We often brand records as adventures on this site, and that’s a good description, if I might pat my own ass. Sometimes the music you’re hearing is more cinematic than most, or it makes you take a physical or mental journey that you didn’t expect, and that helps it stand apart from a lot of the other music we hear.

As for The Mosaic Window, a project helmed by vocalist/guitarist/bassist Andrew Steven Brown, their albums aren’t just a collection of songs, but conceptual pieces that stitch front to back. On the new record “Hemasanctum,” the entire human experience is detailed end to end over eight tracks and 42 minutes, the beginning exiting from the womb and the finale detailing eyes closing forever. Brown gets drum work from Gabe Seeber, and the legendary Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) adds solos to this record that is thought-provoking and punishing from a musical standpoint, but that puts a new perspective on existence, including parental relationships, life milestones, loss, mental issues, etc. The emotional certainly bubbles underneath this record, making it a heavy document no matter which way you consider it.

“Incantation to Summon the Unstable” opens with a child crying, the beginning of life, and that eeriness is gutted by guitars rampaging, roars smashing and adding savagery to the melody. The leads go off, the pace dusting brains, driving through mashing drums that end the track in chaos. “The Pounding of Hooves” is equally fiery, demonic howls picking apart your mental faculties, detached speaking sprawling, going into dramatic and horrifying corners. Guitars surge as throaty howls land blows, speed igniting as sung lines change the texture a bit, dashing into darkness. “Black Bethlehem” starts off on a folkish note, then black metal-style mania attacks, the leads increasing your heart rate, the pace heading into slower, still-punishing heaviness. Shrieks rain down as the path grows more vicious, guitars taking off and leaving you heaving in their exhaust. “Turibulum” absolutely soars, guitars blinding and melting, sounds flooding as the growls take a turn for the ugly. The pace trudges and pounds, the drums destroy, then a hazy bed of guitars creates an impenetrable fog that envelopes all.

“Ash Like Anvils” brings a flood of guitars and a melodic crush, and then things turn calculated, molten, and even a little bit dreamy. Doomy waters wash over the cracks in the surface as the pace picks up steam, rampaging into a snarling energy, driving into the void with relentless force. “Night Disease” has the leads swimming and then tingling, punchy and mucky rhythmic pulses thashing, everything eventually eroding into a gutting force. Growls boil as the guitars race, pained howls strike deep, and everything slips into a disarming echo dimension. “Shrouded in Pain” is the most emotionally urgent song of the bunch, one that tackles depression and its debilitating effects. Through chugs and howls, pleas are made for understanding, a helping hand, as the narrator identifies with the pain that cannot easily be soothed. The pace is stomping and impassioned, pulling its way through the thorns to a place where healing hopefully can begin. We opened the record with birth, and we end with death, “Hymn to Silence the Light” running 8:14 and easing in before erupting into fire. Melodic leads char as growls slash, speed becoming a bigger factor as we move along. The vibe grows wrenching and mournful, the final moments ticking away, cries grasping for solace, slowly burning into nothingness.

The Mosaic Window over two full-lengths have shown a much different approach to heavy music, one draped in humanity, and “Hemasanctum” continues along that same path. The journey through the beginning and end of life and everything sustained in between should be something any introspective listened can use to mine emotional gems while also being mentally and physically sustained by the metallic power packed into these songs. This is a record to which most people can relate, though if you’re just here to get wrecked, you won’t walk away disappointed.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Mosaic-Window-100094717845304/

To buy the album, go here: https://willowtip.com/bands/details/the-mosaic-window.aspx

For more on the label, go here: https://willowtip.com/home.aspx

Metal fans have no arguments about not being educated in their music, as from the start of this thing, bands have been reinterpreting history in their art. Iron Maiden spent their entire career being a world-touring history book, and plenty of other bands have dug back in the annals to tell a story long passed that can be applied to the present.

Black metal explorers Ershetu already visited the Mayan culture on their debut record, but for go around two “Yomi,” the band—multi-instrumentalist Sacr, conceptual mastermind Void, vocalist/bassist/guitarist Vindsval (Blut Aus Nord), drummer/percussionist Intza Roca—visits Japan and delves into Shintoism, the ancient national religion that originated in 1,000 BCE and still exists today. But this isn’t a straight-up black metal record in the traditional sense. The band incorporated instruments from the region to also color these tracks with a touch of the country in which these stories originated.

“Ketsurui” begins with water dripping, Japanese instrumentation flooding the senses, and then a hypnotic, mystical energy unfolds, feeling both fiery and cloudy. Shrieks spread as a fantasy feel enraptures, choral calls swim, and everything blurs out in mystery.  “Jikoku” also dawns with strings, and then a storming, ferocious force come to life, vicious and stirring melodies rampage, the atmosphere swirls above you. Howls wrench as a monstrous pace engulfs, leads sweeping into arresting orchestration and a stunning end. “Sekiryō” shimmers with gong smashing, strings riveting, piano keys drizzling. Roars storm as the playing quivers, angling into a sound swarm, foggy and spirited folk instruments adding to the ambiance, everything succumbing to the eye of a storm.

“Abikyōkan” also feels watery as it dawns, chants form a cloud overhead, and then the growls add a sense of menace, guitars gaining steam and increasing the heat. An emotional gust takes you by force, punishing as the vocals get heavier before a calm gathers and pulls everything into a pocket of serenity. “Kagutsuchi” is powerful and bruising, the strings gliding as chorals flood, eventually ripping open and stretching exposed muscle. The pace pushes and pulls, group vocals cause a haunting vision, and then guitars race anew, jarring and destroying before ending in woodwinds. Closer “Nenokatasukuni” surrounds with drums pounding, mysticism spreading widely, and then the heart of the track is torn from its chest and left exposed. There are doomy sequences and portions that aim to hammer, speedy and spacious parts aligning, the playing cascading hard. The howls multiply, softer instruments add a cloudy essence, and everything fades into chimes and bubbling water.

Ershetu’s sojourns into different ancient traditions not only have made their music interesting thematically, but it has allowed them to embrace sounds and spirits not often common in heavy music. “Yomi” is an adventure from front to back, something that sounds nothing like most of that you’ve heard this year but also doesn’t just stick out for being novelty. The music is immersive and quaking, taking on traits of the source material and becoming a greater whole that is equal parts fascinating and ferocious. 

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

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/

Black metal obviously is perfectly suited for the winter, with the frigid weather and blanketing snowfalls that we don’t really get anymore where I live. Stay tuned for more original opinions. But Autumn is starting to feel like a great time for this style as decay spreads, cold winds whisper, and we can don our long sleeves again.

Cleveland black metal punishers Burial Oath feel a little more fiery than freezing, and their crushing third record “The Cycles of Suffering” is upon us, increasing the temperatures when we should be getting ready to shiver. The follow-up to 2018’s “Subjugation of the Bastard Son” ups the ante in a ridiculous way, storming out the gates and never looking back until all blood is shed. The band—vocalist Mor Grish, guitarist D, bassist R, drummer JV—uses seven tracks, and an economical 31 minutes to put you to the test, delivering destructive black metal that isn’t trying to arrest you with forestal imagery or mountain ranges and instead want to batter you to the pavement.

“Void Hunter” is humid when it starts, and then the playing blisters, melodic shrieks draped over the fury. Blackened hell erupts as the riffs rise and the vocals retch, letting the ferocious storm pummel and slowly slip away. “Deathbringer” delivers steaming riffs as an eruption pulls you under, the fires quickly lathering and foaming blood. The guitars enter a sudden fog, the playing then taking a turn and wrenching muscle, fires exploding and spitting chaos along the way. “The Cycles of Suffering” opens with ripping shrieks, a barnstorming pace that gets your attention in a hurry, and then some cooler tones let nerve endings tingle. The devastation continues at a punishing level, melodic guitars swimming through the muck, the drums slaying to a stunning finish.

“Howling Promethean Winds” is spacious but also mangling, guitars stampeding and making you see stars, leaving spatter behind. A blinding assault flattens as the screams envelope, guitars cascading to a spacious end. “Shadows Suspended in Dust” explodes as the drums gut, guitars sting, and the howls aim to bury you alive. Vicious blazes explode, but then calm takes over for a stretch, dripping but also hovering, then electricity rocketing, screams rippling to a burning end. “Pagan Fires” unloads with spiraling guitars, the drums rippling, screams mashing and creating brush burns. The force continues to squeeze, black metal-style melodies run roughshod, and everything comes to an immersive end. Closer “Kingdom of Fire” tears open, again digging back into the most evil forms of sound, speed crushing and doing so relentlessly. Grim howls churn as the vice grip only tightens around your throat, violent guitars slashing and dissolving into echo.

Burial Oath’s brand of black metal isn’t flashy necessarily, but it’s well played and will leave welts on the side of your head. “The Cycles of Suffering” is a massive step forward for this band (not that they weren’t firing on all cylinders before), and every second of this thing drills deep into your skull and makes you relish the pain. This is a slashing, fun listen, a record that hopefully will open more eyes and ears to their death-splashed power.

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

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

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

Winter is coming. Sorry. Irresistible and lazy. But it actually is as well. It’s nearly the end of October as I write this, and it went up to 82 one day this week. So, excuse me for the tired joke for a season we barely get to enjoy anymore. Climate is just fine, though. But, I assume it will get here at some sort, and the first blanket of snow is much anticipated.

Paysage D’Hiver, the one-man project long helmed by Wintherr, make it feel like you’re locked into the most frigid season, and that’s definitely the intention. On the band’s third official full-length (amid of sea of demos and other releases) “Die Berge” (the mountains), we get more than a season’s worth of blizzard-blinding black metal that at times feels like it gets muted out by a roaring storm. In a good way. Over seven tracks and an insanely generous hour and 43 minutes, Wintherr pours on relentless pressure, sometimes making you feel like you’re locked in a dream state, deep into the woods, your bones shaking as you work your way up the mountainside, on your way to find your place in the universe.  

“Urgrund” opens this beast in the midst of an absolute whiteout, central forest, no clear identifying marks, yet you move headfirst into riffs that fall like sheets, howls that echo in the background. Melodies lap as the playing bruises and brawls, a hypnotic force that stretches itself in various forms across the entire record. The playing dives deeper into the murk, going harder as everything darkens, howls crumbling as the metallic forces tangle, picking up a storming force before crumbling away. “Verinnerlichung” spirals in your mind before the gates bust open, a blinding fury taking you over mentally and physically. The playing is rampaging and tornadic, winds picking up and sucking air from your lungs, causing you to stare aimlessly like you’re driving through a blizzard. The pulverization only amplifies from there, wrenching with penetrating energy, a black haze unfurling before you, robbing you of sight. Clouds spread and tingle, the elements slowly unraveling, dissolving into the first part of a triptych, “Transzendenz I.” Frigidity is at its apex, the playing fully engulfing and creating relentless dizziness, creaky words accompanying full-throated howls. Suddenly, you’re in the clutches of a trance, the blackened sights making visions tough to grapple with, immersive melodies flooding and immediately icing over. Guitars jolt as your extremities tingle, leading you into the next devastating phase.

“Transzendenz II” is the shortest track here, still a hefty 7:51, crawling through ice and ash, a suffocating pace adding pressure, demonic howls ringing out into the night. Melodies slip into mesmerizing dreams, guitars gazing as they settle into its shallow frosty tomb that is “Transzendenz III” that chills you to the bone. Guitars buzz as the tempo meanders through a long, sprawling instrumental intro that continues to churn into frozen patterns. Guitars numb and make your brain wander through an ongoing loops of riffs, continuing to sprawl as the fury hisses, slipping into uncomfortable coldness, fading into the heart of the woods. “Ausstieg” is first of a pair of mammoth tracks that end the record, running 17:56 and beginning with crushing howls and savagery screaming from the eye of the storm. The pace is stunning, the melodies arresting, drilling as shrieks wrench, the swirling tempo easily pulling in prone bodies. Howls rush as the sense of dreamscape amplifies, a new rush of chaos blowing to the forefront and into 17:28-long closer “Gipfel” that begins with a mournful pace. An instrumental gaze stretches as far as the eye can see, the playing slowly swarming, the guitars chugging, glorious synth steaming through the thick inches of ice. Guitars stretch and burn through the gloom, the tension slowly dissipating as guitars tease and enter into squalls, bowing to winter majesty.

“Die Berge” certainly feels like the culmination of a restless journey, piling on the elements that could threaten the effort, often making seeing and breathing a task. Over these 103 minutes, Paysage D’Hiver and its creator conjure a record that pulls you into deep winter as you try to make your way to the peak, your mission the only thing that can bring you the connection to nature and the world you require. It’s a record that is an immersive experience, something that cannot be fully comprehended piecemeal, a venture into which you throw yourself fully, not ending until the final notes fade into the darkness.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://us.kunsthall.spkr.media/us/Artists/Paysage-d-Hiver/

For more on the label, go here: https://us.kunsthall.spkr.media/