One time I pulled a muscle in my lower back, and it kept me hobbled for the better part of two weeks. Everything was a hassle to complete, and trying to walk the dog was mission impossible. That was a minor injury. An annoyance. I can’t imagine the upheaval of sustaining a major injury and having the deal with the aftermath.

“The Convalescence Agonies,” the second record from Weeping Sores, tells that kind of story, where a debilitating injury changes your life and threatens to rob you of some of the most important skills you possess. Doug Moore (vocals, guitars, bass) experienced this very thing in 2018 when he severely injured his shoulder, and as the injury took its toll, it robbed him of the ability to play guitar for a stretch of time. This record and its five tracks recount the five-year struggle Moore endured to be well enough to play guitar and write this record. And it’s a ripper, yet one with a phantasmal heart. Its a stew of death metal Moore created with drummer Steve Schwegler and further enhanced by  cellist Annie Blythe, keyboardist Brendon Randall-Myers (Scarcity), banjo player Lev Sloujitel, and guitarist Pete Lloyd (Replicant, ex-Dystrophy). But it’s not just a metallic journey. It’s one that puts you through a mental ringer, stretching your brain to its limits.

“Arctic Summer” starts ringing and chugging, strings glazing over the chaos, which is a musical recurrence on the album and a chillingly welcome one. Moore toggles between guttural growl and panicked shrieks, the sounds stretching as the chaos bubbles, howls crushing as everything races toward a calming sheen. “Empty Vessel Hymn” brings teasing guitars, menacing chugs, and gurgled growls, the melodies tangling in the background. Strange vibes float as the keys flush, feeling like the soundtrack to an old horror film, laid to rest with spattering drums and a charred finish. “Sprawl in the City of Sorrow” has noise hovering over like a phantom before death growls squeeze your throat, brutality leading the way and moving into bloodier terrain. Strings flutter as the pace trucks harder, an elegant fury rising amid dripping keys and an oncoming nausea. Growls sicken as the pace flattens you, the guitars fire up, and cold melodies change the rising temperatures, offering a disarmingly calm release.

“Pleading for the Scythe” starts rather clean and breezy before things turn burly and rubbery, the growls retching through muddy waters. The battering speeds up, and dangerously so, the howls menacing as blasts rip off your face, chiseling and thrashing through an ocean of sickness. Keys mix as the guitars hypnotize and blur, driving steadily toward a welcoming abyss. The 14:24-long closing title track is calculated, growls chewing into picture, guitars glimmering even as the threat of audio violence becomes more apparent. Morbidity thickens as the growls crush, guitars sweep, and strings bring in a strange chill that soothes your wounds. The excitement calms, guitars slowly beaming through thick, black clouds, the brutality ramps up in full, and unhinged cries tear down your spine. Shrieks and growls do battle, the guitars catch fire, and the keys and strings rise, bringing a hypnotic end to such a raucous journey.

Not only do Weeping Sores generously deal metallic agony on “The Convalescence Agonies,” but you practically can hear the physical agony Moore endured writing and completing this record. Having a major part of your craft torn from you due to physical limitations obviously is frustrating, and every ounce of that was poured all over these five songs. So, it’s a triumph on two levels in that Moore overcame his injury, and that the world got a twisted, snarled new serving of death and doom to warp our brains.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/ 

Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/ 

For more on the label, go here: https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/

It’s increasingly becoming more difficult to find good things to say and or celebrate about the world in which we live and the people around us. It feels darker every year as oppression rains down from the wealthy who dominate policy and because our planet is in decay, and those who could make change don’t give a fuck. 

So, that makes for the perfect arrival for “Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk,” the thunderous third record from UK doom crushers Coltsblood. This is the first full-length from the band—vocalist/bassist/keyboard player John McNulty, guitarist Jem McNulty, drummer Jay Plested—since 2017’s “Ascending Into Shimmering Darkness,” and just think of everything that has happened since then. It only makes sense their sound would get burlier and more ferocious, injecting strains of death metal into their mixture, coming out with a four-track, 42-minute bruiser that feels as decimated as many of our psyches.

“Until the Eidolon Falls” opens, vibrating the earth, drone permeating as guitars hang in the atmosphere, the melodies holding for full gush. Growls lurch as the misery rains down, heavy beams of energy feel insurmountable, and a brief calm pushes into sweltering conditions. The playing pounds harder, crushing as the vocals curdle, noise wailing and spreading before burning off. “Waning of the Wolf Moon” drubs and batters, the vocals wrenching as the assault tramples you underfoot, dust catching in your lungs. Guitars smear as shrieks rain and destroy, the playing ravaging with fire, the bass chugging as noise drapes over the madness. Drums pummel as speaking hovers, pressure pierces, and the final moments dissolve into the ground.

“Transcending the Immortal Gateway” is whirry and hazy, the vocals menacing, hypnotic melodies wedging into your brain. Breezy leads push into forceful punishment, the howls scrape, and a dreamy haze hangs over before the noise rips. Guitars melt as the humidity thickens, guitars stretch, and space consumes everything whole. The closing title track basks in mournful organs, lurching howls, and doomy melodies that thicken into a black sheet. Sorrow and tumult combine with pained wails that eat at your psyche while the playing slows and tortures, a melodic gaze somehow squeezing out of that. The playing soars into the dark as a lone guitar calls, then everything swarms anew, the growls bubble, and the thickening darkness cascades permanently.

Coltsblood expertly drive their creativity toward darkness and pain on “Obscured into Nebulous Dusk,” their most realized and heaviest both from a musical and philosophical perspective. This is a devastating display, one that will crunch you thoroughly in their jaws, leaving you bruised and battered on the other side. It’s a massive effort to battle back against those who try to blacken the earth and its people with oppressive ways that must be destroyed completely.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/collections/coltsblood-collection

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

Moving into middle age is really strange. If you’re not there yet, then trust me. One day, or over a period of time, it sets in that you’ve lived half of your life, or more, and that things that once mattered are not as important. You also deal with loss, pain, aging, and even the realization that what led you in your youth has faded.

Planning for Burial, the solo project by Thom Wasluck, long has centered on life’s phases, what they mean, and how they feel. On his fourth full-length “It’s Closeness, It’s Easy,” Wasluck tangles with getting older, noticing shifts in people you’ve long known, losing loved ones and the strange journey through grief (he lost his beloved 17-year-old cat), and watching parents and yourself grow older. There also are good things about it such as realizing what and who truly matters to you and being able to feel more at home as a person. It hurts and it feels freeing. 

“You Think” opens heavy and driving, pained singing pounding, the playing washing over you and overwhelming. Vocals warble as colorful rushes splatter, keys splash, and sounds crash down, making a seamless segue into instrumental “Movement Two.” There, guitars brush, noise rises, and clouds slowly lift, settling into the atmosphere and moving toward “(blueberry pop)” that’s another shorter, instrumental piece. Cello swells as the pace lulls, guitars chill, and the strings send vibrations, slipping out into calm. “A Flowing Field of Green” opens with strings and a guitar glaze, drums sticking, the singing icing as the momentum builds. The playing stirs and then scorches, crumbling down a hill in your mind, spitting heat and corrosion. “With Your Sunglasses on Like a Ghoul” is heated with the guitars burning, emotional riffs weighing down and making their presence felt. Gazey power spirals as the singing lurches, the tempo pushing and pulling, sound fumes blurring. 

“Grivo” is a strange transmission, hushed singing haunting, keys and guitars glowing as if supernatural, a solemn ending heading toward “Twenty-Seventh of February” that engorges right away. Guitars trudge as the fuzz builds, and the strings layer with emotion. A doomy haze hovers as the guitars swelter like an oncoming storm, sounds crape and falter, and everything fades suddenly. “Fresh Flowers for All Time” starts as driving post-punk with the singing slurring, and a chugging, pumping rhythm making your blood race. An energetic glaze envelopes as the singing stings, and the music liquifies. Steady beats rattle as keys glimmer, some final shots hit flesh, and the final notes mix into closer “Farm Cat, Watching.” This is a fitting outro built with circulating keys, psychedelic strangeness dripping, and eerie sentiments melting into time.

Wasluck pours a lot of himself into “It’s Closeness, It’s Easy,” a record that certainly pulls at me personally having experienced a lot of what is detailed here. But as usual, he leaves all of himself on display, an examination of what it means to get older, how we deal with loss, and how we keep track of our days. These times have their bright days and dark days as we feel ourselves transform yet again into what future awaits us.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/planning-for-burial

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

United States black metal takes on all kind of forms, from the atmospheric rituals carried on by the Pacific Northwest to the creative and chaotic fury from NYC to the thunderous and dexterous strangeness of the West Coast bands. It’s an interesting way to show how sounds develop in each area from their collected influences.

Tennessee black metal force Vile Haint have dressed their style with Southern gothic flourishes and the haunting mythology intertwined. On their spellbinding new EP “Abound With Malice,” the band—vocalist/guitarist Ryan Clackner, keyboardist Edward Longo, drummer Zac Ormerod—smears your senses with local lore and strange, disarming tales that have browned around the edges from the ages. These six songs dig into your psyche and blisters through cobwebs and haunted fields, knifing toward you with psychosis and a punishing devastation.

“Blessed Unholy Name” starts as an orchestral march, scuffed with noise, feeling properly haunted, and that intro takes us into “All the Shades of Red (Powdered Bones)” that’s a healthy blast of doomy black metal. Howls swirl as miasmal melodies grow into a spiral, warped and ashy playing driving across the land. Strange keys make your head feel strange as the guitars continue their assault, storming through melodic lather. The fury blinds as you’re whipping into hypnotic anxiety that burns off toward space. “The Night Becomes Moonless” is spooky and blistering, howls crushing as the guitars stymie, the playing growing more restless. Scorching melodies bubble as the guitars leg tackle you to the ground, pushing you into the dirt. “O’ Malign Star, the Lament” drives through furious wails and mesmerizing playing, the guitars catching fire and letting smoke spread liberally. A dreamy gaze surfaces behind the building power, the guitars chime, and full electrification fries your cells. “The Hills Been Set Ablaze” attacks right away, dragging you into sooty hell, drubbing as the screams lather. There’s a claustrophobic attack that makes it feel like you’re struggling through a tunnel, echoing and choking, finally releasing its hold as colorful melodies flourish. “Mud Plains and Wrought Iron” is a quick, swampy, psychedelic outro piece that squeezes your temples and lets you swim in eerie waters until your mentally can take no more.

“Abound With Malice” is a fitting check-in with Vile Haint who would seem due for a new full-length but offered up this thunderous appetizer instead. The music remains devastating and ashen, but its personality is unlike a lot of U.S. black metal in that it feels delivered by ghouls stuck between worlds. If this is your first foray into Vile Haint, prepare to be disarmed and disoriented.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://vilehaint.bandcamp.com/album/abound-with-malice

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

Back when the New World Order in the now-defunct WCW would talk about “getting the band back together,” it always led to total disappointment, the further beating of a once-great idea that has lost its relevance. In fact, it usually doesn’t result in anything but short-lived nostalgia that never feels genuine and wears out its welcome.

Ah, that’s a weird way to start talking about Pelican’s triumphant new record “Flickering Resonance,” their first to include their original members—guitarists Laurent Schroeder-Lebec and Trevor de Brauw, bassist Bryan Herweg, and drummer Larry Herweg—in more than a decade. Granted 3/4 of the band carried on once Schroeder-Lebec left the fold in 2012, but having the band back together is a real thing here, and it’s glorious. This group has been making really good music in the interim, but having these four forces here just feels different. It feels right, and you can hear that in the music that bristles with energy, potency, and passion. That’s how you do it, nWo! By the way, I feel bad we’re doing this a week late. But I could not decide between Mares of Thrace and Pelican last week, and it seriously was a torturous decision. So, we went in alphabetical order.

“Gulch” gets things going in active fashion, the guitars kicking in and punches landing, the melodies snaking through your brain. The guitar interplay is organic and heartfelt, making your blood race, swelling until a single guitar is left standing. “Evergreen” feels like classic Pelican, streams moving forward, sweeping you up as the sounds swell, and then the guitars get warmer. Sounds simmer under the surface until a full burst, the leads swimming through multiple colors similar to the shades on the cover, and then the energy goes clean, slowly bleeding away. “Indelible” punches as the guitars glide in, digging and churning, unearthing gems beneath the earth. The bottom end chews as the playing glistens, melodies soaring as the bass swoops in and charges, emitting smoke. Guitars explore as your mind tingles, the final moments echoing out into oblivion. “Specific Resonance” is crunchy as it starts, with all elements building, leads bubbling with warmth, and then a calm washing over. The guitar work takes on a fuzzy, hazy feel, the moodiness thickening, catchy, dark waves cooling and overtaking you. The crunch returns in force and hits harder and muddier, beaming through clouds.

“Cascading Crescent” moves in fast and is thrashy, the guitars snarling and seething, the pace then easing suddenly and letting you have a breather. The playing then gallops, the guitars picking up steam and joining in a twin attack, everything ending abruptly. “Pining For Ever” dawns with lathering guitars and a dusky aura, making it feel like the earlier evening hours of the summer. The sounds tear into the sky, the guitars plotting before going into a dreamier sequence, trickling before it bursts through the gates. Emotion pulses as the sounds tingle, driving to a fiery finish. “Flickering Stillness” begins clean, circling around a jerky, grungy pathway, feeling moody and calmer, guitars spiraling and mesmerizing. The tempo ramps up as the waves crush the shores, melodies gusting as storms surface, only subsiding for a drone onslaught. Closer “Wandering Mind” starts ominously with bass chugging, the darkness heading into the shadows, a chilling, numbing feeling sending shivers. Guitars cut in as the sludginess multiplies, the sounds ramping up as the temperatures skyrocket, the bass bookending and slithering into space.

Pelican sound at full strength both musically and emotionally on “Flickering Resonance,” a wholly satisfying, imagination-inducing record that feels like the band is firing on all cylinders. That’s not just because the four originators are back together but also because they seem to have channeled something extra to keep their engine roaring. This album sounds like a triumph and a catharsis, a collection of songs that land perfectly near the beginning of summer, when it feels like this music will be at its emotional apex.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://runforcoverrecords.com/products/pelican-flickering-resonance

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

If the weather reflected how our society is feeling at this moment, the sun never would rise, thick black clouds would blanket the skies, and oxygen would be a burden to breathe into our lungs. I say this as it’s later in the spring with summer on the cusp, and never have things felt more bleak.

Death metal power Ossuary creates music that feel like that atmospheric heel turn, where everything is choking on soot, and misery is as plentiful as water. On the band’s suffocating debut record “Abhorrent Worship,” its members—vocalist/guitarist I, bassist M, drummer N—respond with metallic fury that feels like the earth opening up and gaining revenge on its inhabitants. At 6 tracks and 37 minutes, this offering is blunt, ashen, and devastating, an album that matches the time in which it’s released when hope is a fossil in the ground, and only tumult and violence seem to be in our future. 

“Volitional Entropy” opens the record pulsating with power, the heat rising as the guitars take their first swings, howls retching with bile. The playing pummels and sickens, the leads battering as the intensity spikes, every element suffocating and crushing until it disappears into a void. “Inborn Scourge Unbound” is muddy, nasty, and bloody, guitars drilling before the pace takes an unexpected bend, pained howls dressing the chaos in pain. The playing then slows and churns, the slower beating turning things more brutal and excruciating, squeezing the life out of you. “Forsaken Offerings (to the Doomed Spirit)” boils as the force drives hard, growls jab, and a flattening assault mashes everything in its path. The tempo grinds before coming back to hellacious life, unleashing infernal heaviness, choking with black smoke.

“Instinctual Prostration” is menacing as it chews its way in, destroying with sickening howls and a monstrous force that takes everything by storm. The playing unloads as the guitars breathe ash, the leads strike, and the misery bleeds into “The Undrownable Howl of Evil.” Here, the riffs swagger as a battering force gets under way, fiery guitars scorching flesh. The vocals warp as the power weighs down harder, the leads quiver, and a gasp of menacing darkness bleeds right into closer “Barren Lamentation” that opens in a boiling simmer. The pace is slow driving but heavy as the growls gurgle, and the force flattens, strangling with full strength. Darkness spreads as the pace clubs, ugliness oozing from every seam, the guitars fully engulfing. Blood is spattered as blasts dig deeper, fading into mystical reverberation.

Ossuary’s death metal is not for easy listening or as background music as you work, and making that mistake thinking that can cost you. “Abhorrent Worship” is a battering machine that weighs down heavily the entire time, letting you have gasps of hot air and ashes, guaranteeing it’ll choke you to tears. This is a massive slab of death that buries you deep within the soil, refusing to let you know anything but pain and misery ever again. 

For more on the band, go here: https://ossuary-death.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/ossuary-abhorrent-worship-gatefold-vinyl-poster/

Or here: https://darknessshallrise.de/?s=Ossuary&post_type=product&v=0b3b97fa6688

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

And here: https://darknessshallrise.de/news/?v=0b3b97fa6688

Immersing oneself in personal darkness is not necessarily a bad thing. One thing I’ve picked up from therapy is that feeling your emotions rather than escaping from them can make a gigantic difference in navigating life, and when you center yourself in something that’s shadowy and imposing. It’s a great way to build what you need to find the light again.

Sataray’s latest full-length “Edax Solis” sounds like a sound ritual that emanates from this very idea of accepting darkness. The title is Latin for “eater of the sun,” and while that might sound ominous and foreboding on its surface, the six tracks contained on this collection are immersive and imaginative, showing a sort of pathway for being able to handle the pressures inside of you. At least that’s how it made me feel on my visits with the music, and while the black ambiance, and slow-moving storm can feel heavy and sorrowful, there are glimmers of hope. Vocals are washed into the background, but their emotions are readily apparent, and this record has been a good one for introspection and examination of buried feelings. It’s something in which to get lost, emerging once your pathway is illuminated.

“Solar Inviction” emits eerie darkness, detached voices swirling in the air, swelling into shadows. Strange, warbled voices vibrate, the playing slowly navigating dark waters, and everything swims into miasma. “Transmissions” brings haunting whispers and sounds quaking, calls stinging as the synth chills. The words sting your ears as cold waves lap, rumbling and subsiding. “Black River Part 1” is frigid and scary, singing slipping behind your consciousness, messages seemingly coming to you from the spirit world. A disarming aura envelopes as the singing grows more intense and direct, chrome visions melt over the earth, and the words slip away.

“The Poisonous Vine” starts with a mechanical voice wrapping around your psyche, foreboding sound blankets shrouding with mystery, flowing into the murk as synth rises. Voices corrode and blend into a dream, strange, warped reverberations spiraling. “Black River Part 2” is immersive, clouds thickening, the singing hovering as spirits gather. Keys push into a chasm, moans clutch at wrists, and the drama ends in foggy dampness. Closer “Chrysalis” slips in through ash, sounds fluttering as the singing numbs, mystical atmospherics getting inside your brain. A knocking echo rivets, urgency growls as the singing aches, fading off into smoke.

“Edax Solis” is another thorough entrance into a nightmarish void that wraps you in warmth and mystery, something Sataray does so elegantly. These six tracks are mesmeric and practically take you into a dream state in which you reach beyond yourself into greater understanding. It’s a ritualistic wonder, music that is more of a greater beast that’s setting up shop inside your brain to take over controls for good.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://sataray.bandcamp.com/album/edax-solis

It’s nearly impossible to navigate even baseline current events without your head wanting to explode in anger. Unless you’re all into fascism, which, if that’s the case, leave this fucking site now. For the rest of us, it’s been a dark journey into facing the worst of the human condition, or at least the rock bottom for what modern times has for us to endure.

Portland (the West Coast version) black/death metal power Drouth pack enough vitriol and fury into their third record “The Teeth of Time” to fill the world’s veins with anger and spite. While aiming their blades at power structure is not overtly mentioned in the bio materials, their Bandcamp page definitely solves any curiosity over where their allegiances lie. And don’t lie. On this album, the band—vocalist/guitarist Matt Stikker, guitarist/vocalist John Edwards, bassist/synth player Matt Solis, drummer Patrick Fiorentino—unleashes an onslaught over five tracks and 51 minutes that burn inside your chest and guts, priming you to battle back against any destructive force standing in your way. They’re also backed by guest vocalists and former Ludicra members Christy Cather and Laurie Sue Shanaman, who give this record an even deadlier edge.

“Hurl Your Thunderbolt Even Unto Death” starts by melting into the scene before the drums rip, and the rampage is on. Fiery shrieks ravage as the melodic leads pull you under the surface, exploring through fiery attacks and chaos. The force turns blistering and colorful, the screams torching as the end comes violently. “False Grail” barrels in, dealing punishment, howls snarling as the pace takes some interesting turns. Vicious thrashing is powered by the drums decimating, the guitars flooding through active zones that fill the senses, wrenching as the storm slowly subsides. “The Teeth of Time” runs a healthy 9:46 and rushes in, guitars spiraling and shrieks tearing, the pace getting meaner as it goes. Vocals scar as the tempo rushes, disarming screams rippling down your spine, the brutal force gaining steam as feral dashes haunt. Suddenly, a deluge opens, flooding with energy, hammering as you succumb to blurring. 

“Through a Glass, Darkly” is an 8:49-long pounder starting with guitars raining generously, a chilling ambiance warning, and shrieks echoing as if they’re being transmitted from another dimension. The playing tingles and then fully engulfs, the screams chewing through your brain wiring, the attack taking on a progressive feel. Speed splinters as the drums split skulls, the intensity building to a numbing fury that surges and burns away. Ten-minute closer “Exalt, Ye Flagellant” is a dark, foreboding place as it starts, animalistic howls joining the fray, the stirring playing mashing your muscles as death growls dig under your ribcage. The playing washes into a reflective aura that is shattered with crazed cries and a whipping gust that blisters, blood racing through your veins. The rampage heads into the dark, mixing with hypnosis, trudging and hammering until your psyche finally is allowed a modicum of calm.

Drouth’s devastating power is on full display with “The Teeth of Time,” a record that digs deeper into their dark energies and responds with black and death metal that aims to ravage and power structure that dares get in their way. At a time when righteous anger is at an apex, this is music that is perfect for aligning with your own frustration and giving you an outlet for venting. This is deadly and menacing stuff that feels apocalyptic, and considering that reality is closer than some care to think, it’s proper music for poisonous times.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://drouth.bandcamp.com/album/the-teeth-of-time

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

Grief is a motherfucker, and it is undefeated as far as us having no immunity from facing it, and even if we choose to ignore it, it only grows bigger and more ominous. Death is inevitable, and before our own demise, we will experience losing people who are important to us, be it friends, family, or pets. It’s coming, and facing it is as harrowing an experience as anything.

Canadian metal duo Mares of Thrace face this head on with “The Loss,” their new nine-track, 50-minute opus that tackles the process of death and its aftermath as we try to cope. Vocalist/guitarist Thérèse Lanz and drummer Casey Rodgers follow up 2022’s “The Exile” with this piece that is unlike anything they’ve released in the past. Yes, their abject heaviness, sludgy power, and Lanz’s angular, knifing guitar riffs all are in place, but they branch out musically and emotionally on this charring collection. Along the way, Lanz’s words pierce the heart, even amid drowning anger, as anyone who has had to bury a loved one or is on that tortuous path, will recognize the sentiment that is driven into you by a goddamn sledgehammer. 

“Anticipatory Grief” tears the lid off this thing, an urgent, black metal-smashed attack that feels like one finally coming to a breaking point. Lanz’s unmistakable riffs wrench around the fury as she levels, “I can’t bear to send another friend off to another journey in the soil.” From there, it’s a battle to survive the trauma, and then we’re off to “The First Stage: Shock” that chugs and brawls right away. Lanz’s vocals are more a hardcore-style shout, the playing stomping and bruising, singing quivering amid the carnage. “Losing you inch by inch is the worst torture ever devised,” Lanz wails, the muddy lashing leading to calmer moments that linger for a brief passing. Then the burst happens, snarls and singing uniting, the drums blasting, and Lanz pleading, “Just give me one more day.” “The Second Stage: Denial” barrels in with sludgy guitars, a doomy pall, and dirty, punishing playing. Strong guitars work flexes while the drums beat down, sweltering and swimming into melodic darkness, desperate cries blasting at your psyche. “The Third Stage: Anger” is less of an assault than expected from this phase, but it’s heavy as hell, and it’s blunt. Burly, muscular riffs thrash as Lanz howls, “I looked into your eyes the day you died, and I didn’t feel nothing.” From there, the playing pounds away, screams raging with passion and fury, the emotional release shooting sparks. “Disenfranchised Grief” is a crusher and one of the shorter tracks on the record, mashing through ash and glass, keys fluttering like a beam of light on a dreary day, start-stop drubbing adding ample bruising and mental stress that smears your mind.

“The Fourth Stage: Bargaining” begins with harmonizing singing, the playing dripping, then an explosion and total battery. The riffs cut through muscles as the shrieks rain down, the drums coming to life as the power builds into a bloody lather. The tempo remains intense as spoken lines drain down your spine, mournful melodies backing the tumult, the guitars darkening as wordless calls echo into the distance. “Complicated Grief” has guitars dripping, wails punching, and layers of filth piling at your feet. The riffs carve as the dirt clogs veins, Lanz lamenting, “I’ll never forgive myself for the things I let slip,” as the final moments blister and churn. “The Fifth Stage: Depression” runs 9:19, the longest track on here, and it begins moody and drizzling, piano notes dropping, Lanz speak-singing as the momentum picks up. Guitars get heated as the heaviness swells, smothering you completely under its weight, the screams piercing flesh before the pace grows colder. The path heads into the shadows, only to be met with metallic horrors as shrieks and crushing heaviness weigh down, a keyboard sheen tricks your mind, and the final strains of destruction burn through earth. Closer “The Final Stage: Acceptance” opens with chilling acoustics and synth winds, lush melodies adding some sense of soothing, a woman’s voice lamenting about losing her memory but maintaining her love and essence, a totally heartbreaking finish to a devastating record.

Losing a loved one is one of the most traumatic experiences we all will face one day, if we haven’t already, and every drop of “The Loss” perfectly captures the gamut of emotions one will experience as we navigate those harsh waters. Mares of Thrace always have been a force, but this record is above and beyond what they’ve created so far, a high-water mark for a project that has been delivering intensity their entire existence. This is a powerhouse both musically and emotionally, a record that I’ll keep near me as my own journey through grief continues for the rest of my days.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://artoffact.com/releases/the-loss/

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

A lot of what we cover here, and plenty of what I ramble about, is situated in the here and now and how it impacts our psyches. But there is far more than that in the metal universe, and it’s probably a good time to get a dose of something else so we can calm down for a second and get our minds into a different space.

Greek explorers Eleventh Ray branch far beyond the surface level on their great debut full-length “Reviving Tehom,” itself referring to an ancient concept of the abyss. The music the band—vocalist D. AanoNin, guitarist/vocalist D. Gharrassielh, bassist/guitarist Peyote, drummer/percussionist Nuctemeron—spreads over this nine-track collection has a furious heart and soul. It sounds like it time travelled through metal’s annals to grab something important from every era and apply it to their mind-set of exploring magical and occult grounds. The red dragon on the cover is crucial as well as it symbolizes esoteric knowledge and one’s journey through taking on those experiences and coming out transformed. Of course, if you just want a great sounding, true metal record, you’re also in the right spot. 

“Nightside of Damascus” ravages from the gates, the riff reminding me a bit of Candlemass’ “Dark Reflections,” which means we’re instantly off to a good start. The playing is both sooty and blazing, giving a vintage heavy metal feel, though the furious shrieks lets you know you’re in the present. “There’s no turning back!” AanoNin howls, the playing splattering and blazing to a gruesome end. “Staring Eyes” opens with a full surge, the guitars giving off a great tone, which they do throughout. Raspy wails meet with speedy leads, blistering as the track turns steamier. The bass slithers as the howls sicken, guitars churning to a furious end. “Ha Illan Ha Hizon TrianAdohi” mesmerizes from the start, darkness folding before the tempo kicks in, menacing with heaviness and punishment. Vocals echo as speaking haunts, sounding like a fever dream, with the final moments rumbling to a thunderous finish. “Path of the Bellator” is a New Agey instrumental piece with woodwinds, strange pockets, and a soothing feel that pulls toward to “IGUL.” There, slow, yet heavy playing lands blows, and then crazed howls sink in their teeth, the guitars turning thrashier and more forceful. Shouts buckle as the mood grows defiant, guitars are swept into a fog, and icy chants make ancient energy crawl down your spine.

“Κόκκινη Αποκάλυψη” is mostly instrumental with the exception of some warbled speaking, classic acoustics give off Middle Eastern flourishes, and then things turn. The playing gets faster and harder, the intensity settling into dust and final ghostly words. “ZODAMRAN NOX” explodes with hammering yells, heated guitars rampaging, and everything feeling like it’s trying to bruise your bones. Wild shouts spiral as the pace hulks up, mashing with deadly intent, the cries washing in echo, the bass thickening and chugging away. “Pan Noctifer” has guitars surging and the vocals grasping at throats, mystical melodies sweeping in and capturing your imagination. Strange vibes then take over, weird rants racing through the atmosphere, gathering into the clouds and slipping into shadows. The closing title track jars immediately, thundering with power, the title howled forcefully over the chorus. Guitars swelter as an entrancing mist takes over, raspy cries reopen wounds, and a nasty front forms and drives everything into the ground.

Eleventh Ray’s debut “Reviving Tehom” is an impressive one, a record that weaves classic and current metallic influences into an album that feels kind of timeless. The band’s foray into magical and esoteric terrain is woven into the music perfectly, giving you more of a lesson in ancient forces that still influence people rather than the run-of-the-mill devils and coffins. This is a spellbinding album, one that can enrich your mind from a lyrical standpoint and turn your blood even warmer when the music sinks in its claws.

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

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

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