I just saw an interview the other day with John Oates, and when asked if he thought he’d ever reunite with Daryl Hall, he said he didn’t it would be a good idea because they could not recapture that magic. It made me thankful that so many of the metal pioneers are staying at it, putting out strong music, and continuing to dominate the stage.

Chicago metal legends Novembers Doom have been going at it for 36 years now, and good thing this institution has remained standing and strong, as evidenced by their 12^th album “Major Arcana.” Taking influence from tarot (the album title and some of the song titles should make that apparent) and divination, the band—vocalist Paul Kuhr, guitarists Larry Roberts and Vito Marchese, bassist Mike Feldman, drummer Garry Naples—delivers a powerful performance, mixing doom, goth rock, and death metal into 10 cuts that keep you fully engaged. Ben Johnson also provides keyboards on all tracks, and Kuhr’s daughter Rhiannon provides backing vocals on three tracks. This is a legendary band operating at the top of their game, and this album is a morbid force from front to back.

“June” is a frosty opener despite its title, piano dripping as cold singing laments damage caused by the month in question, leading to the title track that trudges with might. This piece has a lot going on, and it’s one you have to follow down several pathways. “How long have I been gone?” Kuhr wonders as the light and dark push and pull, bleeding through sorrow and pain, grim singing and growling pushing into the distance. “Ravenous” pummels, the howls gutting, the chorus mauling as Kuhr wails, “I will devour you and leave nothing to chance.” The battering continues as subtle organs lather, guitars unload, and the heat increases, nastiness sinking in its teeth as the final rampage settles. “Mercy” is more vulnerable, cold winds and clean singing sending chills, wrenching every ounce of your sympathetic nerves. “Please hold me until I’m gone,” Kuhr pleads, the guitars engulfing as moodiness spikes and strings glaze over a dramatic finish. “The Dance” has blurring keys and an autumnal blaze, gothy singing pouring molasses, Kuhr stating over the chorus, “It’s time to vanish without a trace.” The growl dig in, the playing stirring smoke and blackness which leaves a thick film.

“The Fool” is fiery, growls mauling, a deathly attack headed right for the guts as a lover’s betrayal hangs in the balance, Kuhr calling, “You gave it away.” The playing drubs as the guitars encircle, blistering with harsh intent, scorn flowing through veins. “Bleed Static” runs 8 minutes and is clean and rhythmic out front, creaky speaking gnawing on bone, Kuhr urging, “I won’t survive this, save me.” The playing is sorrowful and rich, clean guitars trickling before taking off, soloing melting metal. The vocals then wash in echo, the chorus pulls back and thickens the shadow, and defeat slowly merges with the blistering static. “Chatter” has guitars churning and gruff singing, the chorus leaving bruises both physically and mentally. “I’m so desperate, I believe all your lies,” Kuhr levels, the playing bashing heads together, the endless pain creating a like-minded ghost with which to commiserate. “Dusking Day” enters amid cold keys before detonating, getting grislier as the playing carries on, gothy singing paying more weight to the misery and neglect. A blazing push guides the blade between your ribs, the growls throttle, and the final blows blacken eyes. Closer “XXII” is wash in Armageddon, a dark, foreboding final chapter that walks into blurring guitars and sinister howls. “In the shadow of a dying star, echoes of the final sun,” Kuhr wails, guitars blazing, the mouth of eternity gaping, everything fading into ash.

“Major Arcana” is another heavy chapter in Novembers Doom’s more than three decades of metallic devastation, again proving their might and resolve in a physically and mentally battered world. There is no shortage of inspiration for these guys, and they seem as channeled and powerful as ever, with these 10 tracks standing as evidence. This band has nothing left to prove, which has been the case for a long time. But they don’t see it that way, and their art pushes boundaries and refuses to be anything but volcanic.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/NovembersDoom1989

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/novembersdoom-arcana

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

I would imagine having a large body of work that has some solid definition over a long period time can both be easy to continue and also hard to navigate. There are bands that never change their formula and have long, illustrious careers. There are probably as many that can’t sit still in one territory and always have to shift and change to stay happy.

Texas-based power Krigsgrav kind of fall in the middle of those two distinctions. Over seven records, they’ve kept black metal as a base but also have branched beyond that enough to keep everything fresh and vital. They never deliver a curveball that’s so outside the zone that it’s uncomfortable to manage. On their eighth album “Stormcaller,” they made a concerted effort to bring in elements from every era and record the band—vocalist/guitarist Justin Coleman, guitarist Cody Daniels, bassist Wes Radvansky, drummer/clean vocalist David Sikora—has unleashed, and over eight tracks and 52 minutes, they continue to smear their ethos in blood. The music is relentless and volcanic, but there are doomy pockets, stormy melodies, and harrowing cliffs that keep you fully engaged, even on subsequent listens. There’s always something compelling around the corner.

“Huntress of the Fire Moon” opens in a melodic gush, the playing hammering away as shrieks ravage, twin leads feeling like a guiding light in a downpour. The atmosphere gets cloudier before riffs again are twisting brains, fiery chaos rains down, and howls stab into a glorious end. The title track gusts and crushes, savagery at every corner, great leads commanding as howls smear into a vicious thrust. The intensity feels like staring a blast furnace in the face, clean lines slipping under the damage, crawling out into the rain. “Twilight Fell” is brutal and sorrowful, the riffs coating with blood as the growls menace. An airy burst fills your lungs as screams curdle and the pace pounds, elegant leads cascading as everything slowly fades. “None Shall Remember Your Name” runs 7:32 with the bass leading in, chugging, spacious playing opening up the space, and then twin leads blazing, aiming to gut you. Clean singing numbs before Coleman’s barks belt, the playing taking on a more technical feel, but in a way where you can feel a heart beating. Acoustics give brief respite before the force returns, blistering with hazy guitars, speaking mesmerizing, and beastly howls leaving you buried. 

“Bay of the Barghest” is murky to start before the thorns scrape, slashing through melodic pathways, the clean singing and charred screams turning into ideal partners. Guitars beam as the tempo grows faster and pretty catchy, bursting as speed and storms unite, blazing before finally subsiding. “The Tonic of Wilderness” stirs with relentless power, howls menacing, and a strong charge getting your blood flowing as the misery tightens its grip. Beastly growls incinerate as the leads activate, cleaner calls drain ash, and an animalistic force runs the back end into a brick wall. “Ghosts” has guitars dripping and stretching, shrieks overwhelming, and then the pace hitting a sprint, melting into a sea of melody. Leads jar as the energy spits, howls storm, and leads slice tributaries into flesh. Closer “Womb:Death:Dawn” runs 8:33 and hangs in the air after dawning, a doomier approach pushing this into darkness, solemn heaviness flooding as the emotion floods. The drums kick up as the playing gets sludgier, keys and static unite and poke eardrums, and then the guitars rule with an acidic assault. The leads envelop and chug as dreariness sets in, a final thrashing destroying and fading into mystery.

“Stormcaller” is an effort to unite every era of Krigsgrav and send them into a fiery future, and it pretty much succeeds at every turn. It’s heavy, unforgiving, melodic, morose, and apocalyptic, the perfect album for times that hang in the balance. Nothing is certain other than Krigsgrav always will push their art to the limit and demand you take the ride with them. It’ll be a rocky, violent journey, and you’ll come out of the other side galvanized.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/store/default.aspx

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

There’s a lot of noise going on outside, plenty to disrupt your well-being, especially mentally. Even doing something as simple of checking your social media account or trying to decipher what’s being reported on the news can be too much, and I definitely understand how unhealthy that can be.

So, there’s little to quell our worries outside our doors, so perhaps turning inward to address that chaos and pain can begin to help a little bit. German black metal power Der Weg Einer Freiheit focus on those matters on their incredible new record “Innern,” which is German for “inward.” Here, the band—vocalist/guitarist Nikita Kamprad, guitarist Nicolas Rausch, bassist Alan Noruspur, drummer Tobias Schuler—turns their gears toward taking on what’s going on inside, trying to quiet the madness, and finding reflection and renewal. They do address the matters in our society that grind us to a pulp, but with a compassionate hand, tempering all of that with some of the most imaginative and immersive music of their entire careers.

Marter” is the 9:24-long opener and begins in a haze before ramping up, the drums bustling, howls tearing as a melodic fury engulfs everything. We then go from atmospheric right to the acidic belly of the beast, the pace shifting as guitars surge, the emotion calming for a brief respite as doom gusts into the picture. The playing hammers again, the energy rushes as growls gut, and the final moments slowly batter away. “Xibalba” is even longer at 10:07, a savage, daring attack overwhelming, growls marring as the storm grows blacker and hungrier. Even amid the chaos, there are fantastical elements that feel not of this world that join up with an increasingly boiling pace that eventually gives way to a synth sheen. Things feel equally trudging and dreamy as the guitars jar to a close. “Eos” is a real centerpiece gem, a song that starts off feeling progressive and wondrous, a hulking riff moving in and making the song its own, sticking in your brain. Vocals buzz as the playing mangles, beastly blistering leaving festering wounds, melodies swirling as clean singing arrives, increasing the drama and fading in calculated manner.

“Fragment” wooshes in and brings more delicate strains, cleaner singing swirling in the surrounding air, the fires eventually erupting and aiming to consume. Screams pierce and stretch as the playing journeys through the cosmos, destroying and dismantling worlds, bleeding right into instrumental cut “Finisterre III.” This is a continuation of a piece that was introduced two albums ago, the second installment of which appeared on their last record. This brings dripping piano and gathering mists, fog and elegance, and a gentle closing that sets the stage for closer “Forlorn.” Plucked guitars sting before eeriness spreads generously, clean singing bringing a pillowy nature, softer bass plodding as things feel oddly New Wave to a degree. Guitars then scuff as shrieks hammer, colorful playing heads into a pit of moodiness, and the calls of, “Please don’t let me go,” add to the introspection. The pressure builds and melts, warm synth floods, and alien swirl dissolves in air.

“Innern” offers a chance to escape with this music and take time for self-reflection and evaluation amid all of the upheaval surrounding us. We are not immune to that pressure, and Der Weg Einer Freiheit are fully aware, with their storminess and power continually exposing those truths and taking an inventory of oneself. While brutal and metallic, it also is a human record, one with compassion and awareness that flows through its every pore. 

For more on the band, go here: https://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/list/der-weg-einer-freiheit-innern

Or here (international): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/der-weg-einer-freiheit-innern

For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/

I’ve been thinking about eternal damnation a lot lately, not that I’m worried about the concept; I’m amused at how many people who claim to be “of god” will end up there if it’s real. Like, a comical amount. Wondering where we might go from here if there is something beyond this plane can keep people awake at night, and we have no idea what’s there.

Ridiculously prolific black metal confounders Esoctrilihum take you on some demented trip elsewhere with every record, and on, “Ghostigmatah – Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm,” sole creator Asthâghul’s latest under this banner, we enter the afterlife. According to the bio, “The album is divided into four chapters, each of which tells a ritual stage in the long journey of dead souls towards the jaws of the 8-eyed psychopomp Abxulöm, who will finally deliver them to eternal nothingness.” I hate a cut-and-paste job as much as the next guy, but how can I possibly summarize that in my own words? Anyway, Asthâghul continues his mesmerizing black metal path and adds more sounds including theremin, harp, kantele, and hammered dulcimer, deepening the mythology and what’s possible with your imagination.

“Hark! The Bewitched Trumpet of the Red Harbinger Is Calling the Dead to Gather” blasts open with delirium, synth bathing with strangeness as throaty wails pummel, a weird fantasy feel floating through the keys. The tempo strengthens its grip as the screams get more shrill, the playing going cold, clean, gothy singing stirring incantations. The chants chill as fevered stomps rattle, bizarre emanations floating into space. “Kneeling Before the Keeper of the Golden Key to the Absolute Void” ruptures, organs raining down, the howls warping as darkened thrash shakes bones loose. The hypnosis digs in deeper alongside more orchestral elements, a synth sheet darting ahead, sounds shooting through shadows as gnarly growls bring violent change. The playing gets catchier as the keys send horrors, eerie singing leading into a dramatic finish. “At The Mercy of the Flaming Spear of the Bestial Hierophant” smashes and churns as the riffs spiral and the keys smear. The mood is dizzying as hearty cries and clean singing unite, blurring and disorienting, tornadic chaos blasting into rubbery bass. “Flesh Pierced by the Blades of Thritônh, Eyes Devoured by Vulth Suidarl, the Giant Fly,” is metallic and leaves that taste in your mouth, the strings glowing as hypnosis encircles, shrieks belting as the atmosphere demands total immersion. The playing ramps up as crazed growls punish, and dizzying sludge makes the footing impossible, melting into madness. “Hypnotic Danse Macabre of the Blind Noctivagants” opens with acoustics dashing, the growls gnawing as hammered dulcimer sets an ancient tone. Growls echo as the guitars chug harder, strange clean singing haunting, the strings penetrating, the tempo crushing faces.

“Orgiastic Sacrificial Mass to Conjur Abxulöm, Psychopomp Supreme” is sinister and heavy, the growls crawling down your back, vicious sentiment working alongside alien pastoral chants. Sounds swarm as the growls rake nails down cosmic chalkboards, all elements entering a stormfront, the singing warbling as the door closes. “Saturnal Towers of the Mighty Scarlet Moon Upon the Black Universe” is numbing as the symphonic strains increase bodily temperatures, mangling cries punching holes in your psyche. All of the strings cause hellish drama, the attack getting sinister, tearing open a hole from another dimension for unknown horrors to enter ours. “The Cosmic Deathbringer Comes, Riding a Bloody Horse of Goshenite” drills into your brain, ugly, hellish vocals pouring previously unseen colors into a growing nightmare. The playing trudges and smashes, the growls breathing fire and leaving psychological wounds behind, a thrashy assault bleeding into a grisly ending. “Mauled, Swallowed and Dissolved Into Nothingness By the 8-Eyed Psychopomp” is melodic as hell out of the gates, with higher calls making nerve endings activate, and theremin pressing a ghostly presence into the creation. Growls encircle as phantasms vibrate, layers of frost accumulating and making your body shake uncontrollably, the guitars jolting. The leads scuff as the heat singes, tortured cries ringing in your ears, the exhaust lifting and letting light into the room. Closer “Supplication of the Veiled Saint From the Secret Book of the Ghostigmatah Rites” starts with strings glistening and whispers darting through the air, settling into a dream state. The delicacy slowly erodes as savage howls join the fray, sounds jangling, the ferocity disappearing into an acidic sun.

Every Esoctrilihum record is an experience that demands time and effort on your part, and “Ghostigmatah – Spiritual Rites of the Psychopomp Abxulöm” provides plenty of material for your undivided attention. This is a fully immersive experience, one that can damage and salt wounds at times, but taking this on as a whole provides a much more immersive mission than if you break it into chunks. Asthâghul’s ambitions know no bounds, and he’s willing to push you to the limit and beyond to connect with his ritualistic vision.

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

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

Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/record-label/i-voidhanger-records/

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

It feels like utter hell here in the United States, what with fascism and the constant barrage of bullshit, but there are hellscapes where parts of the world are being torn apart, and survival from one day to the next hardly is guaranteed. Imagine trying to create something meaningful and impactful when bombs are falling all around you.

Ukrainian metal force Heruvim are in the middle of a warzone, and the idea they could put together a full-length record under those circumstances is perverse. Yet we have “Mercator,” the band’s first full-length album, a seven-track, 30-minute bruiser that breathes chaotic life into death metal. The band—vocalist/guitarist Nefarious, guitarist Kick Flis, bassist Hot Rod—had to create this album as their country is at war. They risked conscription, fighting, and death, crossing borders to make this happen. You’d think this would sound frenzied and punishing, and it does, but it also bursts with energy and life as if they’re determined to survive no matter what hell they experience.

“Mysterium Tremendum” starts with guitars crushing, twisting at muscle, sooty, snaking riffs going in and out of pools of blood. The carnage takes a break to turn mystifying, letting you breathe before the powder keg erupts, guitars swim through humidity, and the growls wrench your neck. “Nulla Res” delivers spidery leads, a confounding pathway forward, howls that tear at the flesh, and a pace that jerks you around and into walls. The playing thrashes even harder, upping the ante, bludgeoning with relentless ferocity. “Gnosis” brings the guitars to a boil, decimating as the vocals ravage, chaotic damage being served in generous portions. The playing leans into atmospheric heat as the leads gains some warmth, and everything turns to dust.

“Arammu” has a more techy open that aims to melt brains, and the guitars begin their exploration, howls carving passageways as the torment gets thicker. A strange psychedelic cloud hangs overhead as growls retch, rubbery guitar work punishes, and the final strains bleed into brief interlude “VII.” This feels like a strange isolation in an alien world, a robotic voice repeating Gorgias’ tenets about existence and knowledge. The title track bludgeons, wrecking and dizzying, the howls smashing as the pace grows more volatile. Blood rushes as the bass trudges, synth bristling, the heat spiking and fading. Closer “Lacrimae Rerum” has guitars cascading, growls swelling, and fast-strike leads taking over your imagination. The tempo chunks as the guitars add more excitement, howls darken, and things gradually fade into an increasingly uncertain darkness.

The ravages of war and the uncertainty of survival certainly inform “Mercator,” even if the lyrical content heads into more imaginative and psychologically stimulating territory. Heruvim put their lives on the line to make this record, which cannot be overstated, and the result is a strong, steady debut full-length that also leaves room to grow. Hopefully matters grow less volatile in their homeland (we’re not holding our breath, but we can hope) and that this can be a building block to a future that’s violent only from a metallic standpoint. 

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

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

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

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

There are those bands that once you indulge in their music, the way your brain processes that particular art form changes a little bit. Somehow, my TikTok algorithm led me to Faetooth, a Los Angeles-based doom power that creates heavy, yet enchanting songs, stuff that crawls into your imagination and helps you see new colors. I hear things differently since being introduced to them.

“Labyrinthine” is the band’s second record and first for The Flenser, and it’s a 10-track, 55-minute excursion that picks up where 2002’s “Remnants of the Vessel” (our No. 6 album that year) leaves off and then goes into new terrain. Thematically, the band—bassist/vocalist Jenna Garcia, guitarist/vocalist Ari May, drummer Rah Kanan—takes on inner turmoil, personal wounds, and loss, among others, with their heaviness intertwining breath-takingly with softer tones and psychedelic flourishes. This album is one that may take a few visits to truly set in, which was the case for their debut, but it’s easy to instantly be spellbound by the music. Digging deeper reveals richer meaning.

“Iron Gate” bathes in feedback, solemnity and clean singing bubbling, and then the power punches in, adding to the thicker haze. The singing lures while the growls scrape passages beneath, and then voices harmonize. Hypnosis mixes as the energy burns off into the horizon. “Death of Day” has the bass sliding and the guitars trudging, dreamy singing icing over wounds. The crunch arrives in the form of blistering riffs and feral growls before the calmer verses help alleviate the burn. The playing gets burly again, riffs tangling, shrieks wrenching as the spirit spirals away. “It Washes Over” has a clean start before buzzing, and then the singing floats, easing into an increasingly darker doom cauldron. Guitars heat and spread as the growls menace, desperation rumbling as everything fades. “Hole” is slower and crawls through thickening fog, then the power guts, and the singing swells, making blood rush. The shrieks bruise as the mesmerizing pace blossoms, churning through chaos to the edge of a storm. “White Noise” is muddy at first before cleaner guitars and tingling singing activate emotions, then screams belt, letting lava gust before the temps drop again. The battle between light and dark engulfs as howls rip, hypnotic dirges spread misery, and everything simmers into silence.

“Eviserate” bleeds clean, soft singing pulling you down pathways, and then the screams ravage, desperation and anguish playing tug of war. Viciousness rears its head and flattens bones, emotional singing makes your heart ache, and smoke encapsulates all. “October” is ceremonial and chilly before guitars blaze and churn, a strong chorus pumping blood from a pierced heart. Guitars buzz as the pain permeates the senses, the power surges, and the cosmos swallows everything whole. “Mater Dolorosa” digs in, the singing feeling like a dreamscape, the playing buckling while swimming through tar. The pace slowly batters as howls punish, the aura turns moodier, and guitars leave a stinging sensation. “The Well” is a brief instrumental built with slow-driving force, guitars that add a deep freeze, and an essence that hangs in the clouds. Closer “Meet Your Maker” is the longest track at 8:28, and it dissolves into blood, the singing mesmerizing before the fires blast, sweeping with strange speaking and increasingly harrowing shadows. The pace chugs more as the guitars char, igniting a gazey heatwave that builds and scalds as the last moments draw near, ending everything in an immersive dream. 

“Labyrinthine” is Faetooth at their most vulnerable, at least to this point, and their ethereal brand of doom remains the type that works best when absorbed in dark silence, with only you and the music there to connect. It was clear from when this band first arrived that they had something special to add to the doom kingdom, and theirs is more personal, introspective, and also thunderous. This is a band that deserves your attention now and moving forward, because chances are this journey has only begun, and the twists and turns from here cannot be predicted. Only experienced. 

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/faetooth

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