While I’m sure this idea is really unpleasing to many people, I love putting on a record and being absolutely baffled, maybe even frightened by what I’m hearing. As satisfying as the opposite can be, it also can lead to bands not taking chances or staying in place just to remain in their safe lane. That’s fine too, but having artists who will dabble in madness helps keep music fresh and concepts evolving.

Australian terrors Plasmodium take the idea of unpredictability to insane levels, which is on full, terrifying display on “Towers of Silence,” a record that revels in anything but the absence of sound. My first experience with this record was pleasingly off putting, making me wonder what the fuck I was hearing. While that might sound like a negative, it was anything but that as I sought to devour these five track and 47 minutes of this bizarre, stabbing black and death metal hybrid. The band—and I’m copying right from the bio because I don’t know what any of this means as we have Fuath on disembodiment, Demoninacht on limbic chaos, Nocentor on reverberactions, Aretstikapha on invocations, and Yen Pox on spiteful whirlwind generation—fully commits to the psychosis, spilling their sound into strange pockets and fully reimagining what heaviness and power really means. Did I do this right?

“ParaMantra” rips open with a fury as the growls rumble, and the playing blinds you. It’s a total assault on the senses as weird keys reverberate, and strange whispers get into your head and lead you toward “Churning” where double kick drums open up hell. Suffocating heaviness and relentless playing dominate while the growls deliver harsh menace, and the sounds churn. Massive shrieks and animalistic hell combine, the sounds sizzle, and this strange beast finally ends its stomp. “Pseudocidal” is trippy and disorienting at the start before bells and noises mix, and the drumming dusts. Growls lurch into a weird ambiance, warped strangeness sinks in its teeth, and a miasma of horrors begins to claim victims. Battering madness slips into utter strangeness, while it feels like a drug dream takes over and leads you into oblivion.

“Translucinophobia” starts the final half hour of this record, an 18:37-long track that starts as a total assault. Growls creak and cosmic oddities launch toward you as the drums pummel, and the assault is on. Later your mind is allowed calm before a savage assault arrives on the other end, and alien weirdness pushes. The drums kill as the hellish assault spreads, with total insanity in the air, and things get even weirder. The voices warp, the track ignites again, and the final moments blaze out into a cloud of hell. “Vertexginous” closes the album, a 12:45-long beast that starts with cosmic trauma. Tortured cries rain down as the track slowly comes apart with anguishes yells chewing at your nerves. The atmosphere turns spacious and odd, keys drip, psychotic storming pelts, gross weirdness slithers, and guitars charge, letting the intensity spike as the chaos blasts out.

I can’t even begin to make heads or tails of “Towers of Silence,” a record that doesn’t really live up to its name considering it’s packed wall to wall with frenzied sounds and abject heaviness. Plasmodium are operating on a bizarre, entirely different level than most bands, and the best idea is to just take a few steps back and watch this beast spasm and punish. You’re not going to find many records quite like this one this year, and honestly, our psyches are probably better off for it.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/

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

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

You know those people who start an activity, get good at it, and start fucking doing things differently in order to make the process more fun and challenging for them? Man. Hate those people. Stop being so motivated! Though I do admit there’s that sliver of jealously where I wonder why I, too, can’t be painfully good at something other than losing to panic attacks.

Obsolete, a goddamn death/thrash amalgamation that hails from Minnesota, is here to make you look really stupid with their full-length debut “Animate//Isolate.” They can’t just play this stuff straightforward. No no. They have to make it tricky and weird and cosmic and fucking so good that it makes your teeth hurt. This nine-track album is actually the perfect antidote to monotony, and not just with music. Add it to your own life when you can’t get going or when you need to think differently or whatever. This band—vocalist/guitarist Lucas Scott, guitarist Scott Fryxell, bassist Dan Lee, drummer Pat Ruhland—make it impossible to remove your attention or even relax. You’re constantly on guard here as they rip out weird wrinkle after strange turn, taking your stomach and mind with them.

“Still” blasts open with punchy and tricky playing and gruff shrieks with the drums absolutely pummeled. The playing is both vicious and melodic with strong leads ripping through, snaking to a smoking finish. “The Atrophy of Will” starts with a proggy burst and blistering vocals carving paths, spilling all over the place. The guitars jolt as things gets thrashy and furious as your guts absolutely shake. The leads ignite as the sounds lather, crushing everything in its path. “The Slough” is tricky when it starts, unloading a plastering pace, tangling your brain wiring. The pace gets adventurous and fiery, just laying into a speedy assault, getting fluid and lightning strong as things go. The playing is colorful and creative, burning through layers and leaving you in charred ashes. “Old Horizon” blasts through your chest as it opens, with the playing leaving you confused and frightened and the bassline snapping through. The prog fires are agitated as grisly vocals stretch flesh, the drums destroy, and everything ends in rubble.

“Silent Freeway” unloads sinister riffs that tears the track open, then meaty thrashing and splattering vocals team up and take you down. Your brain starts to melt from the intensity, the bass plasters, and the track flies into oblivion. “Stumbling and Listless” lets the riffs slice through, surging and mashing as the track flattens you. The guitars pick up speed as the roars punish, and the ambitious pace leads to the drums smoking, the leads picking up a rage, the end melting through rock. “The Fog” slips in with jarring leads and fluttering playing as the pace just chugs. The guitars zip all over the place as the vocals mar, with the madness opening anew and everything coming to a blistering end. “Callousness of Soul” opens on fire as the vocals swallow you whole, and the playing rushes and tangles. The bass tramples as the speed continues to get more intense, and then everything blasts shut, ripping the oxygen from your lungs. “Intercostal” finishes the record with prog fires spreading all over everything, as the guitars going off to explore. The pace is muddy and clubbing as it mauls whatever is in its way, tying up loose limbs and then breaking them. Nasty vocals corrode, and the band keeps smashing until the end melts away.

“Animate//Isolate” is not a straightforward record by any means, and that’s by design as Obsolete aim to take what’s in their heads and spit it out in a way designed to confuse and terrify, which they do often on these nine tracks. From my first experience with the album, I could tell something different was in front of me, and hopefully the descriptions of the music above come at least close to capturing this thing. It’s a hell of an experience, something that’ll make your mind feel squashed when it’s over.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/purchase/

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

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the Earth is suffering, and there are a lot of people, largely those in power who could influence change, who don’t give a fuck because money. You know, make the money, fuck everyone else, you’ll be dead before the globe swallows us. Except it might not be the case, and our demise might be much closer than we realize, and there are a lot of people trying to sound alarms to wake people to reality. 

Digging into morbidly and ideally titled “Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth,” the third record from doom destroyers Body Void, it immediately immerses you into those worries amid their impossibly heavy, gut-ripping sound that makes it feel like your chest is caving in when you see them live. Body Void is no stranger to tackling issues that are divisive politically (even though they shouldn’t be), and this record is perhaps their most urgent yet as it affects the entire planet. Woven into those woes, the band—guitarist/bassist/vocalist Will Ryan, drummer Edward Holgerson—is a furious defense of this planet, its horrible parts aside. The potentially irreparable harm, the escalating climate change, and the way we treat this place should be enough to upset anyone, and standing guard to defend our home to try to ensure its here and fully habitable for future generations is something for which we all should strive. 

“Wound” starts off the record in impossibly heavy fashion as the guitars scoff, and the pace pummels. Ryan’s shrieks eat into your psyche, something that never relents on this record, and the noise just swelters. The track then runs into demolition as the band absolutely hammers away, and then we’re back into doom storming and suffocating hell. The vocals pierce, the devastation floods, and everything ends in savage noise. “Forest Fire” begins with Ryan howling, “Watch it burn, celestial light, world consumed, your back is turned,” as the riffs swelter, and the boulders are dropped. The sounds churn and burn, and a thick bassline feels like a steel cord wrapped through as spine. The guitars gain humidity as they hang over the scene, just mauling and pounding away, tearing muscle. The pace then chars to a halt before squeals bring everything back, and the playing gets faster and meaner. The vocals crush while the drums explode, absolute violence spreads, and merciless panic ensues and blasts out.

“Fawn” pounds away immediately as Ryan’s vocals wrench, and a slow, plodding beating gets underway, bringing blood to the surface. The playing stretches and feels like it taxes the flesh, eating away with some psychedelic corrosion. Things then begin to kill, a punk/death amalgamation digs under your fingernails, and things get lumbering and deliberately pressure filled, smashing away until the noise fizzles. “Pale Man” ends the record and starts the path by hacking away, washing you in drubbing misery as Ryan’s shrieks deliver havoc. The playing trudges and snarls, pushing your face in the dirt, while every skull within 1,000 miles begins to implode and spray powder, heading into a feedback swell. The tempo then ignites, bringing direct jolts until things move back to a muddy speed, mashing away and destroying wills. Noise paces as the sounds scrape eardrums, your blood pulsates even harder, and Ryan’s final gasps punish as the track bleed away.

The tales Body Void tell on “Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth” sadly are not new ones, as we watch the Earth slowly turn against us, and we start seeing members of this global society try to find shelter. People such as Body Void and many others have taken this fight personally to protect the world in which they live and that they love. This is one of, if not the most important battle of our lives, and the heavy lessons brought forth on this record are ones other people must learn so we can save this place.

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

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

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

There’s been so much time to take personal inventory this past year as our lives changed and the world has operated entirely differently. Looking back on our own personal history can give us a chance to examine where we’ve been, what we’ve done as people, and if we’re on the right track to where we want to go in the future.

Spectral Lore’s sole creator Ayloss was on a similar path as he constructed his project’s latest full-length record “Ετερόφωτος,” a title that loosely translates to “the one whose light comes from others.” Ayloss took time for serious self-reflection using maturity and awareness in order to navigate where he’s been and where he’s going. His music is heavily immersed in black metal, a music form with a troubling past, though artists such as Ayloss have spent time trying to change some of that so it’s not entirely a pit of horrible people with even-worse ideas. I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m assuming that’s why Ayloss considers this a black metal record and an anti-black metal record, as the work he has done to become a better person extends to making the sub-genre in which he exists a little less unsavory. On top of that, he makes some of the most fascinating, atmosphere-infused black metal going, and the seven tracks spread over 76 minutes will take you on an epic excursion that’ll require you mind, body, and spirit.

“Ατραπός” starts the record, a 12:42 epic that opens in a storm with Ayloss’ shrieks ripping into your rib cage. The track rampages as the fury builds, and the guitars jettison all over, clobbering the senses and leaving the room spinning. Guitars spit fire again, the tempo shifts, and the chaotic gust pulverizes until a cold front arrives, altering the temperature again. Guitars poke through, chants entrance, and the growls flood, churning along with the final embers of the track. “The Golden Armor” is the shortest track, still running a healthy 7:33 and launching into a ferocious pace with speed and Ayloss’ growls crushing beneath their weight. Power wails as the guitars explore, and there’s a Middle Eastern-style vibe lurking in the melodies, which segue into another dose of savagery. The bass slinks as the madness explodes, and a torrid pace takes the reins and leads into oblivion. “Initiation Into Mystery” is punishing as melodies crash, and the vocals launch from Ayloss’ throat. Guitars flutter as the intensity continues to build, blinding and without relent. The playing keeps spilling as the vocals wrench, the guitars take on an animalistic edge, and everything ends in noise hiss and rumbling.

“The Sorcerer Above the Clouds” runs 11:16 and begins with clean tones and warmth, lulling you into serenity until the bottom is torn out. Guitars come to life and hit the races as the drums rampage, and everything comes unglued. The pace ravages as vicious growls ignite, and then the pace changes, as the guitars catch fire on the other side. It feels like your brain is rippling as everything gets tornadic and dangerous, Ayloss’ roars destroy, and the playing rages into extreme coldness that evaporates into time. “Apocalypse” blasts into your face before the playing gets moody and growls bubble, as manic swirling makes your stomach juices slosh around, and the sonic blasts gets heated and painful. The tempo rockets into the stars, massive crumbling feels like a city worth of buildings falling, and the track pummels until bleeding away. The title track stirs as it opens, causing you to grasp the walls, and then the playing bursts with chaos and carnage. Melodies envelop as the growls gain momentum before clean strangeness enters your bloodstream, but then the flood gates open again. The guitars race all over the place, feeling like mercury splashing your flesh, and then the fiery punishment heaves, melody drains, and the blasts arrive hot and heavy, bowing out to the void. “Terean” closes the record, the longest selection here at 19:10. The track is an ambient piece that boils in alien noises, subtle beats, and voices traveling through the stars. Storms lightly spread and rain static, chants emerge, and strange waves lap over you, putting this journey to sleep deep within the earth’s core.

There is plenty of self-perspective and emotional examination taking place on “Ετερόφωτος,” a raucous, thought-provoking collection from Spectral Lore and its inventive creator Ayloss. You don’t just sit down and visit a few selections from a Spectral Lore record, as you have to immerse yourself in all 76 minutes to truly absorb everything that’s going on with this very involved, volcanically heavy album. Ayloss never lacks for creativity and imagination, and this record is another top-shelf record that both embraces black metal and lashes back against the tenets that have made the scene a sort of cesspool.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://i-voidhanger.com/shop/

For more on the label, go here: http://i-voidhanger.com/

I’m sure the saying “Winter Is Coming” still stirs emotions from people who invested so much time and energy into the whole “Game of Thrones” world, though that feeling might be negative considering the disappointing thud of the final two seasons and the fact that the world is never getting those final books. It’s OK. Just let it sink in. But for black metal, that saying can mean something entirely different.

For long-running project Paysage d’Hiver, it simply means the world sole creator Wintherr birthed almost two decades ago remains alive, and new stories are set to be told, which they are on the band’s second full-length effort “Geister,” which translates to “ghosts.” OK, so yes, it’s technically the second official album after last year’s debut “Im Wald,” but Wintherr has 10 full-length demos to his credit and a slew of split releases, so it’s a stretch to call this the second, but from an official standpoint, that’s what it is. What we find here are 11 tracks spread over 70 minutes, each song constructed similarly with an opening that is awash in sound and screams and a finish that swims in ambiance. The record feels more like an 11-movement story where the riffs maintain some similarity that streaks through the production, making everything here feel tied together, almost like when the music finishes, you expect it to restart and create a giant, undying circle. It’s another astonishing piece of work that’ll arrest you heart and mind, leaving you frozen to your core.

“Schattä” opens with shriek strikes and winds whipping before the track begins to batter. Impenetrable thrashing and fury reigning combine as the vocals strangle, melody surges, and the pounding continues to make dents until noise takes over and washes into “Bluet” that unloads with a fiery gust and muscular riffs as the vocals scuff metal. The playing feels imperial as the band drives through wintry violence, while the shrieks eat away at muscle, icy backing thickens, and the track bows out to the night and merges with “Wüetig” that unloads with a hammering pace. The track unloads lumber and savage vocals as things get weightier, rampaging through great riffs that feel stitched with what came before them. The menace only increases as the playing envelopes and pummels before disappearing into smoke and toward “Undä” that delivers more spellbinding riffs and a sinister attitude. The track takes on a darker vibe as the shrieks continue to dump chaos eating away and rushing through, passing through a strange aura and into “Äschä” where the vocals attack and mar. The pain rivets and rampages through your body as the pressure continues to mount, and snows falls in blankets, and the snarling vocals feel like they’re creeping up behind you for a final attack, melting into sound.

“Wärzä” soaks in racket and lurching growls as the riffs crumble and smudge, and a strange miasma encircles you and makes the room spin out of control. Synth freezes as fiery vocals rip through your mind while things turn sickeningly hypnotic, crushing and dissolving into the winds. “Anders” delivers isolated shrieks and riffs racing, as the track feels utterly devastating. Speedy jabs and slaughtering playing unite as your bones are squeezed into paste, your brain is scrambled, and the tempo dashes like mad, bleeding out and into “Schtampfä” that unloads gurgles and massive shrieks, while the playing increases the intensity. The drums plaster as the guitars create a tornado effect, increasing barometric pressure, flooding and stammering out into noise and into the jaws of “Gruusig” that launches and rubs as nasty guitars have their way, and shrieks scrape into your flesh. The drums rip holes in the universe, noises rush, and the playing stampedes into oblivion, coming out the other side into “Schuurig” as a quivering voice emerges, and then the riffs land blows. That pace feels familiar and another slice of DNA from the overall story, bringing a wintry rush and eventually a doomy haze that only serves to darken your mood. The playing churns as the vocals sound terrifying, mashing amid chaos that drains out toward 10:09-long closer “Geischtr” that is a largely ambient final chapter. The track is built on noises rustling and stretching, blurred shrieks sitting behind the storm, and a strange stab that slips into the murk and disappears into a frigid vortex.

Wintherr’s bizarre and storied journey into the most frigid of worlds takes another violent twist on “Geister,” a record that’s sure to attract even more ears after last year’s “Im Wald” finally seemed to garner the attention Paysage d’Hiver always deserved. It’s getting warmer in many places in the Western Hemisphere, but no matter the temperature outside, your bones and blood will freeze in place by the time this record is over. This is another breathtaking chapter from one of black metal’s most prolific and focused projects, and this is bound to have zealots worshipping at its icy altar.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/paysage-d-hiver-geister

For more on the label, go here: https://kunsthall.ch/

We’re living in a strange time, and that doesn’t necessarily just mean the pandemic that has overtaken our lives. There seem to be more important conversations happening within our society whether that’s over class structure, people’s sexuality and identities, what justice really means and who it impacts, and other matters such as these. As a white cis male, I can’t really say what kind of progress we’ve made, because my life is not personally impacted, though many of my friends’ plights are.

I mention this because we have “Vital,” the amazing new record from minimalist doom power trio BIG | BRAVE to discuss, and like the records the band made that preceded this one, there is a lot to unravel, and this piece won’t be able to untangle all of it. On this album, the band tackles issues including gender and race, how other people’s behaviors impact us and the rest of society, and the matter of protest that we’ve seen occur so much the past 12 months especially. The band—guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie, guitarist Mathieu Ball, drummer Tasy Hudson—continue their pattern of plodding, stabbing, urgent doom that gets into your system and rewires you. I love this band and have for many years, and every time out, they come up with something that maintains their overall DNA but pushes things into new areas and sections of shadows.  

“ABATING THE INCARNATION OF MATTER” punches in with moody melody and Wattie’s yelped cries as she jabs, “A weighted thought swallowed whole, blindly a harrowing inhale, ceding to this disease.” The place slithers and keeps landing punches as a fog rises and spreads, and the momentum halts for a moment before the door is kicked in again. The vocals rip back in as Wattie hits with shrieks, the drums are bashed, and the vibe disappears into the night. “HALF BREED” is built on a section from an Alexander Chee essay from the book How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, as Wattie calls out, “Pattern for the history of half-breeds hidden in every culture; historically we are allowed neither the privileges of the ruling class nor the community of those who are ruled,” though that’s stretched out over time. The pacing is start-stop clubbing as Wattie’s singing pushes higher, sounds burn, and noises bubble amid hammer strikes. The band keeps lacing with energy, pushing into your bloodstream as things quiet, and Wattie calls, “The pattern of…” recalling the start of the words she eloquently and emotionally called back earlier.

“WITED. STILL AND ALL…” is a shorter track that has Wattie’s voice hovering and sounds whirring as clouds gather. The music slowly spreads, leaving ghostly tracks behind, eventually slipping into the atmosphere. “OF THIS ILK” smashes in, with the vocals digging under your nails and the playing slowly battering, eating away at your psyche. The track maintains a similar vibe to what preceded it as the playing weighs on you but also stimulates, the forces collide and cause great clashing, and a wave of silence washes over fast before the playing agitates all over, the low end rumbles, and the track fades out into silence. “VITAL” is the closer and opens in noise hum while the seismic shift moves, and Wattie’s vocals emerges through the mist. The pace hulks as hammer shots echo, sounds ease and then crush, and the senses are utterly blasted. The guitars continue to push, the drumming just smashes, and blood surges, eventually giving way to the void.

The lyrical content that’s behind the music on “Vital” is so crucially important right now, and really it should always have been. BIG | BRAVE confidently and emotionally navigate these waters on these five tracks, and reading the words, minimalist as they may be, should leave a gaping hole in your heart and mind. This is one powerhouse of a band not just musically but with the messages they impart to every person who makes the wise choice to listen to their music.

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

To buy the album (vinyl is available in July), go here: https://southernlord.com/store/

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

Breaking news: Heavy metal bands are super into the devil and will figure out whatever creative (or not-so-creative) ways to inject the dark overlord into their music, cover art, merch, you name it. This has been the case since the genre started, it remains that way now, and it will until this music form dies and descends straight into hell.

That whole thing whips up again with “Cursed Be Thy Kingdom,” the new record from Portland, Ore., blasters Bewitcher, who should find a larger audience now that they’re aligned with giants Century Media. That’s a mutual benefit, really, as the label gets a fresh, fiery new band to add to their roster, and the band can entrance their audience with their rock and roll-based black metal that, yes, very much digs in its hooves for Satan himself. Don’t’ be mistaken: This isn’t a religious homage by any means. Instead, it’s a blistering explosion into heathenistic fun that simmers in both traditional and cataclysmic waters. The band—vocalist/guitarist M. Von Bewitcher, bassist A. Magus, drummer A. Hunter—injects a ton of attitude, charisma, and fire to their third record, which so happens to be their best sounding so far and one that should raise their profile, especially once shows are back.   

“Ashe” is a quick instrumental intro track built with dusty acoustics and a Western vibe, welling up and blowing its way into “Death Returns…” that explodes with churning riffs and metallic power. “He’s coming for your soul,” Von Bewitcher warns as the band hits the gas pedal and injects you with a giant dose of hellish fun. “Satanic Magick Attack” unleashes a killer riff and classic metal power, pummeling you and smashing you with a great chorus. “He’s coming for your soul,” Von Bewitcher pokes as the tempo is furious and jabbing, the chorus whips back in for another go, and everything ends in a pit of fire. “Electric Phantoms” lets the drums loose and envelops you as the speed ignites and sends the song roaring toward the stars. A total ’80s-style solo completely melts while the tempo remains rough and rowdy, and the track keeps its intensity right to the bloody end. “Mystifier (White Night City)” has utterly killer riffs and Von Bewitcher howling, “It’ll be a hot time in the town tonight.” Great guitar work unloads as the pace suddenly changes and warps, soloing kills, and the track ends in total annihilation.

The title track has a huge opening as the guitars lunge, the vocals fire up, and an array of blows are set to kill. The leads fire up as the track blazes melodically, Von Bewitcher’s words imagine chariots clashing in heaven, and everything comes to a destructive end. “Valley of the Ravens” chugs as it achieves a mystical vibe as the vocals warp over top. The visions of witches burning is woven into the story as Von Bewitcher wails, “What a lovely day for an execution.” Cool soloing arrives and gets aggressive in a hurry while the chorus rounds back for a final blow, leaving you heaving on the ground. “Metal Burner” counts off as things immediately get into the fray, blasting your body 50 feet into the air. “Your soul is lost in the space between the stars,” Von Bewitcher calls as the guitars go off, and the track grinds your face in the dirt. “The Widow’s Blade” opens in chants as the first punches are thrown, and the tempo opens up. Raspy howls pelt at your flesh as the guitars gush with colors, and fluid soloing leaves you blinded. The chorus, for which this band has a huge knack, lashes back at the end as Von Bewitcher howls, “By the edge of a bloody widow’s blade!” leaving you flattened. “Sign of the Wolf” closes the album, starting with a vigorous launch and landing heavy blows. The vocals are grimy and forceful as the leads catch fire, and the low end chugs. “It’s alright, I can’t turn back now,” Von Bewitcher vows as the final moments explode, burying you in a pile of your own piss and filth.

Bewitcher’s devilish, rock-smeared black metal manages to get a few notches catchier on “Cursed Be Thy Kingdom,” a record that’s likely to garner them the most attention of their great run simply due to the weight of their new label. What bands like Tribulation (and in my ears fail) to capture, Bewitcher grabs with a stranglehold and hammers to conform to its will. This is great sounding, fun, and hellishly destructive, an album that should catapult Bewitcher into more people’s brains.

For more on the album, go here: https://www.facebook.com/BewitcherOfficial

To buy the album, go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/

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

Last Wrestlemania isn’t canon. Not to me. It was right at the start of the pandemic, and holding a show at a giant stadium, even though it was outdoors, was a horrible idea at the time. So, it was instead held on two nights at the antiseptic and utterly silent WWE Performance Center, and it wasn’t even live. Did we really need to have a Wrestlemania on a closed set? It wasn’t the same. It didn’t feel right.

This year is different as the event will be held at Raymond James Stadium in fucking Tampa, Florida, a state where there are no goddamn rules, virus be damned. It’ll be populated a little bit more than February’s Super Bowl, and while it’s still a scary idea, it at least should feel like Wrestlemania this year. That might be the one thing carrying this dead-ass show over the finish line, as the booking for the promotion as a whole drives further and further toward hell, and not a thing on this show feels special or huge. But again, they have the benefit of a real crowd, people who will be excited to return to a sense of normalcy, and the huge pageantry that is this show. It’s over two nights again, which is smart since 7 hours is way too long a night in the midst of a pandemic. So, let’s take a look at what’s on tap. By the way, we’ll start doing more of these for the bigger AEW and New Japan shows. After all, this is a metal site posing as a wrestling site.

Night 1

Bad Bunny/Damien Priest vs Miz/John Morrison: I get the allure of Bad Bunny, and credit due, he’s taken this seriously and hasn’t acted like a celebrity above this all. I just don’t really care, but I’m not the audience they’re after with this. I am hoping this can be a launching point for Damien Priest, a guy who has all the intangibles WWE looks for (he’s really big!) and should be in a main event role by next year at this time. Plus, he really found himself in NXT. Not holding my breath, as WWE booking is not reliable.  

Braun Strowman vs Shane McMahon (Steel Cage match): Ugh. Every show needs a toilet match, and this is it for night one. Awful storytelling, Shane McMahon again overexposed and turning purple before our eyes, Braun getting a fucking train whistle effect when he runs slowly around the ring to shoulder block dudes. Whatever. I’m done with both of these dudes.   

Women’s four-way for a tag team title shot on night 2: This match pits the Riott Squad vs Naomi and Lana vs Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs Natalia Neidhart and Tamina for the right to face Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for the Women’s Tag Team titles on Sunday. WWE has done a piss-poor job building any of these teams at all, so it feels like it has no excitement. Maybe they add Bayley and Charlotte Flair as a team.

Cesaro vs Seth Rollins: Rollins’ terrible savior gimmick aside, that dude can go, and so can Cesaro, who was long been underused in WWE. There is no other finish that makes sense than Cesaro winning if they really are serious about him this time. But I’m not getting all excited about that because there’s a pile of bodies WWE built up and did nothing with. This should be really good in the ring, though.

The New Day vs AJ Styles and Omos (Raw Tag Team title match): This is a big test for Omos in his first match on the main roster. After his work last Monday on Raw, he didn’t look very promising at all, but you never know. Luckily, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Styles all are excellent wrestlers, and their work should let Omos just have spots to be a monster and not get exposed.

Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair (Smackdown Women’s title match): This is a huge match for Belair, one of the few NXT talents in the past few years who got brought up and used mostly well. This seems early for her to win the title, but her losing on this huge stage also is not a great idea unless they have a strong long-term plan for her. Go ahead and laugh. Banks is fucking great, Belair is an excellent athlete, and I’m really looking forward to this one. There is a chance it could headline night one.

Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley (WWE Heavyweight title match): Shoving 6 months of story into 6 weeks, Lashley just recently won the title after McIntyre lost in in February to the goddamn Miz, who went on to lose it to Lashley. This seemed too early for Lashley to lose even after his group the Hurt Business (it included MVP, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin) was dissolved for seemingly no good reason. The idea likely is to crown McIntyre in front of a crowd, which was the plan for last year, so I assume he wins the championship here.

Night 2

The Fiend vs Randy Orton: FUUUUUUUUUCK this shit. Night 2 toilet match. Toilet match for the world and for life. Don’t care. Won’t ever care. I just want the Fiend to go away forever.

Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn: Owens and Zayn are longtime friends who have always wanted to do a Mania match together. Zayn has been going on with this conspiracy theory character, which is one of the few stories that plays off current events. He has been amazingly entertaining in this role, and Owens is great as the babyface who knows how delusional the heel is being and wants to beat sense into him. I’d love to see them reunite afterward and form a tag team.

Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Winner of night one match (Women’s Tag Team title match): There’s zero reason for a title change here unless there’s a mystery fifth entrant the night before and if that team is Charlotte and Bayley.

Riddle vs Sheamus (U.S. title match): Well, they sure wasted no time making Riddle a goof. Based on his out-of-ring issues, it’s likely what he deserves. Sheamus has been on a nice run lately, having really good, hard-hitting matches. Not sure where this one goes. I can see Sheamus getting the belt as a thank you for his recent work. It makes more sense to keep it on Riddle to build him up. Again, WWE is awful at momentum, so Riddle likely loses and slips further into the land of the lost.

Big E vs Apollo Crews (Intercontinental title match): So, like, Crews suddenly has an accent. He turned heel and embraced his Nigerian warrior heritage, which apparently, yes, comes with a fake accent and a fucking spear. Stop letting 70-year-old white men book. Big E is getting his first real singles run, and this feud with Crews over the IC title has been his first big one. Also, this is a Nigerian drum fight now, which I have no what that means. I wonder if WWE even knows what the fuck this is going to be. This should be a solid match, though.  

Asuka vs Rhea Ripley (Raw Women’s title match): That non-canon Wrestlemania last year? Yeah. Ripley lost her NXT Women’s title to Charlotte Flair at that show, inexplicably. She has new life now as a Raw regular, and Asuka is just one of the best there is. She’s not had as ton of great opponents during her title run as of late, so Ripley should change all of that, and she’s a really good worker who is still young and is only going to get better. It also feels early for Ripley to win, but her losing another Mania match makes no sense, and Asuka doesn’t need the title. Unless the plan is for Asuka to face a returning Becky Lynch…

Roman Reigns vs Edge vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Universal title match): You’ve seen the memes I’m sure of inserting Bryan into every Mania main event as well as numerous life events. More strange storytelling as they managed to take Edge, who has a great built-in story as a man battling back after his career ended prematurely a decade ago, fighting through another serious injury, and finally on the cusp of regaining to being a champion, and now he’s a heel. Uh. OK. WWE never does well when they’re handed an easy story. Reigns has been so, so great as the Head of the Table along with Paul Heyman, and it also seems a little early to take the title from him. Problem is you have no one built up to face him after Mania. Edge or Bryan win and spend the next few months defending against each other and Reigns.

Also, your hosts are Titus O’Neill (a great man who has done amazing community work and is an asset to this company) and Hulk Hogan (a lifelong piece of shit). Do with that what you will.

I’m sure it sounds ridiculous to say that hearing music can leave you with physical punishment, a gimmick I like to lean on a lot, but I think you know what I mean when I say it. Hearing something so heavy and devastating makes me imagine the music being transformed into an attacking force, one with only the worst of intentions for its audience.

“All Light Swallowed,” the second record from Lithuanian beasts Crypts of Despair, falls right in line with that manner of thinking. Yes, it’s a death metal record first and foremost, but it isn’t your run-of-the-mill album that’s just leaning on riffs and horrifying growls. This music sounds vicious and the result of four people—guitarist/vocalist Dovydas Auglys, guitarist Benas Juskus, bassist/vocalist Simonas Jurkevicius, drummer Henri Mall—seemingly possessed and making their way toward you with bloodlust in mind. The dual vocals from Auglys and Jurkevicius add even more sinister intent, as their growl/shriek tradeoff is absolutely terrifying. And, of course, they along with rest of the band wreck you with their unhinged playing that, yeah, feels like it’s going to leave you physically maimed.  

“Being – Erased” gets off to a blinding start as a monstrous burst rushes through, and the dual vocals of guttural growls and banshees shrieks make for a formidable team. The leads tangle as slurry hell punishes, the playing spirals into devastation, and the track ends in fiery damage. “Anguished Exhale” unloads a furious assault and some proggy bass work, quaking the earth along with it. The band pounds away in ungodly fashion, a strange hypnosis spreads, and hellish blasts rip through your chest and your bones. “Choked By the Void” begins clean before things turn to smashing chaos, piling on and hitting you with blasts. Vicious growls well as a mystical fury spills into the scene, the track feels strange and deadly, and it finally gives way and lets you breathe. “Condemned to Life” is thick and animalistic as the shrieks and growls do battle, and it feels like you’re being aggressively smothered. The pace bashes ridiculously hard, the growls engorge, and everything ends in clobbering fashion.

“Synergy of Suffering” has growls erupting and the shrieks trading off as the pace feels like it’s designed to torture. Clean tones drip amid the carnage as things get slow but ridiculously heavy, mythical strangeness enters your bloodstream, and the growls leave you mostly scorched. “The Great End” hisses from its nest as the drums blast, and the vocals melt flesh. Brutal death is unleashed as double kick drums rumble, causing the pace to get even more battering. A brief halt lets the track bleed back in, deep growls strike, and the track is scorched into a pile of dust. “Disgust” mashes right away, though clean lines float amid the brutality. The guitars send heat as the drums destroy all over again, the guitars spill and steam, and the force rises and strangles before finally relenting. “Excruciating Weight” arrives in a cloud of hovering guitars, with raspy cries and tortured growls landing hard. The playing continues to bludgeon as the heat makes you shield your face, completely taking you to task before everything rushes off into the night. “Bleak View” ends the record with horrified screams and a doomy feel as dissonance and dark light bleed. Menacing storm clouds hang over and threaten as the instrumental track slithers along and into an endless cavern.

These Lithuanian beasts in Crypts of Despair spared no mental expense creating a record that feels like your head is being blown off in a fire storm, leaving your lifeless body a blackened shell. “All Light Swallowed” is such a perfect name for this record because that’s exactly how it feels, like life is being violently pulled from you. This is a relentless, merciless slab of death metal that feels like it’s ravaging you flesh and bone, refusing to give in until you’re fully consumed.

For more on the album, go here: https://www.facebook.com/cryptsofdespair

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.de/shop-en_1

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

Over the weekend, I got to see “Godzilla vs Kong” in a real theater, socially distanced with some friends in a hall we rented. I didn’t give a single fuck about any plot because, PLOT?! No, I wanted to see two legendary titans fight it out on a gigantic movie screen as all the amazing, wonderful stupidity played out before me. Then, after the movie ended, I realized I knew the ideal soundtrack for the film.

Canadian pounders Intonate are ready to unleash their second record “Severed Within,” and it dawned on me that the five behemoth tracks on this record would be perfect to hear as these two monsters destroyed a city as they brawled over everything. Their style of technical death metal falls more along the lines of, say, Ulcerate, in that it’s spectacularly, brilliantly played, but it does remember to level you under its might. The band—vocalist/guitarist Nicola Nucciarone, guitarist Ulysses Fiorito, bassist Jean-Philippe Matte, drummer Dominic Nucciarone—is locked and nightmarishly focused on this 40-minute beast, a record that is so satisfyingly heavy, you’ll smile through the pain.

“Sever” rips into your chest right away, just crushing with the atmosphere trying to eek its way in. Gruff vocals smear as the power becomes insurmountable early, though the acoustic strains underneath the chaos makes it feel like some delicacy is possible. Things begin to hammer all over again, the growls kill, and the track ends in a pile of rubble. “Within” punches away with beastly vocals and thunderous guitars working you up into a lather. The drums pulverize while the playing feels like it’s toying with you, being cagey as hell and stomping guts. Deep lurching growls boil, cosmic noise spreads throughout the universe, and the roars crush as the song comes to a ferocious finish.

“Yearn” runs 9:43, the longest track on the record, and it unloads in a monstrous burst that feels like a ton of bricks being poured on top of you. Pressure builds as the savagery continues, wailing away as the humidity builds, and the soloing soars, feeling slightly mournful along the way. The playing continues to cake mud in the gears as the underneath simmers in doom, growls rip sanity apart, and the track rumbles into oblivion. “Wander” has winds whipping as the guitars awaken, and then the band drills, with the growls getting even more vicious as the guitars turn moodier. The bass snarls as the playing gets tricky and warping, pounding away until it catches fire and burns off. “Prolong” ends the record, a 9:36-long smasher beginning with the guitars churning and leaving your head spinning. The bass thickens and lurches while the playing hammers away, with a noise cloud collecting over everything. Moments feel like a fever dream before things come unglued, every single muscle is torn apart, and dissonant hell collects, churning until it’s swallowed by silence.

Intonate might lean toward the more technical side of death metal, but it’s never at the expense of the heart of the music on “Severed Within.” This record feels like a physical challenge, and even at just five tracks, it’s one hell of a workout. The entire experience is like what it might be like after you were trapped under a slag pile, finding breathing nearly impossible as you slowly black out forever.

For more on the album, go here: https://www.facebook.com/intonateofficial

To buy the album, go here: http://www.willowtip.com/store/

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