There is such thing as an end-of-week record, something you put on to burn off steam and release the frustrations from the previous days. 1349’s “Hellfire” is one of those for me. If you hear that playing in my office late on a Friday afternoon (last week was like this), then you know it’s a frustrating stretch that needs to fuck off.

We’ve long been a fan of Boise, Idaho, crushers Ghorot, but their third and latest record “Obsidian” is something that takes their bruising, electrified doom and stretches it into pure agitation. The band—vocalist/bassist/guitarist Carson Russell, guitarist/vocalist Chad Remains, drummer/vocalist Brandon Walker—sounds channeled and pissed to no end. You can hear it in the guitars that sound like they’re heating the gold to pour over Viserys Targaryen’s head. Everything here chokes and inflames, feeling like they are pouring every ounce of their frustration and fury in these smothering six tracks.   

“Void Drinker” rushes in, howls piercing, the playing blistering and melting bone. Sludge collects and chokes, the soloing burning through a doomy fury, wrecking as the drums do further damage. Shrieks rip as the pace swaggers, psyche heat amplifying the damage.  “Lascaux” is beastly, growls tearing at muscle, the riffs smoking before unhinged shrieks peel flesh. The pace takes a filthier turn, the intensity sparking as the wrecking machine swings into high gear, the bass flexing as the playing pulls everything into a noise pit. “A Seeping Infinitude” scrapes, mystical sounds enrapturing, harsh calls clouding your brain, a sudden hypnosis going into full effect. Guitars warp as the pace feels tortured, speeding as the energy stirs hard, wild leads circling and leaving ash.

“Beneath the Soil” vibrates, the tempo slowly battering, wails striking as the band chugs hard, chewing cinders. Screams retch as the pace combusts, guitars wrench as the torment gets thicker, a strange fury permeating before a final gust melts and fades into exhaust. “Lafayette” is a quick bruiser, guitars staggering as a mauling power hits low, the leads scorching as the roars punish. Noise spits and torments, humid leads poison the air, the howls strangling what’s left. Closer “Deluge” opens with rain falling, psychedelic fumes entering, hypnosis mixing with gentler strains. The path gets tougher and meaner, emotional leads gushing blood, a thick grime making the footing volatile. Heat builds as screams bubble, and the band lays waste once more before heading into a black hole.

Ghorot manage to ramp up the doom sludge torment even further on “Obsidian,” a record that sounds out of control at times, but always in a way where they know exactly how to direct their fire. This is their most volcanic, agitated record of their three, and this is music that makes you concerned for your own safety if you’re in the same room with these sounds. This will shred you mentally and physically, making it feel like you were in all-out hand-to-hand combat when it finally relents.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://laybarerecordings.com/release/obsidian-by-ghorot-lbr071

Or here: https://ghorot.bandcamp.com/album/obsidian

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

I’m suddenly finding death metal legends Immolation absolutely infuriating and frustrating. Most of them are older than I am, and to hear them still making art as good as their latest album “Descent” makes me insane. I think the only thing I do better in my advanced age is take naps. Pretty great at that.

Their twelfth album since their formation in 1988 is a crusher, another entry into a masterful catalog that sounds as sinister as ever. First listen, I loved it, but it also just might be because I like Immolation. But every listen after got even better, and there might be no end in sight for this band—vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan, guitarists Robert Vigna and Alex Bouks, drummer Steve Shalaty. Normally, the bad aims its ire toward Catholicism and its many documented scourges throughout the years. But on “Descent,” they view where we are as a possible hell, watching humankind burn itself to the ground, maybe forever.

“These Vengeful Winds” starts ominously with clean guitars, and then the riffs cut in with precision, harsh growls pummeling, chillingly evil melodies striking. The playing then just flat out smokes, the lead exploring, howls choking, spacious sounds encircling. “The Ephemeral Curse” opens with the drums wrecking and the playing smothering, Dolan’s growls tightening, the guitars spindling into explosive heat. The soloing ignites, the pace bustling as guitars race, ominous clouds thickening. “God’s Last Breath” clashes, fiery gusts driving, growls curdling as the tempo does a slow burn. The energy then trucks harder, ferocity ravaging as the fires spread rapidly, growls dusting as everything ends as crushingly as possible. “Adversary” explodes, spitting hammers, the pace destroying, the guitars sounding like sirens calling over a battle. Leads swim through bloody waters as channeled fury blisters, melodies snarling, corrosion eating through bone. “Attrition” has guitars bending and sooty growls, the leads churning and send back heat. The drums gut as the soloing soars, the tempo gushing and fading into a thick smoke blanket.

“Bend Towards the Dark” ignites, brutal growls laying waste, the leads twisting and snarling, the soloing bubbling and spilling overboard. Growls boil as the humidity thickens, a brief calm is pierced by drubbing growls, and the playing combusts, leaving behind shrapnel. “Host” has the drums exploding, growls engorging, the guitars hanging overhead before a trudging force touches down. The playing gets hazy and sinewy, growls smoking as the leads explore, sharp shrieks sinking in the blade. “False Ascent” ravages, the drums totally destroying, mauling growls turning things beastly. The leads soar as the burly underbelly shows infection, the attack totally obliterating and stabbing toward a trucking finish. “Banished” is an eerie, mystical instrumental, one that emerges from the shadows with clean guitars and moody strings. Electric leads slice from the shadows, slipping into oblivion. The title track closes, savagery plastering at every turn, a controlled pace taking its time delivering punishment. Leads erupt as the intensity spikes, Dolan howling, “We’ve reached the point of no return,” a soberingly accurate statement followed by mashing playing, foggy leads, and an all-consuming blaze at the end.

It’s infuriating Immolation still are making records as good as “Descent.” How fucking dare they? It’s evident from the beginning of this record how fucking on they are, and the savagery feels more sudden and violent than usual. Their disgust with the path humanity is on is easy understand, and the vitriol they deliver should be bottled so that people who have trailed off can wake up and care again.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/collections/immolation

The past can be something that holds onto us and refuses to release its grip, especially if we have things we did as younger versions that haunt us, or at least bother us, today. For example, I hated my 20s, and I am not thrilled about who I was and what I did. I wasn’t introspective enough, I paid attention to the wrong things. I wouldn’t hang with that guy.

Luckily, the time since has changed a lot of my perspectives, and I can make amends with those years because they helped me change and become a different person. On their thunderous debut record “Asymmetries,” Void of Light examine similar territories, being able to bridge different versions of yourself into what you have become. The band—vocalist   Ali Lauder, guitarists Nick Collins, Simon Mather, and Marc Carey (who also contributes vocals), bassist Dan Irving, drummer Stephen Wilkinson—uses their atmospheric doom to blister with volume and drama as they tie together emotional eras.

“The Passing Hours” opens gently, even dreamy, and then the jolts happen, melodies swarming, the energy charring the edges. Guitars soar as the howls snarl, the playing cutting and gushing, light rushing to the surface. Gruff singing rumbles as the guitars lap, flying and lashing, howls hammering as everything fades into smoke. “Silver Mask” charges and mashes from the start, roars mixing with singing, activity punching as the melodies loops into time. Atmosphere levels and smothers, moodiness thickening as throaty howls hammer, cleaner singing entering to add some relief, all the elements pulling, spiriting into distant folds of outer space.

“Ends” drops the hammer, howls cutting as the playing goes faster, pummeling as clean calls rain down. A fiery pace launches, guitars swelling before the pace pulls back, singing swells, and a brief lull calms. Then, a black metal-style assault destroys, the speed toppling as guitars encircle, driving everything into the dark. “Still the Night Skies” has the bass driving and leads burning, the singing luring you into the center where you’re met by a psyche dream. Lauder’s vocals are almost like David Gilmour’s here, guitars firing on all cylinders as the pressure grows heavier. Screams and roars buckle as echoey, lonesome guitars cry, giving off a Western vibe, gazey fire leaving ash. Closer “Mirrorings” is sludgy, wails bruising, howls smashing as rubbery guitars flex, a gazey stream gushing. The tempo launches as Lauder’s singing bellows, other voices swirling into the mix, the playing turning calm. Guitars flow and entrance, notes chiming as the energy blasts back, howls smearing as the last passages spiral into the distance.

Void of Light make an impressive first impression on “Asymmetries,” a more than worthy entry into the atmospheric sludge doom universe. The band delivers on emotion, power, and precision, always adding different elements into the chaos to keep things interesting. Plus, it’s a quaking look within, with our own history interwoven and giving us a glimpse into ways that can make us stronger.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://ripcordrecords.bandcamp.com/album/asymmetries

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