I’ve spent a lot of time this past week watching footage from the volcanic activity in Iceland, not only seeing lava exploding from the Earth but also seeing videos of people in their homes as the explosions rocked their worlds. It’s a stunning, humbling thing to witness, even from a distance, and it’s another reminder we are so tiny in scope, and we can be devoured at any second.

Icelandic black metal duo Helfró create music that could very well be homages to nature’s unquestioned power, but on their second record “Tálgröf,” the destruction is from the inside of one’s mind. The band—guitarist/bassist/vocalist Simon Thorolfsson, drummer/vocalist Ragnar Sverrisson—dwells on human matters such as addiction and damaging thought patterns, both of which can consume so much energy, it can be impossible to live a productive life. Over nine tracks and 36 minutes, this duo creates black metal that might as well be about the natural chaos that’s exploding in their homeland, but knowing that chaos and punishment is more personal makes this an even scarier record to absorb. These are forces one can control over time, but it’s just as easy to succumb to defeat as it is to crawl out of hell.

“Jarteikn” starts with aggression and melody coexisting, the shrieks scorching as the playing pours like the lava bursting from the volcano in Grindavík. Throaty howls land heavy blows as the intensity spikes, jarring and crushing before fading. “Fláráð Fræði” brings darkened guitars, and then the thrashing gets under way, the vocals sending waves of terror, wrenching and devastating. The fiery assault doubles as deep growls send seismic punishment, gutting and lurching to a finish. “Fangelsaður í Tilvist að Eilífu” begins with symphonic bombast, and then the playing rips through the center, spilling guts all over the place. The growls bellow through the Earth’s crust, the majestic rage spreading and vibrating, empirical sounds amplifying the metallic glory. “Þögnin Ytra, Kyrrðin Innra” is a blinding assault, the growls engorging as the slaughter gets into full force. Scorching howls and a galloping pace make your blood rush harder, zapping through the air, smashing your senses to bits. The tempo hits a melodic gust, bringing newfound intensity that slowly fades into flames.

“Guðlegt Réttlæti” signals doom with horns blowing, igniting as the growls wrench, and the blackness enshrouds everything. Shrieks destroy as the leads work up a bloody lather, the drums crushing into oblivion. “Sindur” blasts in with regal synth, guitars spiraling, and the gnarly vocals laying waste. There’s a combination of torment and atmosphere, a devious and mangling approach that leaves everything buried in ash. “Ildi Óhreins Anda” opens with thunder, and then the tempo chugs, washing into murkier terrain that reminds of a thick, early-morning fog. The strangeness permeates as the drums blast through, chaos spills fire anew, and the tornadic pace drills deep into the ground. “Traðkandi Blómin í Eigin Hjartagarði” is a battering ram, the growls digging under fingernails, the pace speeding up and colliding with industrial noise. There is a hardcore-style drubbing that leaves bruising, the vocals reverberating, decimating to the end. Closer “Minning um Morðingja” brings classic black metal riffs, the playing leveling worlds, melodies providing slight relief from the ample burning. The power blazes and makes breathing impossible, blasting into orchestral storms, ending quivering in a pool of blood.

While so much of the black metal world Helfró create feels like it centers on nature, what we hear on “Tálgröf” is more volcanic from an introspective standpoint. Whether or not you understand their language, you can feel the force in the music, the struggle playing out over the rampaging nine tracks that dig right into your brain. These are struggles we all can understand, many of us face, and this record bleeds these emotions in a manner that can set fire to chaos within.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/band/helfro

Or here (International): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/helfro-helfro

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

It can be easy to dismiss metal as a young person’s game since styles are constantly evolving, and the way the genre looks now is so much different than it was even a decade ago. So, it might seem like the fresh blood is what’s dictating the game. Of course, we know better than that, and veteran bands still are putting out great work that’s dynamic and challenging well into their careers.

You can add long-running black metal power Demoncy to that list of well-traveled bands that still pack devastating power and tenacity, which is spattered all over their killer fifth record “Black Star Gnosis.” Helmed from the start by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ixithra (VJS handles guitars and drums), the band has weaved through black metal’s formative years when they emerged in 1989, and over four other records (their last was 2012’s “Enthroned Is the Night”), they have established themselves as one of the most storied movers of the sub-genre who have survived to this day with as much chaos and devastation as anyone else playing this style.

“Across the Setian Planes” is an instrumental opener, and an eerie one at that as a beast lurks and snarls, and a hellish atmosphere swells and hammers into “Ipsissimus of Shadows” that unloads and twists violently. Hissing and crushing add ample heat, and suddenly everything is smoldering, smoke pouring from every crevice, the dizzying assault burying hopes in ash. The title track is disorienting and mashing, vile howls pounding away, gnawing at muscle and bone. The hideous force increases, strangling with terror and nastiness, a bloody ferocity blasting its way through the earth. “Cosmic Curse Invocation” mauls right away, demonic howls scraping at your psyche, stomping and turning everything to muck. The playing turns devious and evil, the vocals smearing poisonous soot, thrashing into a bizarre miasma that continues to add relentless pressure.

“Syzygy of Unholy Trinity” is a trip into ambient terror, the beast howling again, hell stretching its way across earth and into “De Mysterium Noctis” that explodes with warped riffs. The burly fire from the assault steamrolls, fire and lava spitting from the crust, guitars storming as the howls batter unforgivingly. Fast and ashen, the guitars pick up suddenly, storming and curving toward chaos. “Performing the Ceremonies of Tragedy” is doomy and ominous, a demonic pace setting the tone, eating through flesh with devastating howls. The guitars keep stirring the pot, letting horror bubble to the surface and choke out all life. “Cosmic Curse Expulsion” is an instant burst, a tornadic tear that feels like a death bender, buzz sawing through with bloodthirsty guitars. The attack is stomping and scorching, making the heat feel insurmountable, jostling and melting into closer “Occultation of Typhon.” This piece is a final ambient track that feels spacey but also sludgy, noises folding and filtering into hell.

Demoncy end their 11-year silence with a bludgeoning with “Black Star Gnosis,” a trim and violent display that comes at you with a hunger and fury that weighs on your psyche. This is black metal with an urgency and an unmistakable taste of evil, pounding on you every step of the way. Demoncy might be long tenured and have a lot of miles on their tires, but they show no signs of slowing down and sound as ferocious as they ever have in their nearly 35-year reign of terror.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Demoncy1/

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

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

Science fiction is rife with good sagas, multi-part movies that stretch over decades and generations, linking characters and storylines that create a bigger whole and meld a unique fictional universe. Metal isn’t foreign to this concept either as we’ve followed the loose Voivod adventures, the actions in Blashyrkh, and the plots that have carried over some of King Diamond’s albums.

Cincinnati’s Valdrin is the latest example of this kind of artistic endeavor, and their excellent fourth record “Throne of the Lunar Soul” is the next chapter of the Ausadjur Mythos, the plotline following main character Valdrin Ausadjur, this time after he has returns home following a failed mission to quell an insurrection, so he now waits in judgement for his shortcomings. Yet there’s more boiling beneath the surface. The music accompanying this installment of the tale is a mighty 11-track, 74-minute monster of a double album that the band—vocalist, guitarist, keyboard player Carter Hicks, guitarist Colton, bassist James Lewis, drummer Ryan Maurmeier—commits to fully musically and from a creative standpoint, making it their most ambitious release so far, one that balances excitement and dread in their glorious black metal.

“Neverafter” is a rousing opener, the symphonic black metal making your heart race as the drama sweeps, the playing crushes. The force eventually goes clean, the speaking pushing the story along, the playing crushing and melting as the energy bursts at the end. “Golden Walls of Ausadjur” unloads twisting guitars and a synth cloud, vile blasts that go for the head making their impact. The playing is fiery and fantastical, trudging through as the keys sprawl, vile howls mangling in the darkness. Classical synth injects power, the steady mists increase, and the final bend storms home. “Seven Swords (In the Arsenal of Steel)” brings synth pumps and ripping leads, the black metal fury forming a storm front as Hicks howls about “fighting for a cause unrevealed.” Symphonic melodies surge as the blood pools, and everything comes to a scorching finish. “Paladins of Ausadjur” arrives with racing synth and melodic leads, feeling inspired by Maiden’s strongest era, vile cackles echoing in the dark. Huge melodies overwhelm as the keys go on a ferocious run, glorious clean calls gets adrenaline surging, and great dual leads add to the flooding excitement. Keys zap, the energy combusts, and folk-like movements take on electrified chaos that feels very inspired by European death metal. “Sojourner Wolf” fires up with creative guitar work and catchy sparks, the playing speeding up and teasing as the keys layer. The intensity blasts as the vocals get more intense, the playing rampaging through blinding power, bending around corners and flooding with power. Acoustics move in to cool off the temps, but that’s temporary as everything rips anew, and Hicks wails, “I still worship the dark, for it is the flame that will carry my soul to the end.”

“The Hierophant” stomps and loosens rock, vicious growls splatter, and the guitars catch fire and lather, leaving you heaving. The energy manages to overflow as the synth ices the swelling burn wounds, charging out into melodic fire. “Vagrant in the Chamber of Night” enters amid synth layers, and then everything rips apart, huge gusts tasking your brain for a ride, the savagery multiplying as the howls feel more acidic. Shrieks maim as the drama collects, the playing jars and charges, and everything is swallowed into the mouth of the oncoming storm. “Holy Matricide” enters in an acoustic swirl, channeled shrieks dare you to move, and frosty synth leaves you shivering and searching for any source of warmth. Acoustics rush as whispering sends additional chills, and then the pace returns to crushing, frigid overtures taking you under, a fast, relentless attack taking hold, and a wondrous haze wrapping around you and arresting you in dreams. The title track starts cleanly enough, the guitars tingling, the keys bathing in progressive waters, soaring and electrifying. There’s a hidden pop sensibility in this, which makes for an interesting twist, and it’s not long before the massive leads electrify, the keys adding an extra glaze. Guitars increase the humidity, the fogs thicken, and wild cries hammer away, leaving bruised flesh behind. “Two Carrion Talismans” brings clashing guitars and keys dancing, the fiery nature soon overwhelming, tornadic riffs leaving untold amounts of damage. The leads open up, turning the track daring and dangerous, adding sting to its assault, the final wail of, “Hear my cry!” swirling in the wind. Closer “Hymn to the Convergence” is a synth-driven, mystical instrumental that pushes the orchestral elements, letting your mind wander into the deepest reaches of your imagination.

“Throne of the Lunar Soul” is quite the serving from Valdrin, but it never feels overstuffed or too much to handle. This is arguably the most exciting entry in their four-album catalog, a triumph of an effort that could be considered their finest hour once all is said and done. The story of the character Valdrin might take a turn for the worse lyrically, but there’s a triumph to this music, a power that permeates everything they do, and something’s telling me this isn’t the last we’ll hear from our hero as he sits and waits for what’s going to happen next in Ausadjur.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bloodharvest.se/?s=valdrin&post_type=product

For more on the label, go here: https://www.bloodharvest.se/

Metal’s boundaries are about as fluid as they’ve ever been. Not that this site is some kind of example to the world, but we commonly highlight music that isn’t necessarily pure metal, but the appeal to listeners in the audience is understandable, and our readers have responded positively because heavy doesn’t always have to pertain to sonic qualities. Metal can embrace all kinds of things, and we do the same.

“Wrapped in Mist” is the debut record from Helga, a band named after its vocalist Helga Gabriel, whose otherworldly voice and approach are intoxicating and refreshing. Gabriel started out in Sweden, ended up in a Viking town in North Yorkshire, and she stretched her understanding of metallic wonders, her incredible voice leading the way. She eventually teamed with the rest of her band—guitarists Cai Sumption and Cameron Gledhill, bassist Ryan Fairclough, who all had played together previously, and drummer/percussionist Sami Javed—to form the union we see and hear today. This record is not full-throttle metal, but it doesn’t need to be. There are plenty of weighty parts, lots of dreams and wonders, and something enrapturing that easily should lure in anyone who loves heaviness but has an open mind.

“Skogen mumlar” opens in a deep murk as Gabriel’s calls echo, the playing chugging and sweeping, strings fluttering. The playing then goes into an exciting prog push, hand claps pace, and dark, melodic calls from Gabriel pull a canopy over the night. “Burden” begins clean, softer singing emerging, the solemnity overwhelming as Gabriel calls over the chorus, “It’s a big world,” something repeated later with greater context. Hazy guitars poke at ’90s alternative rock, melodies add warmth, and Gabriel adds to the chorus, “I’m looking for a friend to share my fears and pain,” as the song sinks into deep darkness. “Water” brings swelling singing and an immersive fog, the dreaminess coming in layers, Gabriel calling, “Water, bountiful water, quenching the thirst of my people.” The hope turns into despair as that vital element is threatened, the call of, “But one day it’s all gone, waters will dry, die,” adding sobering pain. “If Death Comes Now” is soft, lush, and calming, guitars dripping as the gaze is amplified, burning through the atmosphere. The playing collects as progressive winds blow harder, the singing adds muscle, and the track fades away. “Farväl” brings stinging guitars and wrenching cries, Gabriel unleashing shrieks, surfy guitars bouncing over mournful waves. The singing rides along with that, rippling and tearing open, the fierce cries causing devastation, the final notes feeling ominous.

“Alive Again” opens with brighter guitars, even amid a darker flow, Gabriel singing, “You’re the reason why I breathe, you’re the reason why I’m here.” The playing picks up and turns into a flowing surge, lush melodies doing their part in the background, the guitars stimulating raw emotions. “Vast and Wild” starts with chant-like singing, piano dripping, echoey beats bouncing off walls. Strings are plucked as Gabriel points, “Vast and wild, the sea I hear the sound of my heart, wildly beating,” as a poppy, gazey storm brings light rain, percussive energy builds, and the piano notes tingle on your skin. “Som en trumma” lands with darker guitars, punchiness, and a spirited push that makes your adrenaline flow freely. The leads screech as melodies pummel, shrieks rain like a storm of razor blades, and finally the damage settles. “Mountain Song” is a slow drive through different sets of colors, the singing moving, the playing swooning. Drums echo through propulsive waves, Gabriel calling, “I am standing before something greater than myself, is this what it feels to be alive?” Guitars steam as the temperatures spike, fading into immersive calm. The closing title track is dreamy as classic acoustic guitars spark, strings add a breezy element, guitars spitting energy. “We remember the dead, we dance, we dance, we dance!” Gabriel cries as is feels like the playing is swimming into dimensional subconsciousness, the guitars bending over a strange angle at the end of a journey.

Helga’s music certainly borders on, and at times delves directly into metal, but there’s so much more going on here to classify directly into a corner. “Wrapped in Mist” is an immersive, constantly evolving record from an artist just getting started on this sojourn, and this first record is a promising initial step. At times, the songs feel like they have multiple personalities, and that’s OK because it keeps things interesting. I’m curious as to where this band goes on album two because it could be anything at all.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/band/helga

Or here (International): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/helga-wrapped-in-mist

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

We’ve all been through a lot the last few years, and yes, I know this is an opening style I’ve used before, but it’s incredibly relevant here. Pain and suffering, immeasurable loss, the devastating mental toll many of us paid and still pay all are things that remain to this day. They don’t just go away because the world is opened up. Some wounds don’t actually heal regardless of time, and there needs to be an outlet for release.

A.S.B., the sole creator behind The Mosaic Window, paid the heavy price alongside so many of us, and his debut record under this banner, “Plight of Acceptance,” is the result of that experience. Not only did A.S.B. have to deal with the same circumstances that we all experienced in the past few years, he also lost his father and grandmother, which is enough to send anyone reeling into oblivion. But “Plight” happened, obviously, due to his perseverance and determination, and while the music was released independently this past June, Willowtip has picked up this great record and is giving it the wider release it richly deserves. Even if you just want to come around for the music, you’ll be able to indulge in the sonic heaviness. But anyone in a struggle, who can’t seem to find a bright light in the insanity, can identify with the pain and loss and hopefully find music that’ll help them see a way out.

“Comatic Burial” starts in soaking rain and ominous riffs, the playing slashing as the melodies increase, gruff howls crushing wills. Clean singing teams with vicious wails over the chorus, the leads lather and add fuel to the accumulating fire, and everything blasts hard before a massive finish. “The Haunting That Follows” blasts with chaotic energy, bellows hitting you in the guts, acoustics sweeping before things jolt again. Forceful howls team with spiraling guitars work, the playing numbs the senses, and a last burst of energetic devastation brings everything to an end. “Demon” smokes with sinister intent, scowling howls open new, flowing wounds, and the darkness wells before things turn truly ugly. The tempo blasts and threatens safety, a faster pace elevates your anxiety, and the growls menace, leaving a glistening pool of blood collecting from the attack.

“Furnace” swells and bursts, bringing with it menacing growls and accumulating steam that coats your face in sweat. Melodies rush as horns signal impending doom, the disorienting pace playing games with your mind. Gruff howls scar as the guitars pour added energy, mournful melodies darken skies, and the final stretch spits shrapnel. “Spiritual Intoxication” has riffs blazing and the melodies overwhelming, the pace continually increased to make the manic energy more volatile. Grim howls batter as the guitars smoke, the sounds flooding your senses as your head is left spinning. “Nails of Holy Origin” wrenches as synth swarms intoxicate, and the sorrow collects and weighs heavily on your heart. Vile howls rush as the playing takes on a Middle Eastern flavor, blasting and wrenching as keys glimmer, and huge surges make blood rush with force. Closer “Consumed by a Thought” opens with war sounds (it reminded me a lot of “One”) and then the sludging takes over, frantic transmissions triggering panic. The playing unloads, devastation bursting at every corner, the leads consuming as the growls become more unhinged. Swirling madness coils and strikes, a cavernous stretch adds to the darkening atmosphere, and the end comes with start/stop thrashing that hammers the ferocious final nails.

So many people have suffered immeasurably in the past few years, and what A.S.B. pours into “Plight of Acceptance” is the end result of facing the tumult head on even in the worst of mental times. The fire and chaos spread all over the Mosaic Window’s debut is palpable, and if you’re one who has paid a heavy price, you might find some solace and catharsis along the way. Hopefully the next record under this banner comes as a result of better circumstances, but this collection will stand as a document of facing the worst of times and finding a way to survive despite it all.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094717845304

To buy the album, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/bands/details/the-mosaic-window.aspx

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

We are entering the coldest, most unforgiving months of the year, and with it often comes crippling depression and just the inability to keep the body warm in most circumstances. It’s a perfect time to bask in dark music, the type that lives deep within your blackened organs, the stuff that makes you feel like everything within you is crumbling to total destruction.

With that, it’s the ideal time to welcome “No Dawn for the Caliginous Night,” the third record from Finnish funeral doom power Convocation. Over five tracks and 48 minutes, the band—vocalist MNeuman and multi-instrumentalist LLaaksonen—visits the darkest, most depressing territory imaginable, though they pack dark melodies and enchanting horrors into the mix. So, yes, it arrives on the cusp of winter, when autumn is sliding into its coldest, least illuminated days, and music such as this is an ideal companion for feeling that despair. The duo also is joined by guests including vocalists Jason Netherton (Misery Index), Natalie Koskinen (Collapse of Light, Shape of Despair), and Niko Matilainen (Corpsessed), cellist Antti Poutanen (Church of the Dead), and narrator Stephanie Schuldiner (Ferum, Kõdu) to help flesh out these morbid creations.

“Graveless Yet Dead” dawns with heavy, eerie noise, sorrow engulfing fully, the growls crushing as the strings scrape. Dreary fog thickens as the guitars hang in the air, immersive darkness taking hold as the growls rattle bones. Gothy winds blow as the playing begins to batter, the ache stretching as everything spirals into darkness. “Atychiphobia” begins impossibly heavy, the growls hammering as the strings pick up, the murkiness dipping its head into dank waters. The heat rises as the drums start to pound, wild shrieks electrify, and the guitars liquify and go quiet, stretching a pall before the heaviness strikes anew. The strings sweep as the crunch increases, and then the leads start blazing, the growls curdling alongside the intensity. The playing then trickles and pools, a heavy haze enveloping as organs vibrate away.  “Between Aether and Land” unleashes a majestic atmosphere, guitars melt, and the bottom drops, regal fire adding a sense of warmth. The playing takes on a fantastical feel, the guitars amplify the ache deep within your chest, and the leads surround, leaving only ashes behind.

“Lepers and Derelicts” runs a healthy 11:21, buzzing as the fires take hold, the growls dropping as the pressure builds. Coldness encapsulates while the playing lurches, going heavier as the growls take on more weight, the playing wrenching your insides and taxing your emotions. Tingling leads make cortisol race as the howls explode and ripple through the earth, the drama spreads, and shrieks peels flesh from muscle as everything slowly dissolves. Closer “Procession” is the longest track at 12:36, and it’s neck deep in torment as it starts, detached speaking chilling flesh, an alien feel overcoming everything. Strings gush as the growls eat away at psyches, then synth becomes the only breathing factor, leading to Schuldiner again buzzing with her stark narration. Strangeness mixes with sadness as the journey pushes on, the guitars soaring as growls punish again, the ferocity strangling as drama folds through icy darkness that disappears into the distance.

“No Dawn for the Caliginous Night” is another stellar serving of foreboding funeral doom that’s perfect for these months when the sun retreats early, and the coldness gets inside your bones and causes you to shiver to your core. This third record from Convocation is intoxicating from the start as they find ways to multiply the blackness and make the misery as heavy as an uninhabitable planet’s gravity. This is grave music for ominous times, the stuff that sticks with you in the storm as your mind tries its best to stay balanced so you can survive unhealthy conditions.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://everlastingspew.com/25-pre-orders

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

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/