I’m fairly convinced in the existence of aliens, and I would not be surprised if some live among us. No, this is not some stupid conspiracy-level question about who really controls the government or anything like that. We cannot possibly be the only sentient beings in the universe, and there’s some cool shit on Earth that is so mind-blowing, it has to be the product of someone from somewhere else.

The music made by death metal juggernauts VoidCeremony is just one example of something that very well could have been created by non-humans, as it’s just too fucking loopy and astonishing to understand. Yet here we are, with album number two “Threads of Unknowing,” and we’re served with more genre-stretching, mind-destroying creations that split your psyche in two. Wait, I just remembered drugs exist, so that could explain things, but certainly I accuse no one of this mind-warping unit. The band—vocalist/guitarist Garrett Johnson a.k.a. Wandering, vocalist/guitarist Phil Tougas a.k.a. Hyperborean Apparition Mind (Atramentus, Funebrarum), bassist Damon Good a.k.a. The Great Righteous Destroyer (Mournful Congregation, StarGazer), drummer Charlie Koryn a.k.a. C.K. (Ascended Dead, Bloodsoaked)—serve up six tracks over an economical 37 minutes that defy sense, change gravity, and set the death metal bar so high no human possibly could measure up.  

“Threads of Unknowing (The Paradigm of Linearity)” opens the record and immediately robs you of breath, the bass splitting cell structures, the roars crushing brain impulses. The pace gets swampy and sludgy, the growls menace, and then everything is laid to waste, ending in a pile of ash and bone. “Writhing in the Facade of Time” fades in from the universe before absolutely rampaging. The playing consumes as nastiness takes a greater role, speeding up as the growls gnaw into flesh. The guitars begin to explore before turning soupy, sweeping through the stars as cosmic winds begin to sting, cavernous melodies increasing the pressure on your brain. “Abyssic Knowledge Bequeathed” unloads with beastly precision, the growls scraping over wounded flesh, the bass stretching through eons, infernal spirals caving in your chest. Melody wells as the speed ignites, exploding and going for broke, scrambling your mind along the way.

“Entropic Reflections Continuum” clobbers, the pace stomping your spinal column, the growls speeding downhill like a boulder shook loose, hungry for destruction. The playing slows for a bit before it snarls anew, the guitars open up and soar, and your senses are just shredded, leaving you shaken and uncertain where to turn for mercy. “At the Periphery of Human Realms (The Immaterial Grave)” brings warmer guitars that float and a strange aura spreads and begins to take over your brain. The rumbling quakes the ground and the melodies repeat, going cyclical and hypnotic, making your nerve endings tingle as the instrumental piece slowly disintegrates. Closer “Forlorn Portrait: Ruins of an Ageless Slumber” runs 11:05 and creeps into the room, adding a progressive energy, the growls splattering on the walls. The darkness increases as the playing feels like it folds in on itself, blistering and destroying, the guitars turning into something alien. The playing gets weirdly elegant and even calming for a stretch, but it’s temporary as the growls go for the neck, the aura rolls into a thick haze, and the growls blister, everything ending in a pit of confusion.

VoidCeremony create death metal you can’t quite explain; it’s something you have to experience to understand, and even then it’s quite the journey to connect points. “Threads of Unknowing” is something that seems to originate on another plane, a different planet, and somehow we’re expected to deal with this and make sense of what we’re hearing. This is challenging but also a blast to tackle, a creation so fucking weird and wired, it leaves you bruised, but gleefully so.

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

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

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

A long time ago when heavy metal was in its infancy, it seemed like a world where you could let down your inhibitions and get lost in the power and magic for a night. It’s not like that element was completely stamped out, but as the genre has changed and grown, cynicism has festered, and any band that’s trying to put smiles on people’s faces gets ridiculed. Like, who did Ghost ever hurt?

Not to be deterred, Salt Lake City-based force Blood Star feel like a band that originated 40 years ago and has the sense of rebellion over the reaction from the general population pointing their accusing fingers and their desire to unite the music’s followers. Yet, it’s 2023, and what they do on their exuberant, goddamn great debut record “First Sighting” is create something that is worth fighting for, music that lights your heart and soul on fire in the name of metal. The band—vocalist Madeline Smith, guitarist Jamison Palmer (also of like-minded Visigoth), bassist Noah Hardnutt, drummer Al Lester—unloads all of their blood and sweat into these eight tracks, taking you on a ride to the heart of metal over 33 minutes that capture you and deliver endless excitement.

“All for Nothing” is a fiery kickoff that drives with vintage power that gets into your bloodstream. Smith is a killer out front with a great voice and delivery, calling “Was it really worth it in the end?” over the rousing chorus. The guitars breathe fire, the path is jolting and clobbering, and everything ends in a blaze. “Fearless Priestess” delivers mashing riffs and a simple, but effective chorus that sinks in its teeth. Again, the singing is off the charts, and the solo just ignites, sending energy through your veins, putting on a glorious sheen. “No One Wins” is speedy as the singing spits bolts, completely commanding and quaking the earth. The guitar work slathers as things trudge and bruise, turning everything over onto its neck. “The Observers” is a real highlight, Smith’s singing going for a huskier, deeper register, the darkness spreading. “My thoughts are not my own, I know I’m not alone,” she calls as the playing flexes its muscle, belting with passion before the vocals echo out.

“Dawn Phenomenon” is a quick instrumental built on acoustics guitars, synth glaze, and a cosmic chill that washes over you and pushes into “Cold Moon” that opens in a total gallop. Smith once again is a force with which to be reckoned as the guitar work leaves streaks of fire across the sky, the chorus gets your heart rushing, and everything burns off into the light. “Going Home” starts with clean guitars before the energy gets a heavy boost, and another simple chorus proves less can be a lot more as it is sure to be something yelled back live. The guitars explode and then liquify, and a darker edge bleeds through, the chorus hits back again, and everything disappears into the stars. Closer “Wait to Die” blasts off, fast and certain, rampaging through center as the drums pummel. The soloing takes off, Smith’s work is a total blast, and everything ends in flames and excitement.

Yes, there are a ton of bands trying to unearth glory from decades past, but bands such as Blood Star prove that if you have the knack for it, you can hit it out of the park. “First Sighting” is a tremendous, enthusiastic debut record that not only puts them on the metal map but paves the way for them to do some really special things in the future. This is a killer record, one that’s a blast to experience and will remind you that metal can be fun again.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/pre-orders.asp

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

I have no idea if there is any level of existence beyond this plane, and despite being raised in a Catholic environment, my mind never was made up. Having since eschewed all strains of that belief system, the thought of such a thing has taken on a different tone, as I wonder where we could end up if life on earth isn’t truly the end and who might be watching our every step. It’s sometimes chilling to imagine.

Funeral doom dreamers Mesmur were on that line of thinking when creating “Chthonic,” their fourth album to date. Over five tracks and 48 minutes, the internationally based band—vocalist Chris G, guitarist/synth player Jeremy L, bassist Michele M, drummer John D—truly pushed into the beyond to color in this journey. The increased use of cosmic synth and contributions from Brianne Vieira (viola and cello) and Kostas Panagiotou (organs) of fellow funeral doom act Pantheist make this one of the most realized and imaginative of the entire Mesmur catalog. Progressively, this is a mammoth record. Hairs will stand on your neck, strange chills will move up your spine, and the energy of the stars and whatever beings lie beyond fills you with possibilities you perhaps never considered before. 

“Chthonic (Prelude)” jars open, churning with mournful tidings, bubbling into a spacey aura that leads to “Refraction” that greets with chilling synth swirls. Growls mar as the pace burns, feeling burly and hazy, the keys adding a glaze of atmosphere. The playing gets more crushing and imaginative, and the growls wrench as the elements take off, moving into isolated keys that sweep among the planets. The playing tingles as the power increases, striking a murky tone that drains out at the end. “Petroglyph” makes your senses activate, the band slowly trudging as mystical carnage is unleashed, and the melodies dig into deep sorrow. The growls turn cavernous as the music stretches over the cosmos, making your cells react to each movement, the pressure continuing to mount. The growls challenge wills, eerie sounds increase their presence, and the final strains head deep into the universe.

“Passage” is the longest track, running 18:57 as the tendrils begin to branch in calculated fashion, the growls burning, your brain feeling like it’s melting out of your ears before cooler winds blow. The playing bleeds as the vocals sink their teeth deeper, clean guitars arriving and bringing a misleading sense of calm, the playing feeling like it’s dripping in from another dimension. The guitars then add crunch, the melodies soar, and voices warble, adding confusion and strangeness, the steam wilting your flesh. The pace crawls into the void, and a final gust of visceral mashing lands hard, eventually tunneling out into alien terrain. Closer “Chthonic (Coda)” enters liturgically, organs ringing out, the clouds parting to let through beams of light. The atmosphere feels like a soul rising to the heavens, then guitars open and bleed, feeling like a dirge that stings openly and solemnly. Zaps fill the sky as the stratosphere crumbles, leaving hypnotic sounds to make way for disintegration.

Mesmur reaching into the spirit world to color the body and being of “Chthonic” makes absolute sense just from hearing the music, which feels like it reaches far beyond to tell its tales. The deeper immersion into progressive waters and the extraterrestrial elements that smear over these five songs feels like a spiritual journey to touch the face of those existing beyond. It’s a powerful, chilling record, Mesmur’s most imaginative and satisfying creation.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.aestheticdeath.com/releases.php?mode=singleitem&albumid=5799

Or here: https://solitudeproductions.bandcamp.com/

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

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

The pressure surrounding our lives have so many different elements involved, some of them social, others financial, still others existential. We all struggle, we all feel pain coursing through us from time to time, and the battles we face in those periods can help define us. Do we wallow in negativity and anger, or do we use this as self-reflection to increase our levels of compassion toward others?

Pittsburgh-based musician V started his project Vale in 2015, and over the course of his first two records (2018’s “The Folklore of Man” and 2020’s “Our Denouement”), atmospheric, folk-led black metal flowed forth, calling out to nature and aligning with certain seasons. On the latest Vale record “A Senseless Procession,” the waters and winds rush generously, taking on elements of the spring, breathing new life into this band’s power. Along the way, the eroding earth is mourned, searches are made for one’s place in existence, and making sense of one’s emotions blast to the forefront. Musically, these five songs are packed with humanity and chaos, darkness and beauty, and it’s an incredibly rich journey.

“Parturition” enters amid chirping and waters rushing, feeling calm and spacious before the guitars begin flooding. V’s howls tear into your chest, the playing storming hard, adding even more atmospheric pressure. “Mother is in pain, earth whimpers softly, a child cries to leave this world,” V howls, filling your heart with vivid emotion. Percussive strikes get your blood flowing, and the howls stretch, mystical harshness poisoning the waters before dipping into acoustics, a moody gaze returning to nature’s heart. “Monadic” is the longest track, running 13:35 and starting with lush acoustics and drizzling piano. The swirling melodies ease you into the picture before the playing ignites, the vocals crushing and heading into tornadic insanity. The emotions build as shrieks cut under your nails, splattering and rampaging, the playing blasting with life. Echoed calm and trickling guitars emerge, but it can’t calm the black chaos that explodes anew, burning deep into the earth to rest finally.

“Sprigs” is a quick interlude with acoustics, immersive whispering, and a haunting essence, getting into your bones and moving toward “Carnation” that continues the same aura. Acoustics move as piano creates a glaze before animalistic intensity strikes and rains down carnage. The shrieks devastate as doomy mangling lurches, twisting and digging into long-healed wounds. Wild cries ring out as the playing flows and searches, melting away in calm notes. Closer “Mother” begins with reflective clean guitars and elegance unfolding, feeling like a tribute and a dirge all in one. The playing also feels moves through the seasons, beginning with wintry haze, enveloping you before the ice begins to thaw. “I’ve been thinking too much again, I’ve been dreaming too much again, how can I love if I don’t love myself?” V wails, and then the pace intensifies. The transition rips with molten cries and the playing leaves ash behind, churning before things calm, the path comes to a rest, and chirps rise and float off into the distance.

“A Senseless Procession” leaves a lot for one to contemplate from the state of our planet to one’s own position within the human race, to the devastation of simply being. Vale deliver black metal that levels deep gusts of atmosphere, primal rage within the heart, and a titanic display that isn’t afraid to feel and invites you to do the same. This is intense and personal, a record that feels like it leaves you deeply impacted, realizing you have a lot to think about.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://valeband.bandcamp.com/album/a-senseless-procession

Black metal long has been changing despite the kicking and screaming from those who want to keep this savage art form in the dark ages. You still can find plenty of the traditional stuff and bands that remain steadfast in that dingy basement aesthetic, but you have a wealth of artists pushing the boundaries that never should have been there in the first place. Afterall, lawlessness doesn’t thrive under rules.

Icelandic force Altari certainly have black metal as a base, but on their debut offering “Kröflueldar,” they prove their concoction contains so much more than that. Smeary and psychedelic, twisting and disfiguring, these seven songs feel like alien creations in a way. The band—I can’t find a reliable lineup but I do know from the promotional materials that Ó.Þ. Guðjónsson handles vocals and guitars, K.R. Guðmundsson plays guitar and also created the album’s artwork, and their ranks contain members of Sinmara—stretches into punk, noise, atmospherics, and spacey strangeness, drilling your senses without mercy, forcing you to realize the black metal planet has changed forever, and it’s either adapt or perish.

The title track opens in drums sprawling, guitars utterly disorienting, and the howls defacing after seemingly emerging from a fog. The playing dizzies as the roars punish, things spiraling into a vortex and coming out transformed on the other side, washing over with numbing melodies and ending in weirdness. “Djáknahrollur” delivers smearing guitars and howls that stymie, crazed calls barreling uncontrollably toward you. Everything spirals as the storming drubs, bringing spiking electricity that makes your nerve endings ache. “Leðurblökufjandinn” is spindly and atmospheric, the growls lurching as the menacing devastation goes for your skull. The playing suddenly liquifies, turning into alien form, heading into the clouds before dissolving into the stars.

“Sýrulúður” enters amid warped sounds and horrified cries as Gyða Margrét’s singing adds interesting textures to the overall atmosphere. Mysterious and icy, the lush and strange playing mystifies, and everything folds into the clouds and is swallowed whole. “Hin eina sanna” has riffs that engage from the start, warping as the howls echo, the immersive pace leading you into the mist. The playing is entrancing and feels like it infects your mind, the pressure mounts, and then it opens into a vast experience, bleeding into the background. “Vítisvilltur” enters amid trickling guitars and pastoral chants, and then the howls gut, wrenching calls stretching over top. It feels like your body is freezing in place, a strange feeling washes over your mind, and then the guitars melt, creating a glistening metallic river. Closer “Grafarþögn” slowly forms, blackness oozing from its cracks, the leads glistening and mixing with boisterous cries. Gothy tones get heavier as melodic streaks bloody the waters, detached howls making your ears sting as the strangeness plows through and drains into the unknown.

Altari definitely have black metal DNA which is evidently apparent on “Kröflueldar,” but it’s just as clear they did not have desire to do things based on any rules or expectation. The approach and expanded sound make for such a refreshing listen, and the band gets inspiration from so many different sounds and philosophies and works them into their recipe. It’s safe to say you won’t hear another black metal record this year quite like this one, and it’s another example that the best way to create this type of sound is to defy its rulebook.

For more on the band, go here: https://altariiceland.bandcamp.com/album/kr-flueldar

To buy the album, go here: https://www.svartrecords.com/en/product/altari-kroflueldar/11084

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

I don’t know if it’s the overabundance of bands and releases in this era or a lack of creativity, but the album covers for heavy metal bands aren’t what they used to be. It seems like so much art is just kind of there, often seemingly done by the same artist or firm, splashing some random scary image or desolate wasteland and not really engaging the buyer. We need a cover without much thought!

Philly’s Blazon Rite do not have this problem, as their frosty and classical art for their second record “Wild Rites and Ancient Songs” can attest. Maybe it’s because I’m an old and remember the formative years of epic power metal, but for two albums in a row now, this band has come up with a cover that generates emotion and makes it feel like the record you’re about to hear is an actual adventure like they did decades ago. And it is. The band—vocalist Johnny Halladay, guitarists Pierson Roe and James Kirn, bassist Devin Graham, drummer Ryan Haley—waited precious little time after finishing debut “Endless Halls” to get to work on this record, and it’s a confident, swaggering piece of classic heavy metal that’s often tried but rarely made quite this thunderously and faithfully.

“Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom” powers open with a twin guitar assault, driving hard fueled by Halladay’s vocals, which definitely have an epic edge but also some punk bravado. The storming pace brings a great flurry, guitars racing for the sun, group shouts giving back adrenaline. Tension builds as everything in is full command, leaving you in the dust. “Salvage What You Can of the Night” has an energetic pace, and the band makes things simple but effective. The chorus jolts, Halladay howling, “Savage moonlight guides my way, I must run forever free, a new quest every day,” as the soloing ignites, burning everything to the ground and ending in dust. “The Fall of a Once Great House” starts with clean, solemn guitar work, feeling folkish and dark like storm clouds are rolling over the sky. The pace picks up as the vow to stand their ground makes its impact, Halladay calling, “We knew this day would come, but we would never kneel.” The bass charges as the guitars begin to explode, the chorus rushes back, and the final jabs send electricity through your veins.

“Mark of the Stormborn Raiders” starts with a speedy pace galloping, another meaty chorus lays into you, and the vocals flex their muscles. Soloing erupts and keeps the racing going, delivering fire and brimstone before ending in a gut stomp. The title track starts with acoustics blowing through the air, birds chirping, and the playing churning, Halladay’s bellowing singing taking on a heavier presence. The gas pedal is used a little more liberally as the singing gets grittier, and then the guitars open the floodgates, the energy coming on and the spirit slowly fading away. “Troubadours of the Final Quarrel” is quite the song title, and it starts just blazing, the guitars bringing up dust, the vocals pushing into your chest cavity. The tempo goes for broke, the chorus punches back, and the final moments feel like a bomb going off just feet away from you. Closer “The Coming Tide of Yule” (a Christmas song!) brings on tremendous riffs, singing that goes directly to your face, and the agitation ripping for your throat. Things go off the handle, speeding and powdering bone, a steamy haze rising and wilting flesh, and the last blasts get your juices flowing before ending in ceremonial power.

The power and epic metal category has been getting significant contributions from plenty of newer bands over the past few years, and Blazon Rite are right up there along with them. “Wild Rites and Ancient Songs” is a title that kind of lets you know what you’re in before you take on the songs, and they absolutely deliver from the start. This is a charging, classic-style metal record that not only adds weight to their chosen sub-genre, but it significantly makes it world better. And that castle lying in snowy power sure as hell seems ready to storm.

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

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

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

I appreciate when a band can get right to the point, and with German death/doom/black metal machine Kuolevan Rukous (means The Prayer of Death), they’re as blunt as can be. Their lyrical themes are listed as “apparitions, hauntings, dying, funerals,” and honestly what else do you need to know?

OK, sure, how does it sound? Well, the band’s “Demo 2023” is out April 14, but we have an advanced listen for you of one track, that being “Tempelschlaf.” It’s nasty, filthy, and it feels like a harbinger of the worst possible devastation. Sooty and thick, the track slithers through hell, dragging you along with it, absolute morbidity the only thing ahead of you. It’s vile, it’s threatening, and it leaks into your brain turning your blood black. And this is just one track! Check it out below, and bow your head to the void.

As noted, the album is out digitally April 14, and it also will be released on tape through Vita Detestabilis, Reaping Death Records, and Grieve Records.

For more on the band, go here: https://kuolevanrukous.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2023

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

And here: https://reapingdeathrecords.bandcamp.com/

And here: https://www.instagram.com/grieverecords/?hl=en