. This is an indescribable experience, though we tried to convey what we felt, and it must be absorbed to fully understand exactly the impact it holds. And like a drug, the journey is likely to be radically different for everyone.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/thedreamisunending/

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

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

The world is a dark and horrible place, and anyone who thinks differently clearly isn’t paying attention or is willfully ignorant to the truth. We live in a hellscape that likely is going to get worse. Oppression is on the rise, hatred is seen as a quality to get elected, and respect and protection for people different from the majority is eroding at an alarming rate. Survival has become a deadly game for so many.

Detroit black metal/doom crushers Fell Ruin surely have seen the erosion in their own backyards, and they use their second record “Cast in Oil the Dressed Wrought” as a sort of memoir for a character trying to survive in what’s become an increasingly hostile world. The band—vocalist/synth player Brian Sheehan, guitarist/synth player Robert Radtke, bassist Jeff McMullen, drummer August Krueger—deliver a six-track destroyer that is heavy, bleak, and bruising. It’s a record that aligns with anyone feeling the same type of misery but also reminds that positivity is a losing game, and there is so much more to endure before we can even imagine brighter days. Reality sucks, and this album is a reminder.

“Fixation” opens the record and is a quick, synth-driven intro track setting the ambiance for what comes next, which most directly is the title track that immediately ravages from the word go. The pace has moments where it slows and lets the burn really get inside of you, but mostly you’re being fully battered as weird guitar lines slash, the playing boils in hell, and a brief gasp of solemnity dives right back into churning power. The bass chews, the howls pummel, and the fog claims everything. “Stain the Field” blisters as the vocals cave chests, dark and foreboding melodies rushing and snaking. Foreboding winds blow as the playing gets more intense, giving off strange vibes that encircle, the guitars knifing toward you dangerously, washing out with pools of blackening blood.

“Patronage of the Gutted Man” is another quick instrumental cut, sprinkling folkish melodies and gentler guitars, slowly trickling toward “The Burning Spire” that tears open and lets the drums mount a complete assault. The playing trudges and splits skulls as the vocals burst, and the guitars tremble, leaving you shaking uncontrollably. Detached speaking makes you feel extra uncomfortable as the growls corrode, the playing thrashes and burns, and the knives coming at you at weird angles finally relent as the end is fully smothered. Closer “Sightless Amongst the Weavers” dawns in a cloud of strange synth that wafts, and then the growls splatter, and psychedelic drops get into your skin and make you see visions. Cavernous power engulfs as the playing mars, coming apart and powdering bones. The riffs ignite and make seismic waves, the devastation multiplies, and everything spirals out, resting forever in a static bed.

“Cast in Oil the Dressed Wrought” is immersed in the horrors of the world, a place where our comfort gets further away from us by the moment. Fell Voices treat this reality with harrowing, hypnotic and doomy black metal that tortures your soul and pushes your psyche to its limits. This is a massive statement that is a sobering reminder of the hell that surrounds us and that music like this is here to be a partner in that shared torture.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.tartarusrecords.com/product/fell-ruin-cast-in-oil-the-dressed-wrought/

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

You know that whole “there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes” thing? Well, it’s wrong. There’s a third. Darkthrone will return every few years with another record that isn’t a callback to their black metal roots that’ll continually annoy the so-called purists. But for the rest of us, it’ll be a joy in a life of constant pain, a lifeline from metal’s roots that always seems ready to nourish.

Yes, we have a new Darkthrone platter called “Astral Fortress,” and yes, it’s a fucking great time. The duo of guitarist/bassist/vocalist Nocturno Culto and everyone’s favorite metal lifer/cool uncle drummer/vocalist Fenriz are back to spread more metallic tidings, this time with seven tracks over 40 minutes. This follow-up to last year’s “Eternal Hails……” and 19^th full-length overall definitely sounds like the Darkthrone we’ve come to know the past decade or so, but they always have some new twists and turns that leave you guessing. They label themselves “old metal,” and that’s a pretty good descriptor as they traverse the genre’s history, grab components from their lifelong journey, and color it with 2022 vibes. They’re as reliable as one can get from any metal band, and while this won’t satisfy everyone, you have to either be a miserable bastard or just too set in your ways not to smile a whole fucking lot listening to this.

“Caravan of Broken Ghosts” starts not with a gust but acoustically, giving a slow burn before things starts to scrape, the humidity increasing and barreling toward you. The guys then start thrashing, firing up and bringing heavy lumber, defying all times and eras. Darker riffs emerge, the vocals are gruff and grisly, and the final churns eat into the earth. “Impeccable Caverns of Satan” delivers strong riffs and Nocturno Culto’s unmistakable howls, the ominous tones getting into your blood. Guitars trudge and then take on a glorious sheen before the playing gets dirtier, mashing your fingers and stretching your muscles before dissolving into thin air. “Stalagmite Necklace” lights up the guitars, brings strange and hovering synth, and devious and echoey playing makes your flesh crawl. “You cannot see the forest for the fear,” Fenriz howls, “I see you with your stalagmite necklace,” sometimes sounding like Tom G. Warrior. The murk thickens as the doom lands, pummeling before burning out.

“The Sea Beneath the Seas of the Sea” is the longest track, running 10:10 and unloading psychedelic guitars that help the ambiance get more intense. Vocals mar as the playing chugs with a filthy underbelly, the steady playing keeping the blood flowing as the howl of, “Drying out in the caves of apathy while I am the sea beneath the seas of the sea,” jolts you to your core. Mesmerizing thrashing makes its presence felt, the leads smear, and a huge, raucous finish melts everything to goo. “Kevorkian Times” opens with sooty riffs and vocals that feel like they’ve rolled around in the dirt, speeding up later and jolting your bones. Darkening swirls add immersive shadows, sinking you in dark waters before washing away. “Kolbotn, West of the Vast Forests” is an instrumental piece with chimes, chants, and odd strings, adding an eerie aura that leads into closer “Eon 2” that responds with charging riffs. Everything soars as classic guitar work makes you feel the pit of nostalgia, the vocals creak into a lush acoustic bed, and manic energy fills your every pore. The energy charges and takes you with it, finally letting you breathe a little, ending in a pocket of warmth.

There are plenty of things you can expect from a Darkthrone record—boundless energy, the love of every era of heavy metal, the frosty gasp of wintry winds—but they always have a few surprises up their sleeves as they do on “Astral Fortress.” Likely those who expected black metal from this duo every time long have fucked off, and they’re not missed as Darkthrone keep releasing fully enjoyable and honest slabs of “old metal” that feel tried and true. This is as true an expression of heavy metal one is going to find, and leave it to the trusty Darkthrone institution to satisfy all over again.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://peaceville.merchnow.com/catalogs/Darkthrone

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

Doing a site that reviews a handful of records each week might not seem like that tough of a thing to do, and honestly there are harder jobs out there. We’re not exactly saving lives. But we live in shitty times where fascism is on the rise, we’re somehow still dealing with rampant antisemitism, and finding bands and labels you can truly trust is exhausting and involves more research than it should.

So, when we find a label like Fiadh Productions, it makes what we do a whole lot easier. Not only is the female-owned label steadfast in their stance against fascism and supports animal rights, they also put out killer music in physical and digital form you can trust isn’t made by shitheads. It’s hard for a site like mine with one dummy doing everything to capture everything Fiadh is putting out and already has released (Cherry Cordial are a delight; the Book of Sand’s “Occult Anarchist Propaganda” vinyl reissue is essential as is their new album that we covered Friday; Petricor make rousing black metal), but we present a few of their November releases we really liked in capsule form as well as some notes on other stuff that’s available. Fiadh already has informed me there’s another swarm of stuff coming, so I’m very excited to hear that and give you another roundup when the time is right.

Agriculture is a four-piece black metal band from Los Angeles, and their “The Circle Chant” is a fairly compact collection of four tracks that give you a taste of what the band does well. Yes, of course, black metal is so prevalent in heavy music that it’s not always the easiest to sift out the trash, but Agriculture certainly are in the group of those that adhere to the roots but push into places others fear to tread. Take for example the storming title track that starts the collection that then pushes into “Salt” that features lush singing and harmonizing, sounding like something you’d hear coming off a misty mountain hike. “The Circle Chant Pt II” that closes the collection even features some honey-thick pedal steel that veers into country terrain, giving this blast of black metal a proper sunburn.  

For more on the band, go here: https://agriculturemusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-circle-chant

The band supports: https://www.myfriendsplace.org/

Just a couple weeks ago, one-woman black metal project Vega didn’t even have a social media profile at all. Now, there’s an Instagram account, and the woman behind the five-track debut EP “Reliquia,” Vega Shaker, has explained the power behind this jarring effort combines her desire to move forward with her life and the struggle to make sense of a past that wasn’t always comforting. The songs on here revel in black metal horror but also trade off with gothy tendencies and delicacy not often experienced in this style of music. It feels very personal even before knowing what the music is about, and you can feel the exploration and the pain drip through this entire thing. It’s emotional, intense, vicious, and vulnerable, the first step on what could be a fascinating project to watch and hear develop.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/vega_bm_official/

Finland hasn’t come at us with the most reliable of bands when it comes to battling against fascism, but raw vampiric black metal force Sanguinaria make it very clear right up front they do not tolerate that bullshit with their “Fuck NSBM. No tolerance for nazis and nazi sympathizers,” greeting on their Facebook page. So, we already had love in our heart for this bizarre band for that reason, and their seven-track debut offering was something we looked forward to devouring in full. And what an experience it is with some of the strangest guitar playing, warped melodies, and mystical fury, sometimes even packing a punk rock edge to their chaos. The songs are mangling, exciting, chaotic, obscured in noise, and a tremendous blast right to your chest that robs you off your breath.  

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

Montana isn’t exactly a hotbed for heavy metal, but Uamh potentially could change that with “Ràithean,” their second EP overall and this year. Over two lengthy tracks, the one-man project helmed by Urisk Uaine (guests musicians add tin whistle and harp) stretches into stormy, glorious black metal that feels like it’s rampaging over the horizon, situated in the heart of a storm that’s growing more intense by the moment. The music is angling to express what’s it’s like to witness the changing of the seasons in Montana, something I’ve never witnessed, so I can only take for granted the feelings conveyed here. But I definitely got something in my gut that made me think of the natural cycles here in my home state. So, I guess I got it. The music provides electricity, driving energy, and waters rushing, chilling you thoroughly and letting the soil entomb you for good.

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

The band supports: https://www.niwrc.org/

There also are recordings from Connecticut black metal force This White Mountain with “A Plague Upon the Earth” (we covered their “The Final Sorrow” earlier this year); Scottish dungeon synth force Abyssal Slumber with their “Demo I” that’s a strange and mysterious adventure; and Scottish black metal crushers Dorchadas and their slashing “Aon.” All are more than worth your time, and as noted, many of the bands support great causes.

To buy all of these releases, go to: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/