We’ve repeatedly noted that the bulk of the metal landscape is immersed in darkness, hopelessness, despair, and sadness, and there’s nothing wrong with that, necessarily. Every now and again it would be nice to encounter a different force, something positive that while still battering you about the head and torso, doesn’t leave you wallowing in tears.

Jersey sludge doom pounders Sunrot aren’t following that same script, and the evidence is in their powerful second record “The Unfailing Rope.” Make no mistake: This stuff is as heavy as it comes, and it does have its thickening scar tissue to prove the trials and tribulations its creators—vocalist/noisemaker Lex Santiago, guitarists Christopher Eustaquio and Rob Gonzalez, bassist Ross Bradley, drummer Alex Dobrowolski—have sustained along the way and even while making this record. But locked inside this cacophony are thick strains of hope, healing, and forgiveness, tools we should be more willing to accept and share with one another in order to make life a little more bearable. Sunrot are trying to be a force for good, helping listeners achieve a sense of catharsis that can be achieved by the bloodletting that exists in these eight tracks. To help make this even more immersive, they’re joined by special guests Bryan Funck (Thou), Emily McWilliams, Scot Moriarty (Levels), and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer, Hatebeak) who add even more muscle to these titanic creations.

“Descent” is an intro track that’s built on orchestration that slowly decomposes, warbling voices crumbling, mechanical arms reaching into the cosmos. “Trepanation” follows and glows as it opens before the playing pounds away, Santiago’s howls lurching and driving into your chest. There’s a voice, unsteady but certain, talking about drilling a hole in the skull to achieve a measure of relief, Santiago following by wailing, “Drain me of impurities, equalize my being, resolve this crucible, achieve balance within,” as they are joined by the band unloading impossibly heavy power before melting into the cosmos. “Gutter” brings crunching riffs and wild howls, combining to up the ante of pressure and power. Moodiness hangs in the air before black metal-style playing churns, rampaging playing jolts, and hazy strangeness mixes with the clouds and warps the mind. “The One You Feed Part 2” starts with clean guitars before violent intent tears through flesh, the shrieks mashing massively, the stinging ambiance disappearing into the sky.

“The Cull” is a brief instrumental piece with noise welling and warped voices spiraling through your mind, feeling like an industrial storm raining nails. “Patricide” feels mournful and troubled as it starts, a track that’s flooded in absolute violence but is intended as a hopeful message to those who have suffered from abuse of power from loved ones. It’s sludgy and burly, and Santiago’s vocals feel like they’re disassembling your spinal volume as they howl, “Your virulent disposition, my formative castigation, I’ll kill you and your voice inside my head,” before a final resolution that promises to end the cycle of abuse. “Tower of Silence” is the longest track, running 11:02 and opening in eerie calm that stretches its arms. Howls punish as the track is both jarring and reflective, Santiago calling, “I found a home upon the pyre, a fire still burns but I am smothered, praying with outstretched palms past defleshed, future interred.” The misery thickens as everything is pulled apart limb by limb, serving muddy and intense drubbing, sounds barreling before spiraling into oblivion. “Love” is a perfect closer, feeling majestic as machines tremble, James Baldwin’s incredible speech weaving through the piece as he says, “Love has never been a popular movement, and no one’s ever wanted, really, to be free. The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and the passion of a very few people.” The sounds swirl and sink into you, leaving you with a positive message, a reason to find the means to make someone else’s world a little better.

Sunrot have suffered through making “The Unfailing Rope,” they paid the price and decided it wasn’t going to be something that ended in anything but triumph. Yes, the music is volcanic, mean, volatile, but inside of it is a giant heart, a means to reach out to those who are hurting, have been abused, who were left out to fend for themselves. Heavy music doesn’t have enough positivity or bands willing to offer a hand up, but Sunrot have chosen a different path, and we are all better for that.

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

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

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

You should not throw a match into an open container of gasoline, and I’ll give you a few seconds to write that down so you don’t forget. It’s a bad idea, and nothing good can come from it unless your intent is to destroy everything surrounding said container. But it seems there are some bands that are just on the tip of committing such a dangerous act, and I can’t find the strength to change their minds.

That comes to mind when taking on “Inferno,” the debut full-length album from Thørn that sounds like its intent is to leaves cities in ash. These blackened crust Italians are out of their minds with intensity and chaos, punishing over nine tracks and feeling like everything around you is encased in flames. The band—vocalist A. Mossudu, guitarists L. Laugelli and M. Dia, bassist M. Ferrua, drummer A. Colombo—unleashes hell and leaves you immersed in it, pounding away and exposing your prone body to punishment that won’t soon heal. By the way, the two labels responsible for this insanity—Vita Detestabilis Records and Fiadh Productions—have a slew of new releases out alongside this one, and the stressful month I just had personally made it impossible to write them all up. But there’s some killer stuff there (Stygian Love and Lesath are awesome, and Fiadh has even more stuff such as Haunter, Indrid Cold, Dratna, Lust Hag, and a great split with Crown of Asteria and Canis Dirus among other), so get your money ready. You won’t be sorry.

The title track opens the proceedings with the guitars whipping like a tornado, Mossudu’s wails scraping and dark fury unloading. Dark clouds gather as the intensity gets more insane, battering and letting everything succumb to the fires. “Gallows” explodes with mauling black metal and relentless grind, splattering and treating you viciously. A strange haze suddenly sinks into the soil, but it’s not long until everything explodes, vicious playing turning your ribcage to powder. “Drowning” brings a dark fury, savagely stomping and dicing flesh, guttural howls liquifying your guts. The pace darkens before the playing rushes faster, slicing and dicing before mercifully fading. “Monolith” sludges and trudges before blazing playing stabs, the lead guitar work scorching. Black metal-style melodies lick the shore, crazed howls split eardrums, and the playing whips through and leaves carnage behind. “Flegias” begins with a dreamy haze that is devoured quickly as the growls destroy, and destructive morbidity blacks out the sun. The insanity multiplies, pummeling and plastering, leaving you choking in the exhaust.

“Heretic” explodes with destruction, the vicious, drubbing pace smashing boundaries and faces along the way. The guitars jolt as the playing mashes, and while your mind might float off at the brief moments of levity, it’s violently brought back to reality and driven into the ground. “Seventh” is moody and strange when it starts, and then the hammer drops as the drums rumble, and vicious howls batter you out of your senses. The playing thickens and then brings magnetic heat, the playing sounding like black metal oil drums have been scorched, choking you out with the thick, noxious smoke. “Tongues” is murky and disorienting before the playing comes unglued, the drums destroying minds as the shrieks gets more violent. The playing drills with force, chugging and drubbing, delivering concussive damage. Closer “Traitors” bathes in feedback wail, serving up a deliberate pace that crushes with pressure, vicious howls raining down cinders. There are mesmerizing bends that fall into bludgeoning terror, continuing to destroy until nothing but ash remains.

“Inferno” is the perfect title for Thørn’s debut record, because this entire thing feels like being locked inside a raging fire, the emotion and heaviness eating away at you. Their relentless mix of black metal, hardcore, and crust is a devastating experience, one that will leave bruising all over you mentally and physically. It’s a massive attack, one that explodes to life and refuses to relent until everything in front of it is fully torched.   

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

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

Or here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/inferno

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

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

We live in a cold, unforgiving world among people who have no empathy and fall victim to stupid conspiracies unleashed on them because they’re gullible. This place can be mean, brutal, downright frustrating to handle on a day-to-day basis, yet what choice do we have? Survival becomes a sort of sinister game we play to prove we won’t fall in front of an inferior foe.

Swiss black metal duo Ernte appear to have harnessed all of that negativity and hate and splattered it into their music, the latest of which is their second full-length album “Albsegen.” Over nine tracks and 50 minutes, the band—vocalist/bassist/violin player Witch N., guitarist/bassist/drummer V. Noir—decimates your nervous system, piling pain and punishment onto you, making you revel in the misery in which we all live. It’s a destructive and punishing display, a steady and virulent follow-up to 2022’s “Geist und Hexerei” that’s smart, fiery, and volcanic, the ideal antidote for dealing with a strained world.

“Albsegen (Intro)” starts feeling like it’s emanating from deep in the universe, illuminating the night sky, bringing doom on the curl of its tail. It feels spooky and unsettling, hissed calls haunting, making your nerves stand on end, paving the way in blackness toward “Phantoms” that burns brightly and carries a channeled pace to start. The shrieks tear open sanity, the stirring playing makes getting your footing impossible, and the jolting just adds to the rockiness. Speed plays a factor as the melodies encircle, the riffs driving hard before the madness fades. “Eye of Oblivion” brings a storming, furious tempo, the shrieks peeling the flesh from your bones. Spacious pockets swallow your psyche, and meaty melodies storm the gates, beastly howls sinking in its teeth and drawing blood. “Vacant Thoughts and Radiant Blackness” churns and bursts, taking its time to do damage, the riffs entangling and piling onto the chaos. The playing trudged and tears apart muscle while the drums decimate, rushing away with power.

“Queen Warrior” drips in before winds sweep up violently, the hellish pace taking its toll. Witch N.’s howls are as beast with which to contend as a mystifying haze covers the sky, continuing toward the worst of fortunes. Shrieks crush as the playing squeezes marrow from bone, its flame slowly extinguished. “Cutting the Stars From the Sky” jars as the shrieks devastate, harsh and numbing playing taking their toll. Somehow things get heavier, the playing leaves blisters, and guitars liquify, illuminating the land before crushing prone bodies. “Chaotic Visions” spirals and drills with power, the playing going cold briefly before the howls rip, and dark melodies pull you under water. The playing ruptures and quakes, mauling as the drums blast and burn off remaining pools of fuel. “Apocalyptical Dissolution” stings right away, the shrieks scraping congealed wounds, stirring and hanging in the air. Guitars wash over and add a meaner attitude, the howls land blows, and moody playing ends the track in desolation. Closer “The Revenge” explodes as Witch N.’s shrieks do ample damage, and the guitar works lathers up into a rage. The leads spindle as the drums crumble with power, the pace hurries, then the heat decimates everything in front of it before fading into time.

There’s an urgency and excitement to Ernte’s style of black metal, and that combines with a nastiness and callousness over the state of the world that makes “Albsegen” such a dangerous listen. Every twist and turn with these nine tracks leaves deep abrasions on your psyche and reminds you of the ugliness lurking outside your door. This isn’t feel-good music, nor should you have expected it to serve that role, and once it’s over, your mental wounds will be throbbing and aching into eternity.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/

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

People on this earth often wonder if there is intelligent life beyond this planet, a question that reeks of self-importance like in the entire vast universe that this planet would be the only one. Pure silliness. This suddenly has become a pro-alien, metal, and sometimes wrestling site. Of course there are beings elsewhere. We may even have some in our midst.

Black metal dreamers Bacchus claim to be from France, but you know who else did? The Coneheads. If we were to find out the three beings that comprise this band—guitarist/bassist/vocalist Sébastien B, composer/sampler/synth player Moïse Mestriaux, drummer Camille Olivier F.B.—were not from this planet, no one really could be surprised. On their debut full-length effort “II,” the trio uses mind-altering substances and the subsequent mental state to take the listener on a journey into the vastness of space, shaking you to your core. In fact, it’s a great record to listen while also of altered mind, helping stretch your imagination and the possibilities within you to ridiculous lengths. Or you could just indulge in music that may or may not have been made by beings who live elsewhere.  

“II.I” starts with synth unfurling like a strange flag, and then the melodies begin to cut spirals into the cosmos, rushing and spilling into a flood. Melodic pockets push as wordless calls ring in your ears, the pace fires up, and everything fluids pours into a vortex. “II.II” dawns with strange keys and growls engorging, tearing a hole in time. The guitars surge as clean calls beckon, jolting with energy and creating waves of electricity. Wild howls reverberate, the guitars get tornadic, and hearty playing splits your psyche in two. “II.III” feels like it freezes your cells, bringing bizarre twists and detached calls, drilling its way into your midsection. Storming and disorienting, the universe feels like it drags itself over you, cooling your energies and slipping into the night.

“II.IV” washes over you, the stirring melodies combining with devastating cries, the harsh and blistering winds making your face chap. The playing slips into hypnosis, clean singing has its way, and the stimulating pace ends in a calming breeze. “II.V” is the longest track, running 8:12 and delivering an atmospheric charge. The playing turns toward madness as wordless calls penetrate, then growls lace, being joined by dreamy keys that let your guard down. The aura gets more immersive, the playing pounds as growls become a sinister factor, and spacey fire melts into the sky, ending in mesmerizing gaze. Closer “II.VI” brings lush keys and an atmosphere that fills your heart and lungs. Growls lurch as the playing turns fantastical, melodic waves crashing and eating away at the shore, clean calls giving one final lather as everything dissolves into mystery.

Bacchus’ music is less for releasing aggression and more for stargazing, preferably in an altered state of mind as you watch the sky. “II” is impressive and alluring, a record that might take a few visits to truly set in, but once it does, it leaves you tingling and trying to find your bearings. This is a massive adventure that’s sized right and challenges your mind to imagine bigger things from heavy music.

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

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

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

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

Trilogies are a tricky thing, and for every one of them done correctly, there are way more that are disasters or just not worth the time one puts into getting through them. The “Star Wars” franchise has one classic trilogy, one total disaster, and one that was … fine. The “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy was breathtaking and immersive, whereas the unnecessary “Hobbit” series was a bloated mess.

Just two years ago, Swiss black metal force Aara started their own by focusing on the 1820 novel Melmoth the Wandererby Charles Maturin, and the final installment now arrives with “Triade III: Nyx,” their fifth full-length album. On this ending collection, Melmoth’s lover is locked in the dungeons during the Inquisition, and she dies of her grief after losing the child the couple conceived. At the same time Melmoth loses his bid for immortality, and his chapter on Earth closes. The band—vocalist Fluss, guitarist/bassist/samplist Berg, drummer J.—pay this off with yet another breathtaking record, one flush with tidal waving melodies, gargantuan shrieks, and infectious power that matches, and in ways surpasses, the two records that precede this one. The band has been on a torrid pace since 2019, and they push that momentum into this record that ends a devastating trilogy worthy of adulation.

“Heimgesucht” opens with horses trampling the ground as the guitars slowly emerge, enrapturing before the shrieks jam a screwdriver into your temple. The playing is spiraling and dramatic, the guitars flood, and then everything goes cold, almost freezing. The leads burst again, the power destroys, and the final moments leave nerve endings on fire. “Emphase der Seelenpein” rampages with huge riffs and gothy colors making the edges darker, a delirious feel making everything manic and jolting. Guitars cut as the cymbals crash, shrieks destroy, and the playing swelters and slashes, dashing orange across the sky. “Moribunda” gently starts, letting you get your bearings before the bomb drops, the playing tearing open the imagination and climbing inside. Wrenching shrieks work with a storming and sometimes dreamy attack, the drumming pummels, and the penetrating force gets into your chest. Shrieks deface as the bleeding intensifies, keys drip like syrup, and the final moments crash to the earth.

“Unstern” is melodic and blasting, angelic singing blazing through the clouds and into your dreams. The tempo jolts and glazes, the sounds welling, and colder air making you shiver deeply. Guitars speed and zap, morbid pounding creates heavy darkness, and gutting blasts disconnect joints. “Des Wanderers Traum” arrives amid a thunderous riff as the shrieks crush bones, and the guitar work wrenches your mind. The playing floods and bombards, making your body quiver, and the pace intensifies, feeling like thunder cracking across the horizon. The playing turns haunting as the shrieks liquify teeth, guitars chill, and the playing slithers into the night. Closer “Edo et Edam” brings pulsating sounds and a strange calm, and then guitars begin to lather. Glorious and cascading, the rumbling, emotional waves pull apart your heart, the energy intensifies, and the shrieks tear their final holes as the forces chimes away for good.

Aara bring to a close this thunderous trilogy that began just two years ago and now concludes with “Triade III: Nyx,” the most immersive of the Melmoth trio. The tale ends in tragedy and tears, which is something most of us have been through and to which we can relate. That they deliver this final chapter with fervor and black metal force that swallows you whole makes the impact undeniable and something to which you will have no choice but to submit.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051054499947

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

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

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

There are a few nights a week that I go outside at night and stare into the sky, usually comfortably high, remembering the people and creatures in my life who no longer are here with me. It’s not necessarily a sad thing; it’s perspective and a remembrance of the beings and things that have helped me get to where I am and develop my personality and empathy.

Long-running doom warriors Acid King, 30 years into their run, and on a similar journey with their great new record “Beyond Vision,” their first full-length in eight years. Yes, it’s been a while, and Acid King never have been the most prolific band over their time together, but it still feels familiar visiting these expansive seven songs. What’s very noticeable is that the band—vocalist/guitarist and band force Lori Joseph, guitarist/keyboardist Jason Landrian, bassist/synth player Bryce Shelton, drummer Jason Willer—delves heavier than ever into psychedelic planes and lets you mind go along with it. Joseph says as much in the bio materials for the record, and it’s an exciting turn for Acid King who never lack for adventurous bursts. It’s also Joseph who has pioneered this band and has been its steady force from day one. All hail. The record also focuses on our life journeys, the troubles we face, and our growth over the years as we become the people we are today.

“One Light Second Away” begins in a sound swarm that slowly makes its way into space, the riffs emerging and rumbling, atmosphere swirling wildly. The leads begin to lather and sweep, swimming into echo and right toward “Mind’s Eye” that has guitars firing right from the start. Joseph’s singing lures as the track catches fire, the riffs lapping lava and spitting it back toward you. The playing lathers and delivers psychedelic heat, Joseph howling, “You’re on your way,” as the guitars flood and burn off all the energy. “90 Seconds,” which is named as such for the amount of time a human can survive exposed in space, envelopes, the playing sweeping and pushing you into the stars. Riffs slowly unfurl as dreamier singing emerges, sweltering and churning bones, bringing things to a calculated end.

“Electro Magnetic” opens as a sounds clash, leaking in and bringing psyche heat along with it, melting and buzzing along the way. The playing barrels and trudges, the guitars soaring through a dimly lit tunnel, and then the force bludgeons before liquifying and trickling into the horizon. “Destination Psych” is a quick instrumental piece with thick lights beaming, moody guitars striking, and the playing flowing into “Beyond Vision” that opens into a burly assault and washed-out singing stinging your nerves. The chorus washes over you, the playing folds back and changes your perspective, and a molten haze escapes and mars your vision as everything disappears into a sound fog. Closer “Color Trails” drains in from the cosmos, spacey synth enveloping before the drums rupture. Dreamy riffs combine with sludge, and the echo ramps up and develops a heavy film, the drums scrambling brains. The playing works on your spinal column, the guitars mystify, and the shockwaves ripple past distant planets.

Acid King’s foray into more psychedelic sounds is a logical and exciting new level for the band, one that takes “Beyond Vision” into the stratosphere and more exciting terrain than this band has visited before. That doesn’t alter or compromise anything the band has created along their trail; in fact, it enhances it and gives it a whole new sheen. Add into that the perspective of examining one’s journey on this planet, and it makes it one of the richest Acid King records to date.   

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

To buy the album or for more on the label, go here: https://www.bluesfuneral.com/

An art form called death metal can’t possibly be expected to warm hearts and minds and give the listener the energy needed to conquer the day. It’s easy to walk away disillusioned with life, overcome with gore and horror, and bludgeoned by the harshest elements of existence that we cannot do a single thing to avoid. It’s OK. I think we all knew this when cracking open the subgenre’s gates.

That brings us to Los Angeles death crushers Kommand whose second record “Death Age” jumps into the cesspool and makes things even more poisonous, which I didn’t realize was possible. Over six tracks and an economical 26 minutes, the band—vocalist Jesse Sanes, guitarists Ian Logan and Sam Shriver, bassist Tim Shriver, drummer Sam Bosson—taps into the most devious elements of our world and exposes it for the diseased terrain that it is. This is unadulterated misery, a collection that wallows in the filth and makes no apologies, hoping only to amplify the guttural, miserable horrors.

“Final Virus” tears open as the death assault immediately gets under way, chugging through infernal destruction, the menace heavy and oppressive. The playing scorches as the pummeling increases, the guitars boiling before blazing out. “Chimera Soldiers” heats up with the leads churning, the fury amplified as the trail continues into hell. Sooty playing coats your lungs, furious punishment barrels its way toward you, and a thunderous attack is mounted, bringing things to a burly finish. “Global Death” is ominous and humid, the growls scraping and the pace disrupting. The playing blisters as the tempo suddenly switches, jerking your head violently, the growls destroying, and the final moments of the madness disintegrating.

“Polar Holdout” strikes from the gates and lets the temperature get hotter, the tempo going dangerously fast, the growls leaving bruising on your face. The playing mashes bones, and then the guitars go into an atypical hypnotic spell before breaking out and burying everything deep in the soil. “Fleeing Western Territories” arrives amid storming guitars and raw speed, the storm encircling and increasing the pressure. Thrashy flattening becomes a bigger factor, the guitars splatter, and the final moments crush wills beyond identification. Closer “Collapse Metropolis” is delirious, making the ground quake and teeth grind, total demolition having its way. Growls deface as the guitars sound like they’re being slaughtered in a blender, tornadic horrors bleeding, the assault coming to a neck-breaking, abrupt end.

Kommand dig into your most animalistic inhibitions on “Death Age,” a record that’s over in a flash but leaves you properly battered in its rearview mirror. There’s no concern for safety or physical well-being when these tracks strike, as this is death metal as its most savage. If relentless and unforgiving is what you’re seeking, Kommand find a way to jam it down your throat and make you savor the horrifying aftertaste.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.kommand.band/

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

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

The black metal world is awash in negativity, which might be the most obvious sentence I’ve ever written, here or anywhere. It’s a cold, callous place, and there are segments that are even more poisonous politically that aren’t even worth getting into right now. Basically, it’s not a place where one should go for solace, as it simply doesn’t exist.

That said, Ole Luk isn’t a typical black metal musician, and his Afsky project isn’t one that does things based on any rules, written or unwritten. For Afsky’s third record “Om hundrede år” (translated means in 100 years), he decided to eschew negativity and cynicism and instead tried to celebrate life and the more positive aspects of existence. That’s a bold move in this day and age when so much of our lives feel heavy and oppressive, but hearing these six tracks and 43 minutes does make you think differently. It explodes with an exuberance not often heard in black metal, and if you walk from “Om hundrede år” still obscured in darkness, you might want to consider the path you’re on.

“Stormfulde hav” is the 7:51-long opener, and the lush acoustics that greet you soon are bombarded by heavy melodies and a wealth of riffs, cascading and swimming, the harsh cries carving into your mind. The playing gushes hard, spilling emotion and energy generously, the guitars rising into a gazey fire, shrieks raining down before everything ends in calm. “Frosne vind” sparks with storming riffs and vocals that make your brain go into overdrive, overwhelming all of your senses. Drums crunch as wild wails spill over, doubling the force, infectious playing making everything seem that much more exciting. Raucous fire begins to rush, howls pierce the sky,  and a clobbering tempo becomes more prominent, fading off into the distance. “Tak for alt” opens in clean guitars flowing before anguished wails strike, and the pace bleeds back and forth from forceful to calm and back again. The riffs engorge as massive hazy power swells, crushing boundaries and gushing openly, flooding hearts and minds with energy.

“Det der var” delivers stinging guitars and pummeling force, howls striking with precision, later turning to sharpened shrieks. The piercing vocals remain and work with guitars that continue to bloom anew, gut-wrenching quaking that tears you apart, and finally spacious coldness that freezes your cells. “Tid” dawns with a chambery feel before the riffs kick in, and it’s not long before everything erupts. Shrieks storm around bends as a gloomier pace arrives, and the guitars explode with splintering strength, hammering and disappearing over the horizon. Closer “Fred være med støvet” quivers as it enters, and then riffs unload, the vocals crushing with equal force. A brief calm comes in and sets your mind at ease, but it’s temporary as lightning is boiling in the sky. The guitars explode as the vocals gush, the toll is emotionally draining, and things finally relent, washing away and leaving a beaten path behind.

You likely can count on one hand the amount of black metal records that feel positive and don’t dwell in the worst possible elements of society, but most bands aren’t Afsky. “Om hundrede år” is another powerful statement from Luk and this project, and there’s nary of moment on this record that doesn’t lift you up and help you feel something good for a change. This is music we could use a little but more of, and in such a dark and foreboding terrain as black metal, Afsky stand out as a force showing a different way to do things.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/

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

There long has been an argument—a silly one at that—about what constitutes black metal and which bands are allowed to accept that tag. I wasn’t aware a constitution had been produced, though you’d think these rules, something that really shouldn’t belong in a chaotic art form, are passed down on ancient scrolls. It’s never not ridiculous to have this conversation.

Somewhere along the way, it was decided progressive politics, anarchism, and left-wing ideologies flew in the face of black metal, though that message never made it to Dawn Ray’d, one of the most ferocious and thought-provoking bands in that subgenre over the last decade. On their excellent third record “To Know the Light” the trio finds ways to be even more thunderous than their past (2017’s “The Unlawful Assembly” and 2019’s “Behold Sedition Plainsong”), and while their belief remains bleeding on their sleeves, they also add more personal touches to these 10 songs. The band—vocalist/violinist/synth player Simon Barr, guitarist/vocalist Fabian Devlin, drummer/percussionist Matthew Broadley (he also adds harmonium and piano)—sounds channeled and alive as ever, burning down power structures, intertwining passionate folk passages into the mix, and delivering blistering black metal delirium.

“The Battle of Sudden Flame” opens by directly addressing police violence, something just as prevalent on our shores, the eruption of black metal force stunning. The playing rampages and wrenches guts, and Barr howls, “Fuck every copper that ever took a wage, every blue bastard with his baton raised, a beast that even his master hates, only a coward fights for the state.” “Ancient Light” brings a melodic rush, the violin lines slicing through muscle, the fiery assault taking on the form of an endless torch. “We the ones of burning light, we are strength unquantifiable,” Barr wails as the playing utterly destroys, sending shrapnel flying as the final call of, “But fear all us now who fight for ourselves,” landing blows. “Inferno” is moody as it starts, eventually setting fires, jolting with stinging fury, barging through barricades. The track depicts hell actually existing on Earth, a theory that’s hard to deny, and the stirring strings and delirious energy flood to the surface. “Requital” has the band singing a capella throughout the track, getting into your mind and persuading through the emotion. “And if am going to burn, then you are going to burn, for the wasting of all the world is a punishment you have earned,” makes your blood surge amid their protest anthem. “Sepulchre (Don’t Vote)” ignites out of the gates, savagery coming with them with a vengeance. The strings scrape and cause the room to spin, the shrieks leave enemies quivering, and everything ends in a solemn pall.

“Cruel Optimism” is rustic with acoustics and the violin streaking, defiant speaking jabbing in the message. “Joy through destruction, we can spite them and live free in the spite, defiance as purpose, lack of purpose as defiance,” Barr says before the final moments attack with a black grind assault. “In the Shadow of the Past” is somber at the start, strings bending, the playing slowly trudging, dripping blood in the mud. Things sweep up as the shrieks tear down walls, the guitars storm, and the pressure gets more intense, the carnage ending in strings and calm. “Freedom in Retrograde” is another folkish track, one with uniting force and undeniable energy, Barr flexing his clean singing that is incredibly strong. “At our darkest moments, with our detractors circling, I just believe in freedom for every living thing,” Barr calls, rallying forces behind him, slamming that point home with his final call: “If you still sing, then I’ll still sing.” “Wild Fire” brings horns blowing, the speed tearing through the center, and crushing, vibrant playing lights up everything. A brief speaking part fires up, and then the playing rips forcefully, the drumming ruptures, and a group singing howl of, “There is nothing in these songs of which to be ashamed, everything we sing about I would just as plainly say,” makes your nerves react. Closer “Go As Free Companions” sweeps in like as storm, the playing bubbling over, the shrieks crushing wills. “You the still unafraid to love, a demand for the end of demands,” Barr calls as the playing gets hazier yet direct, eventually calming before the emotions run high again. Group singing paves the way for the final moments, the band declaring, “The sun still shines, and it would be a waste to not only lose tomorrow, but also lose today.”

Dawn Ray’d’s belief system and politics remains as strong as ever, though “To Know the Light” shows a bit of a different side in as violent a manner possible. The themes of solidarity and strength rush as hard as the lashing back at power and the drive to gut capitalism, and combining those two worlds make this an even more powerful experience than their previous records. This is conviction, actions placed behind their words, and they’ll burn everything down before they let the common people, their friends and families, succumb to the blades of the enemies. That’s black fucking metal.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.prostheticrecords.com/products/dawn-rayd-to-know-the-light

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

There are plenty of elements in heavy metal that can get your excitement levels going, the forces that cause one to grasp the invisible oranges at a live show and let yourself get lost in the spirit. That can be something different for everyone, as it really depends on how the energy strikes you and where it takes you mentally. For me, epic power metal, when done right, nails me every time.

Canadian power Gatekeeper is a band that always finds a way to get the adrenaline flowing, and their new, second record “From Western Shores” is a huge, surging album that will make you want to take to the streets to defend the glory of metal. Or something like that. The band—vocalist Tyler “Tex” Anderson, guitarists Adam Bergen (leads) and Jeff Black (rhythm), bassist David Messier, drummer Tommy Tro—delivers tons of massive moments on here over eight tracks and 49 minutes, and it’s just like a classic metal record from decades ago when Maiden, Priest, and Helloween were blazing trails. Gatekeeper is here to continue that mission, which they do with blazing colors.

The title track opens and immediately fires up, Anderson calling, “Into the unknown we sail for glory, to the old gods we hail for honor,” the blood absolutely surging. The chorus is a barnstormer with power soaring and blazing fires as it rambles away. “Death on Black Wings” brings charging guitars and piercing screams, layering with a heavy ’80s power metal feel. The vocals wail as the leads spill lava, unloading and taking great command, ending with raucous chaos. “Shadow and Stone” feels more even tempered as it starts, the vocals are massive, and the pace trudges before bursting with colors. The track takes on more of an epic feel, a storyteller that gets nudges with group chants, wild wails, and the playing spiraling away. “Exiled King” is about Harald Hardrada, the last Viking king of Norway, and it opens with rustic guitars before the drums rupture, and the thunder cracks in the sky. “They shall weep at my arrival, splitting skulls of every rival,” Anderson calls as things go cold and ominous, making your flesh crawl. The tempo picks up, the chorus melts through you, and everything disappears into the fog.

“Nomads” is punchy, Anderson commanding, “Ride til the end to unchartered lands,” as the energy beams off of that. Drums splatter as some gothy undertones leak, warmer guitars thaw the land, and everything rains down and brings a flood of emotions. “Twisted Towers” is the most different of all the songs on here, the drums rousing and the riffs cutting through the senses. The chorus is infectious and gets into your brain, the leads light up, and a massive finish leaves you heaving behind. “Desert Winds” starts with acoustics before thing electrify quickly, grittier singing adding a film of dirt. Guitars turn moodier, Anderson calls, “On desert winds, we ride tonight,” as the playing spirals, the chorus tearing through to the heart. Closer “Keepers of the Gate” feels like a band anthem, running 8:28 and going wild, the declaration of, “We, the keepers of the gate, guardians of steel,” jostling emotions. The pace jolts as the bass playing quivers, guitars layering with glory, mists bleeding in and obscuring. Group singing rouses, giving the track a massive feel that explodes into a smoking finish.

Gatekeeper have a stranglehold on epic power metal with “From Western Shores,” their excellent second album. They have a way of helping you get lost in their music, the adventure driving your heart rate and imagination at the same time. This is top-shelf heavy metal packed with history and explosive energy, and it can align fans who have been here for decades with ones just getting their education now.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/

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