Our lives are adventures that contain myriad levels of learning, developing, making mistakes, and trying to get a better definition of who we are as individuals. The events in our lives shape us for better, worse, or indifferent, and that data that etches itself into our psyches has a major hand in helping us navigate where we’re going and how we’re going to proceed. A lot of times, our journeys are tumultuous.

Nathan Guerrette, the key driving force behind cinematic black metal force Great Cold Emptiness, has been on a sojourn himself that has played out on his “The Becoming of Man,” trilogy, the final serving of which arrives on “Immaculate Hearts Will Triumph.” These four epic tracks focus on the communities we build among friends, forgiveness we show others, and how we build these relationships that can become the center of our lives. At the same time, Guerrette also ties in the events of the Our Lady of Fatima events in Portugal, 1917, along with his own spiritual experiences that colored this record. Joined by vocalist Meghan Wood (Crown of Asteria) and bassist/guitarist Preston Lobzun (Rampancy, Narchthrone, etc.) as well as guests Caleb Hennessey (Dismalimerence, Meadows of Melancholy, etc.) and Elijah Cirricione (Aetheric Existence, Cyclopean, etc.), the entire group fleshes out these massive, emotional, incredibly atmospheric songs that bleed humanity and help seal wounds.

“The Patron Saint of Whalewatching” opens the record and runs 14:28, starting with a melodic burst that makes the ground shake. Wood’s shrieks destroy as vibrant playing and gazey flooding pair up and fill your senses, heading into a dreamy sequence that takes over your mind and body. The playing builds out of that, shrieks rain down, and keys shimmer, the playing welling up dangerously, spilling over edges and cultivating energy. Another synth wall awaits as the elements rush once more and blend together before succumbing to a bed of keys. “To Die for the Ideal” carries over the synth cloud and meets up with volcanic jolts, amping up the emotion and walking right into powerful shrieks. The guitars soar and develop a steaming atmosphere, clean calls beckon, and a wave of warmth melts ice blocks as the playing swarms again. Melodies collect, punishment rises, and everything fades into the horizon.

“She Sang of Hyperborea” is the second-longest track at 13:49, and it explodes with great energy, and shrieks fire up and rampage. A brief serenity helps you cool off, and then it’s into guitars taking over and blasting with fury, keys melting and running like a cold stream, and random colors chase shadows. The growls rumble as the room begins to spin, spellbinding melodies work into your mind, and the shrieks crush, flowing with intensity before gently trailing away. Closer “With Friends Like These” dawns with glimmering synth, freezing shrieks, and the playing pounding away, blasting through the earth’s crust. The emotion charges from your stomach into your chest, keys light up and streak across the sky, and the playing pounds, slipping into an almost danceable rhythm and bouncing to a pulsating finish.

The closure of “The Becoming of a Man” trilogy on “Immaculate Hearts Will Triumph” is both thrilling and sad, being that we have this intensely moving record but one that ends this story the band has been telling. Great Cold Emptiness is unlike most bands in the atmospheric black metal range in that their hearts outwardly bleed, and the inspirations and life experiences they have poured into this project are ones to which all humans can relate on some level. This record is filled with camaraderie, healing, and compassion, and it’s an incredible final chapter to the ultimate discovery tale.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://flowingdownward.bandcamp.com/album/immaculate-hearts-will-triumph

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

Heavy metal used to be a singular thing. At one time, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and Motley Crüe were all just labeled as metal, and that was the end of the story. Over time as the sound progressed, things splintered, subgenres were created and adhered to, and heavy metal became more of a continent with different countries tied to it. Let diplomacy begin.

Hearing a band like Hail the Void, a trio based in British Columbia, makes me feel for the time when things were just heavy metal, and the rest of the world hated it. This band feels like they are from that era, and while the doom tag certainly can be applied and makes total sense, I see them as pure metal through and through. Ozzy Osbourne’s bassist Blasko got wind of these guys and brought them to the attention of Ripple Music, and I guess he knows what he’s talking about. He does play with this Osbourne guy who has done a little bit for the good of metal all over the globe. So, the band—guitarist/vocalist Kirin Gudmundson, bassist Dean Gustin, drummer Curtis Bennet—benefits from having a hand up, and they fucking hit this thing out of the park, making good on Blasko’s support by releasing the swaggering and infectious “Memento Mori,” their second album and easily their best.

“Mind Undone” is a quick intro cut with buried singing, dissonant sounds, and a slow fade into “Writing on the Wall” that slowly drips open before the pace begins drubbing. Guitars fire up and give off a bluesy smoke, and the ominous singing sinks in its teeth as Gudmundson calls, “It’s so damn cold, you stole my soul,” as the final surges quake the ground. “Goldwater” likely isn’t about the former senator and trickles with dusty guitars and a power surge that gets the adrenaline kicking. Fiery leads take control as the chugging tempo bruises, energetic guitars pulsate, and throaty howls jolt and leave you toppled on the ground. “Talking to the Dead” opens with drums scuffling, the guitars blazing, and fierce vocals registering and ringing your ears. “When you were alone, I bought and sold the world,” Gudmundson levels as the guitar buzz swells, and the final moments rattle bones.

“High and Rising” opens with rains soaking and a spooky ambiance being set, chilling your bones as the track envelopes. “I hope the life you lead is sound, because I’ll run you straight into the ground,” Gudmundson warns as the guitars develop a psychedelic sheen, and the final drops of doom sink into the earth. “100 Pills” slowly thaws and takes on a dour, sinking feeling, with dreamy sentiments mixing with the soot. “I feel my life against the grain,” Gudmundson calls as the agony increases, and the darkness leaves the room on a breeze. “Serpens South” starts clean before the guitars start buzzing, and the verses build on the emotional mound being built. Darkness spreads as the guitars darken and give off tormenting spirits, dripping into pain as the moodiness strikes like a slowly unfolding tidal wave. Closer “The Void” dawns from a fog and quiet guitars, moving like a ghost as Gudmundson calls, “Take me on a trip down below.” The pain never relents, the playing blackens, and the dust fades into the skyline, merging with the horizon.

Hail the Void’s largely traditional doom works on so many levels that it’s hard to pinpoint what they do the best. Perhaps it’s the dark human emotion and relentless melody on “Memento Mori” that is what stand out the most, or maybe it’s their ability to stomp terrain long ago walked by the masters that makes them so effective. Whatever it is, this is a record that scratches an itch a lot of modern bands seem to miss, and the power contained inside leaves an impact you can feel for days.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/products

Or here (Europe): https://en.ripple.spkr.media/

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

I’ve never been in a wild street brawl before. Come to think of it, I’ve never been in a brawl before, so maybe what I’m about to say is bullshit since I have no experience. OK, so have you ever heard music before that made of feel like you were getting curb stomped while a bunch of crazed lunatic are throwing punches and kicking people in the teeth? If not, let’s change that.

Nex Mexico-based death metal squad Street Tombs make it feel like you have a mouthful of cinders and blood on their devastating debut record “Reclusive Decay,” a six-track beast that’s a hassle with which to contend. Combining heavy doses of death with streaks of punk and D-beat carnage, the band—guitarist/vocalist Damian Jacoby, guitarist/vocalist David McMaster, bassist Galen Baudhuin, drummer Ben Brodsky—creates a rocky, tumultuous journey that’s one of those ones that doesn’t last a terribly long time but will leave you feeling like you sustained a never-ending beating that shaved chunks off your sanity. This is a wrecking machine with a bloodthirst.

“Wretched Remains” charges in right away, punishing as the growls curdle, and the darkness gets even heavier. The soloing soars and then things get back to gutting, guitars light up, the playing mashes, and the heat boils over. “Diseased Existence” brings guitars winding up and the elements storming as the growls sink into your flesh. A haze hangs over as the chugging gets more intense, and an evil-sounding tone infects the guitars and stomps through the cement, the final moments fading into B movie-style synth. “Devour” thrashes with brutality as the growls crush, and delirious melodies make your balance take a hit. The shadows grow thicker as the guitars give off heat and then mystify, ending the track in a hypnotic fog.

“Rising Torment” lays waste from the start as fiery guitars scorch flesh, and the growls deface as the playing goes into immersive blackness. Speed kicks in and smashes with precision, raw growls make the blood rush to the surface, and a disarming synth haze devours everything. “Commanding Voices of the Damned” pummels with raspy growls and a captivating death race taking form, meaty savagery becoming the most volatile element. The power stretches as feedback hangs, causing disorientation and a dissociative state. Closer “Volcanic Siege” snarls and tangles as the growls punch holes, and nasty sentiments enter the air. The pace charges as the guitars kick harder, bringing on a tornadic intensity that balances with catchy melodies and vicious growls, ending in a pile of ash.

The music on “Reclusive Decay” leaves a film on your face and in your mouth, a gritty, ashen mix that doesn’t taste great and feels like the back end of an alley fight. Street Tombs appear to have little interest in making things look and sound pretty, which is perfect for this six-track barnstormer that has very little of your well-being as an interest. This is brutal, scathing stuff that leaves bruising and bloodied clothing behind, with you left to pick up what’s left of your physical and mental health.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://carbonizedrecords.com/search?q=street+tombs&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

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

Black metal is a strange and overpopulated kingdom that is littered with tons of creators doing similar versions of the same thing, though I’m sure their hearts and minds are in the right place. It’s the same thing that plagues a lot of metal’s terrain, a problem of too much access and not enough special substance. It can’t be easy to break out of that doldrum and find and create something truly exciting.

That’s one of the things that makes bands such as Häxanu so captivating in that they take many of black metal’s elements and bend them to their will, filling each crevice with passion and electricity that blasts through your chest. Comprised of multi-instrumentalist Alex Poole (Chaos Moon) and vocalist L.C. (Lichmagick), this band lashes back with their second record “Totenpass,” a seven-track, 45-minute sojourn into fire and ice, black metal skullduggery and melody that has many of the origin’s spirits in the mix. There’s no need to reinvent or try to find new paths when you already have a channeled, freely bleeding line into the subgenre’s heart, and the way this band goes about things and what they commit to record is monstrous and brain-mangling, music that reminds that freshness still can rise to the surface in a style run rampant.

“Θάρσει” is a brief opening instrumental with acoustics and rushing waters, flowing into “Death Euphoria” that rips and blisters, shrieks raining down like nails from heaven. The playing sweeps you up into a storm, the leads capture your spirit and squeeze your sanity, and the throaty howls from L.C. register deep within your muscles and push you into oblivion. Dual-headed “Thriambus – Threnoidia” is the longest track at 14:40, and it dawns with energetic leads electrifying, the shrieks getting into your flesh and elevating your body temperature. Synth swells as the playing gets more intense, cold waters rush and leave you shivering, and icy shrieks jab flesh, pairing with guitars that make the room spin. Everything explodes as L.C. screams, “No remorse!” as every element multiplies, shrieks drive like a storm, and sharp riffs rattle your bones as everything ends in a flaming heap.

“Sparagmos” runs a healthy 10:25, stirring with a frantic energy, beastly howls hurling hammers at your face. The guitars hit stun mode as they race with a fervor, the vocals scrape flesh, and desperate cries make your anxiety truck, everything frozen over by a synth glaze. Battering, pummeling fires rage, the shrieks deface, and the elements slowly fade into a welcoming horizon. “Ephòdion” explodes and overwhelms, L.C. howling, “Burn me with your sacred fire,” as the guitars rally around that request. Melodies invade and mount an offensive, murky keys add a thick fog to confound your thinking, and speed stampedes as the energy finally burns out. “οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος” is a quick, solemn interlude, feeling spacious and haunting, leading to the closing title track that blisters as it explodes from the gates. Drums march as beastly wails land heavy blows, the atmospheric guitar work swimming through mystery. Grim spirits walk freely as relentless riffs spill blood, the vocals rampage, and fiery melodies soar, bringing down the final hammers on a physically demanding adventure.

With so much to mine in the black metal fields, finding something as intense and challenging as “Totenpass” is a gift that devastates long after the music is done. Häxanu’s mission is but two albums deep so far, but they already have established they’re a force truly their own, something that is cemented into the black metal foundation but isn’t following plan or structures as their build their world. This album feels like it lives and breathes, changing its formation just slightly with each listen, warping your mind along the way.  

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.amor-fati-productions.de/en/

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

Sitting down with a 75-minute record spread over 2 or 3 pieces of vinyl certainly is something I love, and spending time with the massive physical manifestation makes the money spent worthwhile. But let’s also pay respect to the shorter blasts that are over before you can finish a workout but that also leave you thoroughly devastated. The world is big enough for both things, and they create variety.

Nashville metallic trio Act of Impalement lean toward the latter with their second record “Infernal Ordinance,” a 9-track, 29-minute brawler that is packed with power and brutality and that follows 2018 debut “Perdition Cult.” The band—vocalist/guitarist Ethan Rock, bassist Jimmy Grogan, drummer Zack Ledbetter—is one of those you can’t quite pinpoint soundwise, but there’s plenty of death metal, blackened fury, and classic metal glory on this album. It’s economically served, but it doesn’t feel short by any means. This is a fully realized, thunderous display that feels beefier than its runtime and keeps your blood flowing throughout.

“Summoning the Final Conflagration” gets things off to a bludgeoning start, thrashing and mashing, the vile howls carving you up. Doomy waters suddenly rush, adding to the muddiness, while grim growls and pulverizing energy saps you of your strength. “Bogbody” lets the bass drive into the soot as the speed and insanity kill, the guitars firing away. The band unleashes a swagger that punishes, the growls huff, and everything massacres right to the end. “In Wolflight” brings sickening guitars and the vocals scorching as the ground quakes, slowing to a swelling horror. Things then speed up immediately, thrashing forcefully until you finally drop. “Specters of Unlight” charges up as the guitars grind, dark ugliness sprawls with force, and ugly, beastly growls trudge all over. The guitars thrash with power, the playing dangles you dangerously over the edge, and the final blasts rock your chest.

“Creeping Barrage” is total demolition, a quick, blink-and-you-miss-it destruction, killing through a quick trip through infernal grounds and into “Atomic Hecatomb” that drubs and rips you apart. Strong mashing causes your blood vessels to burst, the guitar work goes off and slashes at bones, and the final moments bring about a volcanic end. “Blasphemous Rebirth” unloads spiraling guitars and a thrash attack that burns through everything on front of it, the growls digging into you like a wild dog in a frenzy. “Death Hex” arrives amid trampling bass and plastering guitars that spray blood and pull out organs. Throaty howls are pulverizing, the guitars char flesh, and the final moment treat you to calculating trudging. Closer “Erased” is gloomy and gruesome before it begins a tornadic pace that takes you apart. Growls spread as strong guitar work turns up the heat, channeled strikes loosen screws, and the last punches landed make it feel like you’ve been through a war.

“Infernal Ordinance” whips by in a little less than a half hour, and although the serving size is smaller, the punishment it doles out is mammoth in scope. Act of Impalement take elements that many bands have done to death and freshen them up with a sharpened approach and devious blood spill, keeping things exciting and ferocious. Five years after their debut, this band is firing on all cylinders, proving this machine is deadlier than ever and ready to take victims along with them.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/infernal-ordinance

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

It might seem super obvious, but 12 years is a long time. Two thirds of my animals were not alive 12 years ago. I was two jobs way from where I am now in that time span. The United States was not in the state of political farce and societal insanity it is now, and we could not even imagine that level of insanity 12 years ago. That’s a much longer span than I ever realized.

It’s been about 12 years since we got a new record from Hellenic black metal force Deviser, but that drought is over with the arrival of “Evil Summons Evil,” their devastating new record. This new 10-track effort is black metal served in a way a lot of bands miss in this era. Speed is not a required element. In fact, most of this treads water in the best way possible, and the heaviness and power is what’s key. The band—vocalist/guitarist Matt Hnaras, bassist/keyboardist Nick Christogiannis, guitarist Vagellis Kastanas—turns on the furnace and sweats you out over this life of this thing. And despite the lack of fuel pedal fetishizing, it’s a massive power that is relentless and energizing, demanding your attention.

“Death Is Life Eternal” stomps its way in with guitars catching fire and the shrieks ripping, letting the torch light slowly illuminate the madness. Synth spreads as a sense of regality emerges, spilling into lush keys and off into the distance. “Cold Comes the Night” is jarring with the guitars muscling and vicious howls stinging in rage. Calculated power mixes with orchestral waves before things tear apart again, gutting with surging riffs and mangling horrors. “Absence of Heaven” lets riffs envelope and the vocals overpower, sweeping through as the sentiment gets morose, melting with channeled savagery. The eruption quakes the earth, guitars sweep through, and synth swells, your veins pushed to pump blood more forcefully. “Tenebrae” is a brief instrumental interlude with synth clouds landing and mystical drama unfolding, moving its way to “Of Magick” that trudges as Androniki Skoula of Chaostar lends her beaming soprano pipes and adds beauty to terror. The shrieks rip and give the bloodier edge, the playing sparks, and things drive with menace into plodding intensity with Skoula pulling you into hypnosis with her siren call.

“Evoking the Moon Goddess” chugs as the shrieks chew at muscle, drama increasing as the pace levels up in excitement. The vocals explode as fierce hell is unleashed, synth sweeps, and powerful leads slice through to the bone. “Where Angels Fear to Tread” begins with acoustics and a haunting dialog, guitars soaring and crushing, shrieks destroying. Melodies rampage as the playing fully engulfs, taking you along with it. “Sky Burial” is rushing and harsh, scorching every step of the way, the humidity getting thicker as it lasts. The playing plasters and grinds your flesh, throaty howls land hard, and vicious power drags you back into the unknown. “Serpent God” churns as eerie synth unwinds, shrieks rip hard, and the playing envelopes, scraping at congealing wounds. Vicious howls punish as the atmosphere increases, blowing down the doors and ushering in closer “When the Lights Went Out.” The guitars are heated and harsh, the shrieks pierce your ears, and the force becomes insurmountable, dragging you under with it. Energetic pulses increase, the leads take off, and a melodic explosion ends in lush acoustics.

“Evil Summons Evil” might have taken us almost a decade and a half to get into our hands since the last Deviser record, and in that time away, they’ve managed to get hungrier and meaner. There are faster, nastier bands on the planet, but what Deviser do so well is keep you in a battering groove, slowly eating away at you and making the punishment feel that much bloodier. This is a much welcomed return for this band and a record that reminds what these vets are capable of committing.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://hammerheartstore.com/collections/vendors?q=Deviser

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