Our own pain and darkness can come on like a brewing weather event, tracing the horizon, looking foreboding and threatening, making you wonder if you should take cover. Difference is when we feel these emotions within us, the collecting assault brews in our minds and heart, sometimes swelling so hard that we didn’t even realize we needed higher ground until the threat is on the doorstep.

Darkher, the project long helmed by vocalist/guitarist/bassist Jayn Maiven, uses this vision of trepidation on her latest record “The Buried Storm,” an album that delves into personal pain and trauma that must be met so it doesn’t overcome completely. Joined on this record by drummer Christopher Smith, Maiven brought in a host of guest musicians—cellists Arianna Mahsayeh and Melanie Chaplin, violinist Lambert Segura, cellist and background vocalist Ludvig Swärd (also of Forndom), guitarist/backing vocalist Daniel Land—to further flesh out these songs. Comprised of doom, folk, and immersive beauty, the record is heavy emotionally, cutting into your heart and acting a passenger as you take your own path into the unknown.

“Sirens Nocturne” opens in a noise cloud, Maiven’s hushed vocals getting under your skin early, influencing your dreams. Sounds threaten as the drama builds, atmospheric pressure increases, and the strings weep, sending the track back into the storm. “Lowly Weep” starts with light drumming and strings making their presence felt, ghostly visions lurk in the periphery, and the vocals haunt as your vision blurs. Strings ache as the low end drops, doom quivers, and the drums slowly pound, spiraling into the dark and the arms of “Unbound” that feels like a deep dream coming to life. Acoustics join the mist as Maiven calls, “It took my heart, it took my faith, it left my body,” as the track melts into the earth. “Where the Devil Waits” is glazed with strings as acoustics enter the picture, the vocals pushing ominous visions of rapture. The spirits accumulate as the oxygen levels increase, everything bowing out in sullen exhaust.

“Love’s Sudden Death” sinks into a doomy gaze that’s thick and dark, breathy vocals making your blood race. “This sudden death is killing me,” Maiven confesses as angelic calls ice your wounds, and a cinematic gush leads the song into deep wasters. “The Seas” has acoustic haunting and delicate singing as the imagery gets more threatening. “Here lies the sun, bleeding,” Maiven calls out as the aura feels like a mid-summer shower that washes away the entire day. “Immortals” brings dripping guitars and heavier cloud coverage, the essence making the water colder and immersive. “Capsized in the sea, immortals are we,” Maiven jabs, the guitars building into a squall. The emotion floods over as your vison gets blurrier, guitars turn to a trickle, and the track disappears over the horizon. “Fear Not, My King” is the closer, starting with piano bleeding and Maiven luring with, “I’ll kiss your every wound.” Darkness sweeps the skies as Maiven notes, “The more I close my eyes, the more I see,” as emergency sirens call morbidly in the distance, strings swell, and the final moments are obscured in vapor.

Darkher’s music is like something from another world or plane, an experience that gets into your bloodstream and changes you while you’re in its grasp. “The Buried Storm” is named perfectly because so much of this music is overcast and soaking, leaving your body shivering and your mind quaking. This is an immersive trip that is forceful and spiritual, something you won’t be able to shake until long after the music has stopped.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/darkher-the-buried-storm

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

I’m not the avid reader that I want to be, but generally what sucks me into the habit is discovering a multi-book series that keeps my attention over a long period of time so that every time I finish one story, I’m already set to jump into the next one. I just finished The Southern Reach Trilogy, a warped sci-story told on many existential planes that occupied a good half a year for me.

I already was excited about a new record from doom heavyweights Celestial Season, but my interest was piqued even further learning this new opus “Mysterium I” is the first step in a trilogy of albums, parts II and III set for later 2022 and 2023, respectively. Having regrouped just a couple years ago for comeback record “The Secret Teachings,” their first in two decades, “Mysterium I” follows in its footsteps with more gothic-washed doom that reaches back to their earlier days and gems such as “Forever Scarlet Passion” and “Solar Lovers.” The current lineup—vocalist Stefan Ruiters, guitarists Olly Smit and Pim van Zanen, bassist Lucas van Slegtenhorst, violinist Jiska Ter Bals, cellist Elianne Anemaat, and drummer Jason Köhnen—were parts of those eras, and here they further examine ancient mysteries and reach for knowledge, a venture that started on the last record and will continue.

“Black Water Mirrors” opens with voices calling and the doom clouds sprawling, the strings glazing your mind. “I shall never touch you again,” Ruiters thunders, and the playing turns dark and gothic, calm tumbling with cold whispers, and then the track chugs again, the growls bubble, and the spirit disappears into the fog. “The Golden Light of Late Day” breaks open with drums and abject misery with the strings leaving a somber lather. Words drip as the playing takes on a deliberate pace, misty chills sent down your spine, acoustics disappearing in the air. “Sundown Transcends Us” begins with guitars lighting up, the riffs flowing and steaming. Growls scrape as the guitars leave bruising, and then the energy returns and shifts, the strings dusting off the surface. Emotional punches land, the guitars carve paths, and the track ends in echoed ambiance.

“This Glorious Summer” rumbles in murk as beastly, wrenching power vibrates, and the simple chorus sticks in your brain. Things get gnarlier as the track ages, mauling rises amid moody leads, growls send up smoke, and a strange haze settles overhead before disintegrating. “Endgame” fires up hard with bustling riffs and deep growls, and things get even heavier as the melodies corrode and the guitars explore. Things turn morbid in a hurry as strings glide and pain increases, ending with bloody power. “All That Is Known” dawns gently as the playing slowly stomps, and the strings increase as the melody rains down. Growls creep into cavernous sections, guitars and strings weep, and delicate whispers lead the track into the light. “Mysterium” is the closer, entering in atmospheric pressure as strings expand, and dark, gothy waters flow. Growls gurgle as the guitars beam like lasers through fog, making your mind wander as speaking delivers ominous messages. The final moments get heavier and moodier, the thorns pushing into your flesh as the track bleeds out.

A band with a resume as impressive as Celestial Season’s doesn’t need to add anything else to their repertoire as they’ve proven themselves and influenced scores of other bands. Yet what they offer up on “Mysterium I” actually manages to beef up their already powerful collection and ties us back to earlier eras of the Celestial Season’s existence. This is a journey into ancient mythos, secrets that are part of our DNA, and an experience with gothic doom and death that absolutely levels you and is just cracking the surface of this mission.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://roadburnrecordsusa.bigcartel.com/

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

Music is a cyclical beast where ideas come to fruition, run their course, and one day new artists find the bones and breathe new life into them. It’s one of the things that makes being a listener so much fun because you never know what’s going to be thriving a year or five years or a decade from now and what ideas will start to gain dust.

Rhode Island-based Coma Hole prove this point expertly. The band—vocalist/bassist Eryka Fir, drummer Steve Anderson—revived the idea of a power duo, something it seemed every other band was doing a decade ago, yet it’s become a fresh idea again because that style of group largely has withered away. They play an amalgamation of doom, grunge, and noise, in turn making these sounds feel vibrant, urgent, and pumping fresh blood again. The four songs on their debut EP digs into issues such as personal struggles, monotony from falling victim to repeated life cycles, isolation, and then some brighter lights when it comes to realizing you’re stronger from the things you’ve witnessed and survived. The playing is dirty, heavy, swaggering, and features some outright killer singing from the very soulful Fir, who helps elevate these songs even further.  

“The Familiar” is sauteed in noise and feedback as the bass slithers along, and the track picks up momentum. The power wails as Fir’s powerful pipes blister as the track gets burly and sweaty, the bass/drums combo leaving ample bruising. “I want to make you feel my pain,” Fir howls as psychedelic heat melts the brief calm, the pace begins to pick up, and fuzzy trampling buries the track permanently. “Old Climb” punishes as the vocals go off, the playing feeling speedy and urgent. “My head, spinning around,” Fir calls as the bass curdles, the vocals agitate and amplify the challenge, and the drums mash flesh into unidentified forms.

“Wine and Bone” begins with grimy riffs and the bass rumbling the earth’s crust, the singing hitting new high points. Vir sings about “the endless road to become one with myself” as the vibe takes on an Alice in Chains aura, the playing crushing. High howls make the hairs on your arm stand up, the drumming powders, and the echoey finish devastates. Closer “Sinking” is the second-longest track here, running 11:23, and it bathes in noise, the bass crawling through the dirt, Vir calling, “I want to find my way to the light.” The song is dark and foreboding as the dangerous imagery clouds your mind, and the track slowly stomps your guts, and the drums splatter your blood. The track slowly gains speed, feeling like control is being wrestled from your grasp, and then everything disappears in a glowing haze.

Coma Hole’s debut EP is a fun, fiery, punishing experience that doesn’t feel like anything else going on right now, which is pretty refreshing. There are grunge and doom elements, metallic thunder, and really great vocals from a flexible, powerful vocalist who is total command of these four tracks. This is a killer experience, and I’m really excited to hear where this band goes from here.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://comahole.bandcamp.com/music

Heavy metal has a track record for lashing back at power structures and pissing all over those who try to keep others down for their own means. Which makes it weird when fascist bands start popping up because it’s like, didn’t you read the memo? We know you got it. We all did. You didn’t read it, did you? Well, maybe get back to us when you do.

Holland’s brain-twisting metal machine Terzij de Horde is not letting that whole questioning power go to waste, and they examine that very thing on their three-track new record “In One of These I Am Your Enemy.” Ever since there were people, those at the top have tried to crush those beneath them lest they one day have to let other folks have a chance. There is so much involved, layers that have to be examined, people who don’t want others to explore for answers, and that builds a societal and political structure that’s nearly impossible to overcome. The band—vocalist Joost Vervoort, guitarists Demian Snel and Jelle Agema, bassist Johan van Hattum, drummer Richard Japenga—does try to get underneath that dirt and filth on this, their second full-length album, and they do so with elements of death and black metal, atmospheric chaos, and striking violence that squeezes the blood from your veins.

“Cheiron” kicks off the record, and it’s the shortest track of the three, lighting up and destroying as it picks up speed. Vervoort’s shrieks slice through glass as fluid melody floods, and then things rampage harder, guitars clashing and the playing rampaging to its finish. The title track follows, an 11:37-long mangler that storms in with piercing vocals, a humid feel, and playing that pummels hard. Manic shrieks and an industrial blender of a pace whips through, howls echoing in the sky, the richly melodic playing flooding your senses. Things turn darker, the playing takes in a rubbery Voivod vibe, everything tangles dangerously as guitars ramp up, and the cloud cover leaves a strange pall.

“Precipice” is the 13:56-long closer, and starts with mournful colors bleeding in before the shrieks scar, and the track slowly melts toward rapture. Anguish and devastation combine as the heat increases, as does the speed, and things tunnel into the underworld as the journey gets more harrowing. Pressure continues to multiply as the forceful cries punish, guitars dizzy and chug, and the rumbling increases, making your footing impossible. The vocals cave your will, relentless playing keeps firing, and the final assault is mounted and buries everything deep into the dirt.

The world always has been torn apart by ruling forces that put their importance and worth on things, and that’s a battle that never will go away. Terzij de Horde capitalize on that and amplify that struggle on “In One of These I Am Your Enemy,” a title to a complicated and compelling record that’ll make you think about where you stand in all of this. This is raucous, it’ll cause the contents of your stomach to swish hard, and you’ll leave this battle bruised and battered but maybe with a few answers.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://consouling.be/release/in-one-of-these-i-am-your-enemy

Or here: https://shop.tartarusrecords.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://consouling.be/

And here: https://tartarusrecords.com/

Heavy music is a place where darkness is most welcome, as artists shed demons, bask in evil, and lash back at a society that’s growing increasingly more hostile. Yet, there are scars that run even deeper than that, life events that can cut you to your core and change you forever, leaving distress and depression in its wake. Those have a place as well, and hopefully the music can provide healing for the creator.

Gggolddd vocalist Milena Eva dug to the deepest, darkest, most hideous place imaginable for the band’s new record “This Shame Should Not Be Mine.” Over the pandemic, Eva confronted something she had hidden away, namely her rape at the age of 19 at the hands of someone she loved. Trauma, loneliness, shame, and depression followed, forever impacting her, and we hear the aftermath of her personal journey through that on these 10 tracks. Eva and the rest of the band—guitarists Jaka Bolič, Vincent Shore, and Thomas Sciarone (he also handles electronics), bassist Danielle Warners, drummer Igor Wouters—delve more into electronics on this record, with the cutting, blunt, sometimes cathartic words having a heavy impact. Other survivors could find some of the material tough to handle, while others might identify their own experiences in Eva’s fire. That’s not for me to decide. But there’s a good chance there will be myriad reactions and feelings sparked by the music for anyone who has felt the same awful pain. Quick side note: The band previously was known simply as Gold and have four other full-length records under that moniker.

“I Wish I Was a Wild Thing With a Simple Heart” starts amid disarming noises and strange synth, Eva’s delivery getting right to the point. Her vocals slither as the dramas builds, guitars cut through mystery, and crazed voices at the end pay off the anxiety. “Strawberry Supper” dawns with synth quivering and Eva leveling, “I wanted to be loved like everyone else.” Foreboding beats arrive as the message gets darker, with Eva jabbing, “Did you ever think about the receipts I kept?” She sets on fire the insulting “boys will be boys” excuses, letting her rage loose to scorch those who deserve it. “Like Magic” has guitars gazing as the atmosphere builds, Eva admitting, “I was an easy target.” Her vocals are higher as synth bites, beats thump, and dark waves wash over you, leaving as the ground rumbles beneath. “Spring” pulsates and tingles, Eva calling, “Outside, flowers claim it’s spring,” though her demeanor is hardly able to feel that positive energy. The center tears open, spilling deeply and filling the room, guitars gush, and the end is enveloped in sound. “Invisible” has drums leading the way, synth glimmering, and the vocals again the main force. “I’ve been looking down, I try to keep it all a secret, from the depths of my gut, I wanna throw it all up, but I keep it all inside,” Eva levels painfully. The chorus is quiet but compelling, Eva calling, “Invis-ible” as the track plods and slips into the night.

“I Won’t Let You Down” is the longest track here, running 7:26 and bringing disarming noises as the track trickles open. “I won’t disappoint you,” Eva promises, “I won’t cause you trouble,” as the chorus stretches, keys zap, and everything floods over, the emotions filling your chest and mind. “Notes on How to Trust” would be an absolutely killer pop-style song, but with so much hurt and trauma packed into it, feeling good energy would be the wrong thing to do. “Where do I go? Who do I follow? Who bring me joy? Who brings me sorrow? How do I make sure I don’t go through this again?” Eva calls over the chorus, a heartbreaking sentiment surrounding by alluring synth, crashing beats, and stormy emotion. The title track arrives in bubbly keys and ominous vocals, making the unease palpable. “Who said I’m useless? Who told me I’m to blame? Stuck in this armor I’m creased and crushed into this shape,” Eva levels, the imagery related to what you see on the album cover. The playing is mesmerizing and alluring, blurring and trickling, draining away. “On You” is built on mostly just Eva’s voice, her singing joined by a robotic twin offering the same lines. “You put your filth on me,” she jolts, her hushed defiance a major force that works its way through the song and into your brain. “Beat By Beat” closes the record, starting with synth slicing swatches, and finally Eva finds some light for herself as she sings, “It’s time for some healing now, I will give myself a break.” The track itself breaks open and gets heavier, gazey playing glazing, and Eva’s singing building strength, the track sludging heavily before fading away.

The events that led to “This Shame Should Not Be Mine” is fucking heartbreaking, criminal, and dehumanizing, and the fact that Eva not only lived to tell about it but also found strength to explore her wounds in this manner is a triumph for her. This is Gggolddd’s most important statement to date, musically and lyrically, and we hope the sentiment of healing found in the final track is realized at its highest level. All hail Eva’s bravery, power, and conviction, and hopefully other survivors out there can find solace and venom on this record and find a way to heal their own wounds as their attackers dissolve into a pool of their own cowardice and piss.

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

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

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

Wicked horrors and blasphemies have been a part of heavy metal since the dawn of time, and if that’s something that wilts your skin, maybe try another form of music. Some bands go way over the top with the whole aesthetic, which can border on hilarious if they’re missing the substance. But there’s plenty of room for music that will burn down your inhibitions because their blades cannot be denied.

Phoenix-based Savage Necromancy definitely don’t pull back on the outlandish song titles, brutal imagery, and names that most definitely are not their given monikers. Diabolical Fuckwitch of the Black Flame is responsible for odious war chants and chthonic incantations, her roars splitting your veins; Conjurer of Putrid Desecrations is in charge of unholy axe beheadings and demonic arch-fiend summonings; while Grand Marshall of Hell heads up as ceremonial conjurer of semenic rhythms & thunderous primitivity. That all sounds insane, but if you take on their debut full-length “Feathers Fall to Flames,” you will know right away this is serious shit that’ll take off your head. Originally released last year, the record is getting wider distribution from the always trustworthy 20 Buck Spin in advance of the band’s forthcoming second album. I can only image how vicious that thing is going to be.

“Milenio de la Crucifixión” starts with chilling organs and chanting in Spanish, the drums tap, and the guitars sludge. Doom bells call as the track begins to bludgeon, bleeding into “Baptized in the Cum of the Goat” that’s stomping annihilation from the start. The growls scrape filth as vicious playing steamrolls, and things rampage dangerously. The vocals corrode as the punishment goes off the rails, heading into “Conquest of Nazareth” that pummels right from the start. It feels like you’re on the ground with a shin at your throat as madness manifests itself, the vocals feel like death emanations from beyond, and group chants slither, bringing the track to a merciful end. “Gibbous Moon of the Horned God” delivers trudging riffs and growls that tear through your midsection, and the playing is utterly psychotic. The soloing just goes off, clobbering your senses and not allowing you a simple breath before it’s on to “Storming the Gates of Heaven” where muddy riffs become a force with which to contend. Guitars slash wildly, caring not what artery they might sever as barked growls, funeral bells, and decimating drums rob your lungs of vital oxygen.

“Genocidal Frostfukk Terrorstorm” blasts by before you even realize what hit you, bringing vicious growls and splattering guitar work that destroys before dissolving. “Black Metal Victory” takes the reins and races with thrashy guitars, splintering playing, and vocals that sound like demonic possession taking place in your ears. The playing sprawls and swallows you whole, rushing to its finish and colliding with “Unholy Banner of the Black Tower” and its gale force assault that drags you along with it. The growls carve at sanity while the guitars find new levels of craziness to pull you along, your mouth dragging over the ground. The power trudges as the wild howls mar your brains, pulling into “Disgorging Christ’s Kingdom” where guitars send cinders flying and riffs cutting through bone. The playing is fast and nasty while the drums cave in the side of your head, and everything ends … hellishly. “666 Dead Angels” closes this barnstorm of evil with drums igniting fires, growls ravaging, and a beastly assault getting the better of you. Speed again is a factor as the playing singes, riffs poke, and taunting laughs from the underworld burn out of time.

“Feathers Fall to Flames” has been out in circulation for a bit, but teaming up with 20 Buck Spin should mean more ears and eyeballs will be tuned to the Satanic madness that is Savage Necromancy. This is vile, raw stuff, a horrifying helping of unfiltered death and black metal playing as ravenously as possible. This band isn’t here to score style points; they’re here to remove your head and fill it with black piss and blood.

For more on the band, go here: https://savagenecromancy666.bandcamp.com/releases

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

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

I have always wanted to go to Japan, and I’ll preface this by saying not only have I never been there, but I’m not a fan of long journeys, so there’s a great chance it’s a trip I’ll never make. Most of the allure comes from that land’s rich pro wrestling history, of which I’d indulge generously, but it also feels like a fantasy land that doesn’t seem like it can be real. It holds so much intrigue for me.

Czech atmospheric doom/death dreamers Et Moriemur certainly had richer inspiration when crafting their new record “Tamashii No Yama” (translates to “mountain of soul”), an album based on the Empire of Japan. To see the ambitious vision through for this seven-track, 40-minute experience, the band—vocalist/pianist Zdeněk Nevělík, guitarists Aleš Vilingr and Honza Tlačil, bassist Karel “Kabrio” Kovářík, drummer Michal “Datel” Rak—employed a host of guest musicians to realize this vision. These players add elements such as drums, acoustic guitars, violin, cello, viola, harp, shakuhachi, and choir parts to flesh out these songs that capture your imagination immediately. Yes, doom and death are basic elements here, but there is so much creative imagination and ambition one might not expect from a heavy record that it makes for an even more powerful force. Something mostly indescribable.   

“Haneda” starts with a strange TV transmission before pianos drip, strings reach, and we’re unexpectedly being soothed with sounds one would not expect to open a heavy metal record. Which is super refreshing, and the track goes on with cello scrapes and a strange aura forming and melting into “Sagami” where the drums disrupt your dream. Guitars glaze and wild howls decimate, the keys tracing every step. Hypnotic melodies thicken as the vocals wrench your heart and bound into “Oshima” that brings thick doom blood and layered strings. The guitars chug as an ugly fury oozes through cracks in the walls, shrieks mix with a foggy horizon, and the playing has a chambery edge. Then the crevices yawn, unhinged howls send jolts down your spine, and the guitars churn, leaving only ash behind.

“Izu” sludges as noises hang in the air, and then the growls gurgle and combine with strange keys, a choral part making your brain flutter. Anguished cries intensify as the sounds swell, keys trickle, and the dust eventually settles. “Nagoya” brings chilling shakuhachi that ushers in pulverizing doom and harps plucking at serenity. Group vocals swell as muddy energy meets up with jagged guitars, the power settles, and piano drains into the sea. “Otsuki” digs right into your chest with a death assault that knowns no mercy and vocals that dig into your psychosis. Guitars light up as the playing navigates through the mud, and then a dizzying tear leads to a calming sequence with piano, moody strings, and an overnight flight into closer “Takamagahara.” Piano, speak singing, and gothy doom color the first bit of this 13:51-long epic. Shrieks and growls mix as the buzz gets heavier as the tempo wrestles back and forth, melody glistens, and a dreaminess melts into a funeral doom-style dirge. Elegance blackens as voices call out, shrieks squeeze, and the playing burns, dissolving into anguish and atmosphere, bleeding into time.

Et Moriemur continue to push the body of their sound and their influences with “Tamashii No Yama,” a challenging and daring record that requires repeat visits in order to achieve full absorption. There’s so much going on here, and their collection of guest musicians do a fantastic job fleshing out these songs and adding texture from the source material into this music. This is a mesmerizing, exciting display, and it again proves that metal has no real boundaries if you’re willing to take chances.

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

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

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

Or here (India): https://tometal.com/store/

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

Black metal is a swollen ocean that hardly can handle another drop, yet we all know this storm has no chance of subsiding, and the shores are going to disappear. The rain is coming down in sheets, and it’s nearly impossible to navigate to find the parts of land that are fruitful. Or something. Look, there’s a lot of black metal, and it’s not that easy to find what’s actually worth your time.

But it’s out there, evidence of which comes from Atlanta-based black metal crushers Vimur who are offering up their mighty third record “Transcendental Violence.” It’s not that the band—vocalist/guitarist Vaedis Eosphorus, guitarist Australis, bassist Kiehül Hesperos, drummer Ætheøs—is reinventing the wheel, nor do they need to do that. Instead, they channel black metal carnage and strange textures all over these seven tracks that do not quit. There’s also a goddamn space lion roaring cosmic hell into an unsuspecting planet on the cover, and how could you go wrong with that?

“Aeonic Upheaval” opens in thick darkness with pounding and trudging, the drums taking everything apart. The fiery pace bursts, and we’re in the midst of chaos even as some clean lines attempt to salve the carnage. The vocals crush as things get nasty and thrashy, burning out into hell. The title track massacres as melodies rush and the pace rampages. The shrieks are bloody and furious, the guitars corrode flesh from the bone, and the final crush leaves chests flattened. “Infallible Contra Animus” delivers melodic leads that make your blood rush and black metal terror that continues to build, the playing storming harder as the track develops. The madness disintegrates any sense of serenity as the vocals thicken, and terrifying blazing ends in a pit of acoustics and eeriness.

“Emanations From the Sun Behind the Sun” surges from blackness and then comes unglued, the guitars having their way and flattening with power. The shrieks rip as the playing melts, oppressive heat gets more ominous, and then the speed becomes a greater factor and mauls to the finish. “The Greatest Dying” brings stinging guitars and a tempo that dices muscle as the intensity increases. Ugly darkness hovers overhead as the guitars churn, leaving off thick smoke like exhaust from a tire fire. “Death Absolution” is slow driving, moving as the howls echo in the distance, numbing your mind. Things go cold as the bass tunnels through the earth, and then the guitars get warmer, the shrieks shatter bone, and the last moments blur out of existence. “The Warrior Seers” closes the album with guitars dawning and speed being liberally applied, mangling and hammering before you can even get settled. Mystical sheets soak the molten physicality, atmosphere continues to pump, and that ignites the other end where the bass spirals and drums blister. The guitars glaze plasma while the shrieks breathe fire, and the final moments leave sparks in the air.

As black metal’s ranks continue to swell, identifying the bands that have the true magic in their veins and can channel that into the music can become a task. Luckily, Vimur make it easy on us with “Transcendental Violence,” a record that has a cover that’ll look crazy as fuck on a store shelf and hopefully will intrigue buyers with what’s contained. What they’ll find is wild, devastating black metal that’s true to its core and feels like it’s taking off your flesh.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/transcendental-violence

For more on the label, go here: https://boris-records.com/

There’s a hugeness that some records just can’t quite convey, no matter how mighty they might be, and seeing a band in its live form can hammer home that point. That’s not to suggest that the recorded medium is somehow subpar or not worth your time. It’s just that when you hear the music in your headphones or on your turntable, it isn’t the same oxygen-ripping experience as when band is in front of you.

Despite sharing a hometown with The Long Hunt, the instrumental doom trio from Pittsburgh, I didn’t get to see them live until after their debut full-length album “All Paths Lead to Hear” was released. Once I was in the same room and heard them play the songs in the flesh, I could not believe how much more powerful the experience was, and that’s no knock on that album. It remains a favorite. But their second full offering “Threshold Wanderer” really gets at the heart of this band—guitarist Trevor Richards, bassist Allison Kacmar Richards, drummer Mark Lyons—and the force they harness. Over six immersive, earth-shakingly heavy, woozy, psyche-washed tracks, the band flexes their muscles, working into your bones and giving you a closer taste to what taking them on live is really like. On top of this, Trevor Richards used the downtime of the pandemic to work on his 3D modeling skills to craft an album-long video that gives you a visual glimpse into this record that revels in the themes of exploration and traveling between worlds. I mean, it only took eight months and 1,000 hours of work, so make sure you check it out April 1, the day the album is released (you can see some song clips now on their Bandcamp).

“Prelude” enters amid windchimes, birds chirping, and a seemingly serene, gentle scene that rolls into “The Tower” where guitars immediately begin to char. The playing open and lays in the punches, dread builds, and the spirit swaggers into dusty scenery as if the desert is sneaking up on you. Things hit heavier, the guitars increase, and the bass plods through your chest and out the other side. “The Golden Bough” is an immersive adventure that has the drums pacing and then the guitars scorching as organs slip in and give a vintage psyche feel. The heat continues to build as the dust settles, the playing crunches, and the keys swim in madness, the clouds darkening and wafting. The senses are scorched as electric currents batter and burn off after the end bubbles to the surface.

“Night Falls on Black Wings” is the longest track, running 12:34 and driving slowly, the bass chugging and bloodying mouths. Red hues thicken and warp your vision, the playing pounds with precision, and birds start to caw, the elements of your dreams bleeding into reality. Sitar splashes give a Middle Eastern vibe, and your brain begins to wander, your spirit moving along with other ghosts as orange and purple color the horizon. “Crossing the River” works into a gentle haze, the bass makes ripples in the water, and the guitars guide everything through calm winds. Things then turn disarmingly blissful, filling your chest with warm emotion as you move into 12:12-long closer “Procession of Dust.” Drums hover as the guitars give off exhaust, and things feel grim and rusty in a hurry. Doomy riffs unload before the guitars begin to explode, cutting through the mist, the bass making its way through the storm. Psychedelic whirring and electric pulses combine, the intensity builds, and the guitars feel like lasers slicing through multiple planes of existence, the sounds melting into space and the final hints of sitar.

“Threshold Wanderer” is a gigantic step forward for The Long Hunt, a band that already was operating on a high and fully immersive level. This record is more indicative of their mighty lives shows where you can feel like you’re both at their mercy and enthusiastically along for a journey that challenges and sparks you. This is a record fitting for so many different settings from long night drives to stargazing to getting your own creative juices flowing before trying to expand your own artistic marks.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://thelonghunt.bandcamp.com/album/threshold-wanderer

There are myriad forces against which we do battle. The ones that come from the fantasy element are harmless enough, because those are struggles we have in our heads that can be exciting but ultimately don’t leads to any actual carnage. Then there are the ones around us in real life that threaten to do us in and tear apart society as a whole, structures be damned.

Surely Scottish force Tyrannus didn’t just throw some names in a hat and select one. There’s a good reason for their moniker as their music is pointed right at forces in our own world that embraces fascism and all the bullshit that comes with the package. But there is more than that in these songs that comprise fiery debut record “Unslayable” as the band—vocalist/guitarist Callum John Cant, guitarist Fraser Gordon, bassist/synth player/backing vocalist Alistair Harley, drummer/percussionist Alasdair Dunn—also delves into fantastical horrors and bludgeoning hell, things that would be fought on a level none of us could ever fully imagine. It also helps their mix of death and black metal feels so frenetic and immersive, and this record is an exciting, bloody surge from start to finish.

“A Cruel Dream” opens with clean, moody tones and a thick fog beckoning, and then it’s from that intro piece into “A Worse Reality” where leads burst and send colors flying. The riffs stampede as the drums crunch, and savage heat teams up with speed to rip oxygen from your lungs, and the melodies soar over top, laying waste to everything. “The Flood” is raw and smashing as it starts, gnarly growls leaving bruising on your body. Spacious leads enter the mix, infusing the scene with rich oxygen, and then the vocals shred anew, feeling bestial and punishing, coming to a clobbering end. “It Taketh” is the best track here, mostly because of the lyrics that are gruesome. The guitars light up and deliver force as Cant howls, “Cut the tongue, sever the head, pin the limbs, bind the legs, boil the horror in an iron pot, evil will come to a stop.” This exchange will get locked in your head forever. The bass plods as the guitars tingle, even sounding zany and wonderfully cartoony at points, and everything ends in complete chaos.

“Lake of the Undying” is a strange, eerie instrumental cut that feels like a classic Testament era, melting the mind and flowing into the title track that just rips from the gates. The playing is fast and sinewy, the melody is fluid and infectious, and then things go cleaner for a stretch before violence returns and buries you in shallow soil. “Light the Last Sun” serves up riffs and steaming fury, then gritty growls and a powerful assault continue the insanity. Guitars trickle as things ramp up again, cleanliness giving way to devastating horrors. The playing is slowly bludgeoning as the vocals get uglier, the title is chanted heavily, and the final moments burn out in the sun. “Break the Will of Evil” is the last track, and it starts with bass mauling, the gas pedal smashed, and shrieky howls making the mangling verses even thornier. Clean singing swims into the mix, vibrant riffs come barreling toward you, and Cant wails, “No more hatred, no more oppression, just beauty and love, we will win, we must win and break the chains.” It’s a rousing end to a blistering, exciting experience.

“Unslayable” is a compelling mix of cosmic horror and battling against overzealous forces looking to bring down democracy in place of tyranny. Which, as noted, makes the name Tyrannus fitting and their debut record a truly eye-opening document that not only is packed with righteous themes but also devastating playing that will bring you to your knees. This record will fill your heart with power and glory as well as the will to fight back against anyone trying to hold you back.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://linktr.ee/Tyrannus

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