The world is ensconced in chaos. War is breaking out, and a few too many people are only too happy to stump for genocide when it involves people who don’t look and worship like them. It’s enough to eat away at whatever mental well-being you’ve managed to build up, and that’s not even scratching the surface of all of the other hell constantly surrounding us.

Canadian bestial death metal squad Ceremonial Bloodbath aren’t necessarily zeroing in on those matters on their hellacious second record “Genesis of Malignant Entropy,” but the sounds that overwhelm on this crusher easily equal the war going on inside your head. The band—vocalist/guitarist DM, guitarist GC, bassist Adam Sorry, drummer AC—is in total obliteration mode here, torching everything in front of us with their brand of merciless death metal that also makes it feel like your mind is swirling inside your skull. These songs sound like fodder for waging your own war against the societal forces that continue to sicken us and those who are behind these campaigns to sow division with misinformation. This record isn’t here to give you slick, catchy metal that fills giant rooms. This is ash-mashed, suffocating, unforgiving madness that grabs a stranglehold from the start and doesn’t give up until they’re satisfied with the punishment they dealt.

“The Ritual of Unholy Descent” is an eerie opening instrumental track that is chilling, terror surrounding you, and then we’re headed into “Exhumation of the Ominous” that explodes like an infernal gust. Violent chaos blisters as the playing decimates, and even the melodies woven into this madness can’t make anything feel brighter. The leads scorch as damaging power multiplies, mashing mercilessly all the way to the finish. “Bloodlust Raids of Vengeance” is blinding, gutting you with violence, the vicious turmoil taking over every cell in your body. The leads burn as the humidity gets thicker, the playing turns up the intensity, and the growls are belched, the tormented pace slaying and beating flesh and muscle into the ground. “The Boneless One” brings a flurry of guitars and a mucky onslaught, the playing dizzying and thrashing as you try aimlessly to get your footing. The track practically hemorrhages chaos, scraping as the leads scathe, the soloing blazes, and vile growls team with rattling power to send skeletal structures into immediate trauma. “Loathing Swarm” has guitars lathering with foamy blood, a skull-splitting attack taking you under and smothering. The playing trudges as the smoke accumulates and chokes lungs, and a brief respite from the madness results in a blazing force that melts faces.

“Caustic Invocation” is doomy when it starts, stomping over prone bodies as the guitars multiply the heat, spiraling and making the room spin out of control. A deep sorrow exists beneath the bloodthirsty devastation, the carnage increases and rampages, blasting out and burying your face in ash. “Dissonance of Morbidity” swims in deep nuclear waste, attacking as riffs spiral, and the harshness adds a horrific gravity to what you’re hearing. The guitars stretch as they continue to make your body pay the price, torturing and turning, amplifying the terror in ways that spike your anxiety. “Mutilation of Sacrifice” starts with growls that feel scraped from deep inside the guts, a brutal force spitting shrapnel and trying to bury the sparks into eye sockets. Things continue to get morbidly devastating, the leads swarm, and the growls incinerate, laying waste and leaving only torched blood behind. Closer “The Invocation of the Tomb of Mankind” is a strange instrumental, a bizarre aura that feels drawn from alien dimensions, immersing you in a sheen that tests you psychologically, the synth waves lapping into psychosis, swept away in a storm of toxic winds.

“Genesis of Malignant Entropy” is a record that is not for the weak hearted, a deathly explosion that consumes you mind and body, unhinging any psychological health you’ve managed to cobble together. Ceremonial Bloodbath leave no time for a breath, zero chances to avoid their wrath, and a mammoth-sized display that’s as beastly as they come, proving death metal still has a lust for carnage. This is unsettling heavy, an album that makes you feel like you’ve been through a physical, mental battle that you’re not sure you survived when the final notes strangle their last.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://sentientruin.com/releases/ceremonial-bloodbath-genesis-of-malignant-entropy

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

We lose bands all the time for any number of reasons. Sometimes they just run their course, and the creative spark that once was there no longer exists. Still sad we only got one Khôrada album. Other times the members no longer can function, or tastes get altered, or the passion subsides, or nefarious things pull them apart, destroying what once was a project that held so much potential.

The dissolution of False happened so abruptly, at least for us on the listener side of things, and what was one of the most exciting, viscerally sudden bands in all of black metal no longer existed. Three years later, two of that band’s members Travis Minnick (guitars, bass, vocals, synth, drum programming) and Kishel (keyboards, vocals) have rejoined forces in Kaldeket, whose first two EPs are combined into a full-length compilation “Vitiate // Déraciné.” The traces of False’s bones are here for sure, but this is an altogether different force. Things are stranger, the synth more progressive and alien, and the rampaging force is both enthralling and gutting, making for a record that’s as impactful as a sonic blast as it is a psychological one that pushes you to your limits. This is a very exciting collection that hints at a volcanic future musically where these two can explore their ideas as far into the darkness as they care to go.  

“Dissolute Intentions” rips open as melodic, wild howls storm, guitars take on a tornadic approach, and the keys shimmer and slightly disorient. The upheaval continues and rushes as the leads take on a dramatic sweep, letting the intensity increase and add to the pressure, the vocals wrenching as the keys zap into space as everything ends in a pulsing haze. “448c” starts with keys plinking, the playing rousing, and the shrieks rippling as the fantastical elements explode. Energy ripples as everything goes harder and edgier, letting the blood blast through your veins, setting everything to crush as speed and drama explode at the end. “Arrogant Function” runs 8:19 and brings rousing riffs and synth clouds, the pace pushing you to your limits early. The synth takes on a regal sheen as the guitars break through, mashing and jolting as it feels like the energy is forming into a tidal wave. Things chill for a brief moment before the playing gets destructive again, mashing into madness and strange sci-fi synth, bashing without mercy.

“Misshapen” is the longest track, going a healthy 8:31 and unleashing a melodic surge that ends with blistering punishment. Black metal majesty rears its ugly head, leaving ample bruising before we head into cooler waters that help soothe accumulating wounds. That doesn’t last long as the force explodes again, fiery shrieks spit fire, and the urgency increases amid icy keys and a frosty assault that leaves you shivering. “Fatuous & Pitiless” starts on the cusp of great wonders, gushing and punching, setting up power bursts that cause energy to storm through your nervous system. Things get faster and more delirious, breathing ferocious, yet magical fire that tears through the earth. Closer “Grotesque Artifact” is an alluring beast when it arrives, melodies flash with power, and the shrieks reach into your brain and scuff up your psyche. The playing tangles and retches, the synth bubbles as if in lab beakers, and then the rampaging terror strengthens its grip, squeezing every sign of life from your body.

We happily welcome back these two former False members on this promising compilation “Vitiate // Déraciné” that should excite any fans of their former band and anyone who dines hungrily on black metal that stretches the imagination. Kaldeket is a force that’s just getting off the ground, and having their two initial EPs wrapped into this package is a great way to have these blistering tracks in one place and also bask in the carnage this force is capable of producing. The future is exciting and wide open for this band, and their new adventure under this banner is something that gives us morbid hope that the years ahead might be survivable after all.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/collections/pre-orders/products/kaldeket-vitiate-deracine-lp

Or here: https://bigbovine.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

And here: https://twitter.com/big_bovine

“The Southern Reach Trilogy” is a trio of books by Jeff VanderMeer depicting the events occurring in Area X, a place that has been reclaimed by nature but that also takes on a warped reality that appears to have replaced the one that existed before. Things feel familiar yet completely off, and the mystery surrounding the place continues to unfold in increasingly strange ways. It’s a hard experience to shake.

“Master’s Murmur,” the experimental new record from black metal force Yellow Eyes, instantly made me think of those books and how I felt when I read them. This is not a typical album from this band; it’s the first of two releases that precedes their next “normal” record and shows this force continuing to warp and stretch convention. The band—vocalist/guitarist Will Skarstad, guitarist Sam Skarstad, bassist Alex Demaria, drummer Michael Rekevics—does reveal some aspects of their previous selves on these nine tracks, but the bulk is made up of unexpected passages, immersive, mind-altering compositions, and adventures that leak into your brain and make what’s in front of you seem disarmingly different. It’s an imaginative, provoking record, one that might accompany reading or meditation, though do pay attention for the sharp barbs that weave through this thing as they can still pierce your flesh.

“Old Acclivity Dream” dawns with noises and whistles, paving the way for guitars to begin scorching, burning through mesmerizing atmosphere and into the title track that immediately envelopes you in the cosmos. Howls echo as the strangeness just begins to get its footing, mystical powers encircling as dimensional horrors bleed through, the synth building as your brain begins to tingle. Eeriness looms large as acoustics settle into the cracks, sealing off this section of dreams. “Winter Is Looking” feels warped when it dawns, chants following, the cries tearing through sci-fi synth. Jazzy bass flexes while guitars drip, leaving the terrain in a thick fog that feels like early morning. A synth haze and acoustics meet, and then drums erupt, a black metal fury storming through unexpectedly, symphonic glory bleeding away. “Irrlicht” opens with morbid keys, orchestral-style movements glazing over and changing the features of the land in front of you. Disarming chirps and drone lifting off the ground make for an unsettling scene, Patrick Shiroishi’s (he also played on the new Agriculture album) sax moans and aches, and the playing contorts and fades. “When Jackie’s Lamps Have Showed” has Rekevics on vocals, and they’re utterly tormented, wrapped with a ghostly plot, the keys turning into a nightmare. It feels like hypnosis is taking heavy hold as the track continues to spiral and develop, fading in bizarre fashion.

“The Ritual Is Gone” has drums exploding, decimating everything in its reach, slipping into haunting winds that chill and terrify. Bells vibrate as the percussive assault continues, torching with strange voices, synth lapping like a frozen wave, the final ignition leaving blistering. “Gold Door to Blindness” writhes as animals bleat, strings are plucked, howls reverberate as the darkness thickens dangerously. A fever dream aura takes hold and grows like an irrational fear, burning openly as the agitated animals call again. “Tremble Blue Morning” starts with acoustics and warped strings, woodwinds making it feel like a damned wind is blowing at your back. Drums echo as the rustic patterns increase, ancient pathways finally crossed for the first time in forever. Howls scrape as the symphonic push gets richer, fantastical forces showing you their true nature. Closer “Garden Trick” brings things to a close with regal synth, guitars bubbling, and the sounds forming a creature that slinks off into the shadows, its eyes on you.

“Master’s Murmur” shows a very different side to Yellow Eyes, almost as if the band and its sound was absorbed into another plane of existence, forming something altogether different and scarier. Things feel unsettling, almost like colors are bleeding into your field of vision as these songs take over your psyche, changing it and pushing it into places it never explored before. This is but the beginning of a two-part journey, and my mind is overwhelmed with mystery over what’s coming next. But for now, we’ll absorb these pieces and try to make sense of this new world in which we’ve been thrown.

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

To buy the album (cassette), go here: https://yelloweyes.bandcamp.com/album/masters-murmur

Or here (vinyl, not available until 2024): https://gileadmedia.net/collections/pre-orders

For more on the label, go here: https://sibirrecords.cargo.site/

And here: https://gileadmedia.net/

Death metal is a sickening and weird thing, and it’s also a beast that’s constantly transforming into new forms as resistance exists that wants to halt all progress. But it’s too late to turn back now, and as time goes on and artists come up with new ways to express the worst traits of humanity, death metal will continue to take on new forms, though the barbaric stuff will exist just fine.

North Dakota’s Maul is one that isn’t content with regurgitating the sounds that have terrified for decades now. We experienced that on their devastating debut record “Seraphic Punishment” last year, and that spills into their bloody, yet weird new EP “Desecration and Enchantment.” These four tracks (we only got to hear three as one song is strictly for the cassette release) continue the band’s penchant for cosmic horrors and the existence of alien synth and other elements not expected from a death metal squadron. The band—vocalist Garrett Alvarado, guitarists Anthony Lamb and Al Nicholas, bassist Mike Griggs, drummer Robby Anderson—gives you just enough of a taste of what they do so well to get you excited for what’s to come and send newcomers going through their back catalog with great hunger.

“The Sacred and the Profane / Hovering, Sinking” begins with an ugly death toll being paid, drilling as detached weirdness wells, and strange speaking sends chills down your spine. Suddenly, mauling filth takes over, rattling cages as the guitars sink into ashes, and then the chugging becomes a primary factor leading you into a storm. Growls retch as the guitars steam, increasing the temperature as everything slips into a strange aura, spacey weirdness swimming through your brain. “Disintegration of the Soul” glimmers before growls lurch, and the crunch begins to sicken. The playing charges and basks in the heaviness, taking on viciousness as the guitars pick up the speed, gushing and melting into some cleaner strains that wash over the background. Quiet keys murmur before the next gust attacks, shrieks tear holes through chests, and soloing blazes with high energy. Crazed howls strangle, the panic hits a high point, then everything mercifully dissolves into light.

“Desecration and Enchantment” might be appetizer size, but it provides a mammoth introduction to anyone who had yet crossed paths with Maul. This compact powerhouse is equally brutal and mesmerizing, providing ground for this unit that is another seeking to expand what we know and understand about death metal’s possibilities. This is an exciting, devastating bridge into what comes next, which is likely to push our brains to capacity once again.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/maul

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

Pain and agony often aren’t choices. They are the feelings and experiences we endure when we are pushed to our limits, when we are dragged to dangerous situations that likely aren’t good for us and might not even make us stronger mentally. These are stories that stretch back to the dawn of humanity, or at least the written word, and not having a choice in the matter can be violently frustrating.

This brings us to “Inward to Gethsemane,” the insanely great fifth record from Vastum, and while much of the death metal circle is fairly Christ hating, this album aligns with his torture and death in a way you might not expect. If you were anticipating psychological sexual tortures and pain, yeah, that’s also here in spades as this band—vocalist Daniel Butler, vocalist/guitarist/synth player Leila Abdul Rauf, guitarist Shelby Lermo, bassist Colin Tarvin, drummer Chad Gailey—has made a practice out of exploring those terrifying corners of reality. But this record also leans into bodily torture one cannot just ask out if, not unlike Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane before his bloody journey to Golgotha, a sacrifice made for all humanity via a tortuous death. Maybe you don’t buy into that story, and that’s fine, but the underlying themes are universal, and we all face trials that will cost us physically and mentally despite our wills.

“In Bed With Death” opens in a strange aura as the guitars get started, warped riffs tangling you with psychosis. The power stomps as the shrieks menace, Butler and Rauf trading off lines, leaving steaming bruising. “Free from maternal boundary violations, spilling seeds, burdened by ancient pain that gestate inside her,” carves into your brain as the playing comes unglued, the carnage leaving you nauseated.  “Priapic Chasms” smears, the pace mashing, deep growls digging into your entrails. The guitars smoke and then deface, beastly howls crash down and leave permanent scarring, and then the playing blinds you, zapping and punishing, mangling flesh. “Stillborn Eternity” is edgy with dual howls leading the way, strange speaking making you question your sanity, trudging and thrashing as guitars melt veins. “Into the ether, falling, a bastard unto the aeons, inverting, imploded,” is wailed, feeling like nightmares come to life, while a mystical aura forms and combines with the ugliness, ripping apart with leads that lash with sharpened teeth. Melodies twist the knife, guitars burn, and nasty growls scathe and splinter.

“Judas” is a strange interlude, sounds welling as the guitars create impenetrable steam, dialog flowing underneath that makes it feel like your sanity left long ago. “Indwelling Archon” picks up and digs into wounds, the power pulverizing, vicious growls clawing into your mind and leaving permanent damage. The leads spark a twisted, evil convulsion of sound, a mauling force that menaces and bursts with terror. “Vomitous (in the Agony Garden)” chugs and lurches, the growling splattering, the call of, “Sprawled, my agony!” making psychological trauma that much deeper. The playing combusts as the bludgeoning gets meaner, the howl of, “Sprawling, can’t stop subjecting myself to your finger inside my eye, feeling emetic, in distress, can’t stop vomiting,” a sight you can’t unsee in your mind, the heat becoming unbearable. Butler’s detached speaking makes blood go cold, and then the playing storms anew, glistening and bending, the harshness disturbing your thoughts. “Corpus Fractum” is the eight-minute closer, a dose of pure fright, ferocious vocals, and immersive guitars combining to take you down. “I will be in agony until the end of the world, there must be no sleeping during this time, spiritual insomnia, my ego is blurred, I’m high on the cross, so high I’m blind,” digs into Christ-like psychosis, a hypnotic haze wrapping around the punishment, brutally striking back mentally and physically. The heat begins to choke you as gargantuan growls clutch throats, alien waves torturing you forever.

A Vastum record never is an easy experience for the uninhibited, and even if you’ve been along for the entire five-album ride, their psychologically damaged death metal still finds ways to create new mental wounds. “Inward to Gethsemane” is a penetrating experience, another sojourn into the worst, most warped forces in this world, compounding your suffering with the band’s uneasy approach to death metal that can leave you heaving in pain. That’s a strange way to compliment a record that’s barbaric and devastating in the best possible way, but it would be dishonest to not hammer home the pain you’ll feel while you’re in its clutches as you get way more torture than you likely expected at the outset.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/vastum

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

It’s easy to get caught in a brutal circle of self-flagellation where the cycle is almost a comfort, no matter how deeply it rots you from the inside. You want to change, maybe you even try, but the shit that’s circling your head, the anxiety that eats at you every day is too much for you to make real changes. Here you are, in a cycle you didn’t want, having thoughts you can’t control.

The new Pyrolatrous record is called “Inveterate,” and the term means a long-running habit or cycle in which you’re entrenched that you have very little chance of changing. Think about that for a second, and then let it wash over you in unforgiving waves that never stop. This, the band’s second record, is a foray into that thinking but also lashes back against a world that’s quickly being consumed by alt-right horse fucking shit and dangerous beliefs that are somehow consuming people’s minds. We’re fucked at the moment, and that’s the sentiment that Pyrolatrous—vocalist Nicholas Palmirotto, guitarist Nolan Voss, bassist Joe Merolla, drummer Lev Weinstein—layer all over this volatile, immersive record that digs into content you might not want to confront, but it’s better if you did. How else will you know how to cope not only with your own issues but the matters that sicken this world more every single day?

“Divination of the Relic Wind” unleashes a death stomp, rampaging as Palmirotto’s raspy howls leave lash marks on your flesh, the band stomping viciously. The chugging only gets more intense, the playing pummels, and everything is swallowed by eeriness. “Crowning of the Curse of Suffering and Bane” runs 8:06, and it immediately rips, melodic fire raging toward you, deathly howls pounding away as the band trudges and mashes. Guitars glimmer before the soloing explodes, filling the space with volcanic madness, the growls slicing back in and adding to the bruising. Melodies increase, the clubbing starts to feel personal, and the final moments blaze with violent intent. “Priests of the Waning Light” unloads boiling guitars, mauling as monstrous growls flex their hideous muscles, ushering in a clip from a Martin Luther King Jr, speech about poverty and redistribution of wealth serving as a harsh reminder of how little progress we’ve made there since his day. Riffs then tangle as the fires increase, thrashing with blinding passion, surging toward the gates with blood on their claws.

“Idolatry of Failure” storms in with scraping guitars and channeled viciousness, blasting with the intent to injure. The pace churns as the band shows off some zany tricks that are cartoonish and slashing, making your head spin. Guitars mash as the assault gets more devastating, only ending once your senses are obliterated. “The Mire of Dissimulation” opens with retching howls and a pace that’s sudden and slashing, stampeding over prone bodies. The guitar playing takes off as the energy spikes, shrieks flatten, and everything rounds back into classic metal territory, slamming to a delirious, weird finish. “The Dole of Imminence and Ending” brings raw howls, and a brain-destroying, yet melodic surge that takes you over. The guitars light up and scorch as the growls explode, the riffs spiraling dangerously, the mystical finish sending chills. Closer “Slave of the State” blinds as the guitars spiral, thick basslines knock out teeth, and vicious growls splatter. The speed becomes a major factor as riffs wash over, and then an unexpected atmospheric surge sends a jolt of oxygen. The playing electrifies anew as the growls bubble, melodies flood the surface, and a haze burns off leaving behind a thick fog.

Pyrolatrous’ tormented spirit and overflowing disgust is on full display with “Inveterate,” a collection that examines the worst of us all and the damage that’s being done societally. The band’s intensity and fire are on display over this entire record, and if you’re feeling the same negativity and also have a disgust with the state of the world, this is a great way to help vent all of that frustration. This is utter brutality expressed with a technical wizardry that feels poisonous and leaves you with blood and spite.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/products/pyrolatrous-inveterate-lp

Or here: https://www.7degrees-records.de/shop/12-vinyl/p-12-vinyl/#cc-m-product-16757903924

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

And here: https://www.7degrees-records.de/

We often speak of music being able to create adventures inside your mind when listening to records, and so many bands are great at accompanying their work with jarring visuals. Being able to transfer yourself somewhere else while remaining in the comfort of your home is a magical experience, one that doesn’t happen every time you play a record. When it does, it develops a bond between you and the music.

The band Ershetu essentially was created to provide cinematic music that can get inside your brain and heart and transfer you somewhere else. Their debut record “Xibalba” is inspired by Mayan folklore and specifically the text Popul Vuh, the sacred narrative of the Kʼicheʼ people that predates the Spanish conquest of the Maya. It contains the Mayan creation myth, the hero twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué, and their battles with the evil forces of the underworld Xibalba, rich stories and history this band injects with thunderous new life. Formed by Sacr, who created all the music and arrangements, and Void, who is responsible for the concept and lyrics, they teamed up with vocalist Lars Are Nedland (Borknagar), Vindsval (Blut Aus Nord) who contributes bass and additional guitars, and Intza Roca, drums, percussions, xylophone, to fully flesh out this six-track adventure that aims to transport you back in time and add even more tumult and electricity to these tales. It’s not your typical metal record at all, and what this group accomplishes here is stands alone, a soundtrack to ancient times.

“Enter the Palace of Masks” opens with strange chants, flutes, and sounds piercing, the intensity picking up and numbing. The sounds loop as the spiritual elements take a greater hold, voices pulsing before closing out. “From Corn to Dust” bustles with wailed singing and playing that starts to drive forcefully, the pace trudging as the woodwinds whip past your head. Full-throated calls increase the drama as deathly forces engulf, adding a level of deviousness as the percussion rattles your bones. “The Place of Fright” starts atmospherically with clean singing layering, and then the song blows open as the strangeness multiplies, strings working their way through the stars. The singing pushes as your blood pressure spikes, a spirited force gets underneath you and raises you up, and a lush, yet thunderous passage and chants burrow into the earth.

“Cult of the Snake God” is eerie as static spits, picking up blazing steam as empirical synth rains down, the drumming loosening rock. Glorious blasts and boisterous calls mix, the emotions rushing to the surface, and guitars hang in the air. The playing hammers with regal force, sounds swell, and a rousing finish makes your heart pump harder. “Hollow Earth” begins amid sounds deeply humming, great energy, and howls that aim to gut you. Shrieks maim as a woodsy ambiance makes it feel like you can hear leaves crunching under your boots, and then we run headlong into black metal horrors. Huge strings give off a cinematic hugeness, singing swells, and the energy peaks before fading. Closer “Tunkuluchú” rains down as chants embark, percussion blasts, and storms crackle, paving the way for a driving force. Savage howls meet up with grisly wails, the playing encircles, and dramatic dashes rupture peace, making it feel like the planet is tilting. Synth and strings stir, vicious howls get caught up in the storm, and powerful drumming and slinking xylophone send everything out into the soaking rains.

“Xibalba” is more than just a record; it’s an atmospheric adventure that goes beyond thrashing you with metallic power and sonic brutality. Ershetu take you on a journey, one you practically can envision in your mind as you absorb these six tracks. This is perfect autumnal soundtrack music when nature is at its colorful apex, and the crisp winds and colder weather reunite your soul with raw natural spirit.  

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

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

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

We’re staring the final two months of this cursed year right in its yellowed, disgusting eyes, and it won’t be too soon when we can leave 2023 in our rearview, never to visit these days ever again. I can’t be the only one who’s had a miserable time during this calendar year, and while I don’t buy into the dawn of January changing anyone’s fortunes, it’ll still be a relief to toss these 365 days into the trash.

Yet, 20 Buck Spin did have one more trick up their sleeves, that being “Starpath,” a split release from Dream Unending and Worm, two of the most intriguing bands on their roster that take death metal into strange new circles. This five-track, 45-minute collection is hardly these two bands dumping a few songs into your lap on the way to their next full-lengths. These are meaty, deadly pieces that feature Dream Unending’s jazzy, dreamier creations along with Worm’s cosmic, brain-freezing demons that drill deep into your psyche. So, yeah, this diseased year at least is getting an exciting surprise at the tail end, and these songs are so powerful and twisting that it’ll make the late autumn and early winter that much more miasmal.    

“So Many Chances” is the 12:05-long opener for Dream Unending, and if you’re well versed in their musical universe, you’ll be right at doomy blissful home. Growls gush as the music takes you to another dimension, lush and crumbling, your slumber feeling like a strange passage into space. A liquidy, jazzy section numbs the senses as roars wrench, guitars bubble, and we sweep into the last part of the journey. Classic acoustics cut through, a classy, hazy push that makes your mind tremble, strange daydreams rush, and you’re fully immersed in a reality altogether new. “If Not Now When” runs 10:55 and lets guitars cut right down the center, growls wrenching, doomy punchiness heading into a thick gloom. The leads stretch into the beyond, the growls get grittier, and clean streams wash over you, chilling flesh and paving the way for fiery leads to melt everything. Guitars bend as your brain gets mushier, gentle warmth slithers and ices wounds, and sounds rise and zap out into time.

Worm starts off with “Ravenblood,” a mystical helping of death metal that travels through spooky terrain before muscles are shorn. Guitars open as the track gets more menacing, the growls gut, and synth laps, increasing the intergalactic wonder, turning up the humidity. Warm leads lather as the playing reaches out toward the stars and in the direction of “Midwinter Tears” that is fantastical and blazing. Growls lurch as coldness drips, eerie strangeness spreads evil wings, and the melodies make extremities tingle as detached voices encircle in the clouds. Dazzling guitars open and bubble over, taking a turn toward the mysterious and into closer “Sea of Sorrow” that laps like foamy waves onto a blackened shore. Howls gush as a feverish temperature arrives, guitars sweeping through the stars, grimness smearing its blood in gasping mouths. As the pace builds, the power unloads, tricky playing making your head spin, the guitars freezing your cells, swimming into mysterious wormholes into other dimensions.

What an ideal way to cap a huge year for 20 Buck Spin with these two inventive and progressive bands that offer something different from each other on “Starpath” but that work perfectly as a whole. Dream Unending’s mesmerizing journey through psychosis and Worm’s wintry strangeness that feels like a medicine head dream sound incredible as usual, and each band is pushing the possibilities of what they can do right before us. This split is a real year-end treat for listeners who have had a metallic bounty so far and who can fall over into the bounty of one more death metal harvest.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/thedreamisunending/

And here: https://www.instagram.com/wormgloom/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/starpath

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

Listen, I love Iron Maiden, but if I was to try to make music in homage of that band, it would be a disaster on a level no one wants to witness. There have been a ton of bands over the decades that have basically tried to imitate or pay honor to artists that inspired then, and usually is sounds like a lukewarm knockoff that doesn’t really spark any flames.

That said, most artists are not the caliber of Våndarr, the lone force behind Cirkeln who strikes back with “The Primitive Covenant,” a love letter to the likes of Celtic Frost, Bathory, Darkthrone, and so many others that contributed to black metal’s formative years. This is the third Cirkeln full-length and follow-up effort to last year’s tremendous “A Song to Sorrow,” though this album gets deeper into the weeds, grabbing onto that primitive sound that informed early black metal and made it the alluring force that attracted so many and led to danger and chaos. Unlike much of the current black metal scene, Cirkeln are unapologetically antifascist and here to light fires for the righteous battle, and the fact that the music has such a beautifully nostalgic metal edge just makes everything that much more alluring.

“Garden of Thorns” blasts in like it had been gaining momentum before the song even started, shrieks rushing by, guitars pulsing as the adventurous nature continues to swell. Guitars surge as the rawness feels chewy and exciting, the darkness stomping before things get breezier for a stretch. Gravelly dialog cuts through, a mystical push lathers with mystery, and the cloud cover increases before sizzling out. “The Witch Bell” heats up and pours on that classic Celtic Frost-style thorniness, charging with force as the growls are barked and croaked. The guitar tones make the shadows grow in your heart, the playing begins to rampage, and suddenly we’re sitting in dark echoes, the playing gaining speed. Smoke builds as the melodies chew, whipping through harsh storming, lathering and fading. “Ensam I Natt” is a cover of a song by the Swedish rock group Leather Nun, and it’s fast and exciting, the drums encircling, the bass slithering, and fiery shrieks adding an extra layer of pain just for good measure. Pretty fun and unexpected. “Defiled and Satanized” gets us back on track as the guitars boil and blister, the growls scrape, and melodies sweep you into a dingy basement. The playing thrashes and splatters as the guitars numb your senses, clean warbling explodes, and the final jolts are gut punches you feel for days.

“Awakened By Lost Arcane Premonitions” races immediately, shrieks and deep lurching combine to leave bruising, and it feels like your fingers are being mashed by the constant barrage. Fantastical synth lands and adds an increased sense of adventure, and then the guitars tear out guts again, fueling the spirited attack that spatters to an end. “As I Lay Waiting” is fiery at the start, monstrous spoken vocals boom and send chills down your spine, and evil barks dig underneath your fingernails. “Who am I?” Våndarr booms, “just a dying god,” as the guitars light up and aggravate molten thrashing that gives off infectious energy that boils and then ends suddenly and violently. “His Master’s Coils” opens with hypnotic guitars making the room spin, sludgy power increasing, organs giving off chilling fury. The playing gets spindly and the pressure explodes, the guitars twisting and racing, your body being thrown here and there as your neck jerks, the drama cascading and ending in glowing fantasy. Closer “The Death of Thy Father” opens with an electrified riff that has folkish tendencies, and the crunch added to the swarming melodies instantly arrests your imagination. The chorus is a killer, and everything here is incredibly catchy, the guitars soaring into the stratosphere, flutes adding an airy dash, the final moments leading to a blistering finish that adds a stiff shove at the end of your journey.

Cirkeln’s homage to the formative years and bands of classic black metal is so tried and true, a perfect and loving tribute to a sound that often was met with scorn and derision when it was born. Anyone who loves that style and era will be thrilled to the bone by “The Primitive Covenant,” a record that may have been created in the modern era but that perfectly captures the spirit of an underground movement from four decades ago. On top of that, Våndarr is an engaging artist who makes thunderous, fiery records that can set your black heart on fire and remind you of the majesty the progenitors gifted us.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://truecultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-primitive-covenant

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

The world is suffering, and I mean that for the people who live here and the planet itself. Wars are spreading, the misinformation spigot has been flowing for so long, it is practically drowning out the truth, and everything seems on the verge of total collapse. There are times when it feels hopeless, like we need rescued from a force we can’t yet comprehend in order for this place to have a fruitful future.

Pittsburgh traditional metal power Icarus Witch have that very idea in mind on their excellent new record “No Devil Lived On,” a concept piece that imagines a world in total collapse that must be saved by an alliance of wizards, witches, shamans, and other dimensional forces to overthrow the greedy leaders of this world. It’s a reimagining of The Arcadia Witchcraft Mythos created by folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland in 1899, and it sweeps into these nine tracks and dramatic record that’s bursting with power. The band—vocalist Andrew D’Cagna (also of Ironflame and Nechochwen), guitar Quinn Lukas, bassist Jason Myers (who also happens to be a practicing priest of witchcraft), drummer Noah Skiba—again mines the rich history of heavy metal from the ’70s and ’80s with their own personality and power, making this sixth album one of their most interesting and blazing to date. And most urgent because space witches would be pretty welcome right now. It did take me a few listens to fully grasp this beast, but the records you have to earn often are the one that last emotionally the longest. It’s well worth the effort.

“Heaven’s Ghetto” is a classic IW opener after war sounds erupt, leaning into Queensrÿche terrain, driving and pulsating. “How long til the walls come down? How long til we hear the echo?” D’Cagna wails over a great chorus that’ll stick in your head. Guitars light up and scorch, the chorus rounds back, and everything ends in ash. “Stranger Than Angels” starts with bass muscling, synth sweeping, and the chorus punishing, D’Cagna’s singing a beacon in the night as always. The leads blister as the chorus rouses, the playing slips into that early ’80s sweet spot, and everything dissolves into time. “Last Night on Earth” begins with a news report as ancient beings descend onto Earth, and the guitars catch fire instantly. “If you knew that this night was your last,” D’Cagna calls, “Would you count your blessings? Or would you count your cash?” The chorus fires up and adds more rousing energy, then the guitars blaze with energetic soloing, throwing punches and zaps, burning off into the night. “10,000 Light Years From Home” brings charging guitars, bass that pops, and the vision of leaving Earth for elsewhere. The song dashes with melodic excitement, fluid soloing rushing through your mind, frenetic power surging and chewing away before finally resting in ash. The title track swaggers and plods, showing a different side to the band as it works toward ’70s AOR, which I mean as a positive. The chorus is subtle but a real ear worm, letting the lusher environment mature, eventually picking up some gallop as dust clouds choke the air. Swampy, bluesy guitar increases the humidity, and a chunky push ends in a thick haze.

“A Heartbeat Away” trudges and brings classic metallic heat, the vocals pull back on the bombast but not the intensity, and a synth coat helps accentuate an emotional chorus. “We’re only a heartbeat away from no tomorrow,” D’Cagna calls as the bass leads, and a barn-burning solo opens and melts faces. From there, we’re back into cold and dreary storming, chilling you to the bone. “Rise of the Witches” is pivotal to our overall story, obviously, with smoky leads heading toward hopeful melodies and D’Cagna wailing, “We shall rise from the ashes of their lives,” as our heroes arrive. Things get heated in a hurry, and it’s a thrill as the soloing explodes and lathers, lightning jolts the night sky, and everything comes to a rousing finish. “Shadow Chaser” starts with guitars rampaging, digging back into classic terrain that’s always informed their music, and a balmy fierceness that’s infectious. The guitar work boasts attitude, the chorus is another crusher, and the storming continues until dissolving into the earth. The closer is a three-movement track “Starseed Trilogy: I. The Emerald Tablet II. Ruler Of Arcana III. And I Am You” that drips clean, the bass pushing, mystical auras achieved. Things then pick up as we’re in racing mode, the pace shifting, the playing getting sludgier at about the halfway point, letting darkness envelop all. As we work toward the final shift, the guitars get even more active, a glorious rush comes for you and sweeps you into the stars, and the fog thickens, driving everything to a shiny, mechanized finish.

The five long years since the last Icarus Witch album are made worth it with “No Devil Lived On,” another exciting slab of traditional heavy metal. Considering the path humanity and our planet is on, we could use some dimensional intervention before things spiral out of control completely. It might be too late as is, but this record gives us hope that something somewhere is paying attention and has a plan to save us from ourselves in order to preserve us and our future generations.   

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

To buy the album, go here: https://cleorecs.com/store/?s=Icarus+Witch+No+Devil+Lived+On&post_type=product

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