There was a time, and not that long ago, when black metal had a very strict boundary from which bands didn’t often veer, and if they did, it could be detrimental to the artists in the event they go too far beyond where they stand. Luckily, we’ve moved the goalposts in the last few years, chances are taken within black metal’s confines, and we’ve been better off for it, to be honest.

We have another shining example of that progress with “Of Sleep and Death,” the second record from Austria’s Transilvania, a band that doesn’t seem all that concerned about obeying rules. And good for them because this record, which landed on the first day of the year, is an exciting, vicious, sprawling display that’s a blood rush from beginning to end. There also are roots that have grown from Transilvania into metal’s formative years, but it’s there as a texture and not as a commitment to the past. It all makes for a remarkable effort by this band—bassist/vocalist P. Čachtice, guitarists O. von Schwarzenberger and D.D. Stumpp, drummer H. Paole Grando—one that takes what they established on 2018 debut “The Night of Nights” and takes that even further into the stratosphere to mesmerize us all.

“Opus Morbi” stirs from the start as organs swirl and the guitars awaken before everything is ripped to shreds. Melodic fury and explosive growls send ripples, while crunchy and disorienting playing make your eyeballs hurt. A fiery charge keeps hammering away, racing before everything burns off. “Hekateion” has guitars mashing and gruff growls staggering as speed and melody unite. Complete savagery is fueled by adding gasoline and echoing shrieks as the playing takes on a classic metal feel as guts are stomped into the ground. The title track arrives amid spellbinding guitar work and splattering vocals as the pace is a lightning jolt to your system. The pace is pummeling, but it eventually is vaporized and chills the atmosphere as guitars boil and again delve back into classic era terrain, which makes the heart swell with drama. Everything explodes anew as the track races, the simple, effective chorus strikes again, and the track ends in a cloud of smoke. “Lycanthropic Chant” lands stiff punches as everything comes to life, and the chorus fattens lips. The drums hammer and leave everything powdered while the guitars scrape at scabs and end the track in heated fashion.

“Vault of Evening” has riffs snarling and the pace clubbing away as things get speedy and volatile. The leads bleed color as the assault trickles into a hazy dream, turning your brain into warm mush before the attack is under way again. From there, the offensive is on as the leads glaze and melody buries you in shallow soil. “Heart Harvest” has a punchy start as the growls lacerate, and the howls attack your central nervous system, causing your heart to race. The guitars heat up as the growls eat into your psyche, tunneling toward your anxiety as gang shouts echo, warm leads rush, and the track bleeds its last.  “Mortpetten” has riffs going for broke and challenging speed records while raw growls pick at flesh, and the tempo relentlessly gallops. The leads destroy as the vocals bludgeon, causing vertigo as the track finally relents. “Underneath Dying Stars” is your closer that bleeds into the picture as Čachtice bellows before the track comes unglued. The entrancing pace plays tricks while the guitars go off and unleash hell. Grisly growls turn into furious roars as the pace speeds along, and the drums power the song to its devastating end.

Sure, there remain those people who hold black metal to silly ideals born like three decades ago, but more and more artists are doing whatever they see fit, and Transilvania are one of them. “Of Sleep and Death” has its share of death metal, thrash, and even gothy shadows, but its base is undeniable, and it remains heavy and ashen dark. This is one hell of a record containing music that pays off the imagination and wonder it promises at the front door with its cover art and continues to expand the idea of what it means to play the heaviest, darkest music on earth.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://invictusproductions666.bandcamp.com/album/of-sleep-and-death

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

When thinking of some of the more frigid areas in the United States, places cold enough to inspire death metal that feels like it’s freezing your bones in order to break them into dust, you’re probably considering Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, Colorado, etc. Your brain isn’t automatically going toward Dallas, but it looks like we’re all going to have to recalibrate how we answer that question.

Frozen Soul hail from Dallas, though you’d never guess that after taking on their destructive first record “Crypt of Ice,” being released by metal giants Century Media. But despite not being in what most consider frigid territory, they somehow breathe freezing sentiments into these 10 tracks and 39 minutes of bruising power that leave you ravaged behind them. The band—vocalist Chad Green, guitarists Michael Munday and Chris Bonner, bassist Samantha Mobley, drummer Matt Dennard—imagines all angles of wintry torture and demise, as they unfurl snarling death that leaves bruises and mental wounds behind. It’s a dawn-of-the-year excursion into the weather most of us feel outside right now, with us trying to avoid falling victim to the reaper’s blade. It’s a fucking muscular record.

The title track starts the record with strangeness before the guts are torn out and spilled into the snow. Grinding death pummels you as the leads cut through, the growls gurgle blood, and the trudging pace thrashes shreds muscle. “Arctic Stranglehold” has slithering growls and chunky power as the growls slither through madness as Green vows, “Your time has come.” Slow-driving fury picks up the pace as growls boil and the playing mashes until it fades away. “Hand of Vengeance” has keys dripping in before the whole thing lights up and explodes. Forceful playing rattles your brain inside your skull as growls sound scraped from Green’s guts, the leads catch fire, and the final moments melt flesh. “Wraith of Death” begins ominously as doomy muck gathers and spills through cracks in the walls, and the playing takes on a deliberate tone. The track crushes and ushers in darkness, ending in beastly carnage. “Merciless” ramps up quickly and gets super heavy in a hurry, chewing up flesh in its gears. The playing lays in a beating while the growls open wounds, and the track is devoured by an unforgiving wind.

“Encased in Ice” brings with it whipping gusts and a slower beast, though everything is just heavy as fuck. Raw growls make their way as vicious bludgeoning cracks skulls, the guitars push you to the limit, and everything ends in an icy grave. “Beat to Dust” is frigid from the outset before the pace begins to clobber, and crunchy death savages its victims. The growls mash amid a thrashy wave, battering through mud and slush before ending abruptly. “Twist the Knife” lets loose strange growls that echo in the atmosphere before the playing opens fully and kills. The bass is thick as hell, feeling like it’s coming for your throat, while complete misery is served with bloody coldness, slaughtering all the way to the end. “Faceless Enemy” has its riffs carving pathways to damnation as grim growls set a darker tone, and a stomping fury loosens the earth. The chorus smashes through rock while thick riffs add pressure, and the meanness of the tempo adds insult to your pile of injuries sustained. “Gravedigger” caps off the record by setting up a synth gaze before everything comes unglued. Animalistic rage and massive fury make a formidable duo while gritty vocals lay waste, and sinister guitar work burns everything to ash.

Entering just their third year of existence (though each member has plenty of experience elsewhere), Frozen Soul already have captured the attention and commitment of one of the biggest labels in metal and issued a killer debut with “Crypt of Ice.” This is especially suiting the season we’re experiencing in the Northern Hemisphere (where it’s already been snowier and icier than in many years previous), so this record is hitting even harder as we strive to stay warm. This is a promising debut by a band that is starting the year with a supreme dose of death metal served cold, and it’ll be really interesting to see how their profile increase as this year matures.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://centurymedia.store/store

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

Music goes hand in hand for me with weather as there are artists that remind me of certain times of the year based on how their music or records strike me. Or it could be the time of the year when I was first introduced to the artist. For example, Arckanum always will feel like the dead of winter for me because that’s when I got into them. Windhand is a good autumn band because that’s always when I’ve seen them live.

Ukrainian one-man black metal project Severoth never really had a definitive style of weather attached to them in my head before, but their new record “Vsesvit” changed all of that. My first experience with the record took place in mid-December during a rather dark period for me when it also happened to be in the midst of a heavy winter-style storm. Taking in these five tracks and 64 minutes of atmospheric black metal power was rather breathtaking at a time when I was feeling morbid and lost as I was able to escape into what’s going on here and feel the frigidity in all of my extremities, making me feel as alive as I was going to be able to at that time. Severoth said the record’s original intent was to spread brightness and even help people recharge, though things that happened to him along the way of creating this fourth album helped add some darkness and ripples that basically mirror real life. I don’t understand the words he’s calling because I don’t speak Ukrainian, but the spirit of these songs overcomes that, as it’s impossible not to be emotionally impacted by this album   

“Вище неба” starts the record mystically as horns cut through strangeness before everything bursts to life. The pace staggers as the leads light up, leading into a brief woodsy calm before the track explodes again. Clean vocals barrel as the playing rushes to the surface, melodies lap, and harsh cries leave damage. Wondrous playing opens your lungs as the keys drip, the breezes pick up, and the track fades into glory. “Ненаписані листи” hammers with life as the guitars lather, and the vocals wrench before strange tidings take over. Murky blasts team with clean singing, as the chorus digs deep into your chest. Wild cries rip out as the pace hammers the earth, melodies gain intensity, and the storm clouds rush overhead as the darkness engulfs the light.  

“Порожнеча” begins with rains falling and the playing slowly building before an atmospheric punch blasts, and a wrenching pace acts as a backbone of this 15:17 track. The track feels like a steady storm soaking you as hypnotic tones make your head spin, and a deep synth coat works alongside scraping guitars. The music then creates a sort of whiteout feel as the leads burn brightly, and the scene slowly fades out of sight. “Срібні зорі весни” enters with birds chirping and cawing before slashing melodies pummel along with wrenching cries. A halo of sound envelops you before the playing stampedes, the growls crush, and bellowing speaking gets into your brain. A gothy fog gets thicker and more oppressive as shrieks pummel, the playing pumps up its chest and heads right for you, and everything bows out in a flood of weirdness. “Холодна ніч чужих облич” ends the record by trickling in through the mists, playing eerie before the thorns are exposed and fierce cries open wounds. Melodies bring heat as steam rises, and then the riffs accelerate as a deluge of power arrives, the vocals gush, and keys plink as everything retreats into mysterious shadows.

Severoth’s ambiance makes it easy to think about listening to this record in deep winter when the snow and ice can be both breathtaking and frigidly overwhelming. The music on “Vsesvit” can captivate your imagination and take you on a journey into nature as you crunch over frozen branches and icy ground, your lips chapping from the oppressive winds. This is black metal that sounds exactly right based on the elements, and considering many places are in seasons of deep freeze, this could not have come at a better time.   

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.sound-cave.com/it/band/severoth/vsesvit-splatter-vinyl

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

At first, I was thinking we’d ease into the year with a smaller release, something to get our juices flowing again and to set a tone for the coming 12 months. But that plan only partially worked as the demo we’re featuring today is a shorter release, but it’s also thunderous and heavy as hell and contains members of many other bands we’ve discussed on this site before.

The beauty of Bandcamp is you can find cool shit there that isn’t necessarily going to end up in your inbox from a publicist or label, and that’s how I came across Morbid Sphere’s introductory “Demo I,” released on the first day of the year, delivering mind-warping black and death metal that makes it feel like you’re losing your grip on reality. Formed by members of Vanum, Ruin Lust, and Yellow Eyes (among others), these two tracks give a hint to what’s ahead for this band—guitarist E. Priesner, guitarist S. Bennett, bassist J. Wilson, drummer/vocalist A. DeMaria—that being relentless chaos and black and death metal that feels like it’s going to cave in your head and chest.      

“Red Sluice” starts with strange, spacey noises wafting over as the drums open and clobber, and the band utterly unloads. The vocals crush as sinister hell boils over, disorienting as the riffs spiral before the violence is truly unloaded. Death snarls lurk before the growls engorge as things get feral in a hurry. The attack rains down panic, noise sizzles, and the final moments enrage the fire and scorch flesh. “Into Form” runs 10:47, 26 seconds longer than the opener, and thunderous chaos melts into deliberate power, drums crashing into filthy hell. The leads sting as things continue at a massive, smoldering tempo, swimming in insanity. The playing eventually brings numbness to the extremities before the power hints at fading, only to reignite on the other side as furious guitars lead the strike. Weirdness mixes with crushing intensity as feedback builds up dangerously before the song fades away.

Morbid Sphere’s fiery, noise-slashed first gust into the metal world is a promising one as this initial demo proves over its two lengthy tracks. This isn’t a surprise considering the forces involved with the project, and their punishing penchant for brain-mangling death and black metal hints at the larval stages of what could be another subgenre-warping band we’ll all be talking about before the end of 2021.

For more on the band or to buy the album, go here: https://morbidsphere.bandcamp.com=/

This strange year could only end with a No. 1 record that I didn’t see coming as the one I would enjoy the most during this stretch of 12 months. “Dimensions,” the third album from Finnish black/death metal crushers Lantern, turned out to be that album, and the journey there is an interesting one. Well, to me, anyway. This was a year that didn’t have a super obvious top record for most of the time as more music came in and I did more writing. This beast dropped in July, and its six tracks and almost 39 minutes of run time was one that had a definite impact first few times I heard it. I knew this one was going to have a major impact the entire year, but I never guessed just how big that crater would be. The more I kept thinking about what my top record would be, the more I was listening to “Dimensions,” and the deeper these songs were digging into my psyche, the more I acknowledged what was happening. The band—vocalist Necrophilos, guitarist St. Belial, guitarist/bassist Cruciatus, drummer J. Poussu—managed to make a record that’s obviously quite heavy, but it has so many weird twists and tuns, so many neck-jerk moments that jar you into awareness that it grew on me like no other record did these past 12 months. It’s their best record, and considering I haven’t seen this thing on too many lists, I’m worried it fell under the radar for many. Hopefully everyone else wakes up and realizes what a stunning display “Dimensions” truly is.

“Strange Nebula” begins trucking right away, piling into crunchy, thrashy playing while Necrophilos’ trademark throaty growls begin to pool blood. “Unleashed from the source, the origin of chaos and death!” he howls while the chorus swoops in where he warns, “Beware the sky!” Finger-tapped guitars usher in a new darkness as the soloing explodes, bones are turned to dust, and the back-end trudges right into the mouth of hell. “Beings” has guitars hanging like a storm as gruff shouts and wrenching guitars team up. A humid heaviness makes its presence felt while Necrophilos declares, “You are one with them!” “Shrine of Revelation” starts in a destructive manner while vicious howls lash at you, and the pace continually adds more fire to its repertoire. Solid soloing emerges and rides through the dark, bringing with it violence and melody that continue unloading until finally subsides. Closer “Monolith Abyssal Dimensions” is a beast at 14:17, yet it doesn’t feel half that long. Dark tunneling gets us into the body of the track where ungodly growls and carving playing brings you deeper into the abyss, while a thrashy assault leads to a blast of weirdness. That works with the wilting temperatures as things slowly work back into punishing order, humid guitars add a level of steaminess, and Necrophilos warns, “Kingdoms, mountains, and times succumb to the dark.” All hail Lantern and their brainy, warped approach to death and black metal, and may “Dimensions” find the legion of bloodthirsty followers it deserves, as it’s a force the likes of which don’t come around very often. (July 10)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/lantern666

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

To hear the album, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dimensions

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

For whatever reason, New Zealand death metal warriors Ulcerate were a band I always liked and respected but that didn’t click with me totally. Hard as I tried, and I’ve positively reviewed their records in the past, they were always a group that it seemed the people around me found a level of appreciation I couldn’t discover myself. Then their sixth record “Stare Into Death and Be Still” arrived in April, and this eight-track, nearly hourlong opus changed everything in my DNA when it comes to Ulcerate. This record made everything fall right into place, as every ounce of this album completely destroyed and regenerated my metallic DNA, and I’ve returned into their back catalog with a newfound desire, and the music has answered me back. Maybe the horrible times we all were experiencing this year helped push this, as their ashen, bleak, technically astounding playing matched the darkness of the times as the band—vocalist/bassist Paul Kelland, guitarist Michael Hoggard, drummer Jamie Saint Merat—recommitted to their creativity and their smoking penchant for delivering bruising music on one of the most original records on a resume full of open mindedness.

“The Lifeless Advance” punches its way open as spindly guitars ignite, and deep roars make their way into the mix. Melody bursts and slathers into hell while the drums dust skulls, and cavernous chaos opens and swallows you whole. “Exhale the Ash” begins with an energy surge, and the tempo blasts as the drums climb up and pulverize, as the guitars send body jolts. The growls you can virtually feel in your chest as the leads burst and add different colors, while the bruising floods, and the ends comes in a pit of punishment. “There Is No Horizon” has a dark and hazy beginning as it simmers in shadows before tearing its chest wide open and mangling listeners in its gears. Cool guitar work drips through like leaking pipes before the leads explore the atmosphere, and the growls carve a path back to the center. “Inversion” explodes immediately and lands blows as monstrous growls and devastating playing loosen screws. The guitars sting and feel like they’re pulling in alien transmissions while the playing swims inside your head, making you feel disjointed and lost before the back end of the song mashes in your head. “Dissolved Orders” is your closer, and it starts with clean notes that help the song slowly flow along until it meets up with a flooding guitars and grisly growls. The pace tends to hypnotize in spots and freezing winds chill your soaked flesh, while heavy growls sound like they’re trying to digest you. This cursed collection of 12 months at least finally gave me my emotional connection to Ulcerate, and that’s a fire that’s not going out any time soon thanks to this record. (April 24)

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

To buy the album (North America), 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/

The demise of The Devil’s Blood following Selim Lemouchi’s death in 2014 left a huge gap in the world of heavy music, robbing us of their 1970s-fueled proto metal and the remarkable vocals from Farida Lemouchi (she was known as the Mouth of Satan). Their purely devotional music to the darkest forces also were rousing hymns and bombastic displays that, even if you didn’t bow to the devil, you could find a ton to like in the music. Here we are six years later, and the mission has been revived by Molassess on their debut full-length “Through the Hollow.” The band contains former members of the Devil’s Blood including Farida as well as guitarists Oeds Beydals and Ron van Herpen, and bassist Job van de Zande, and they’re joined by drummer Bob Hogenelst and keyboard player Matthijs Stronks on this new project that continues to carry the spiritual mission started by Selim into whatever chaotic future is ahead of us all. The art remains in the same vein but also has changed, as these tracks are more longform doses of psychedelic driving and shadowy seduction that very much eases the blow of losing their original project. This record is that good.

The title track starts with strange noises floating in before guitars spiral, and a trippy feel is achieved quickly. Lemouchi’s unmistakable singing unfurls as a sprawling journey spreads out and carries the bulk of this 11:06-long track. Keys haunt as wordless calls soothe, and the music keeps tunneling as Lemouchi calls, “No more bridges left to burn,” amid a psyche haze that fully intoxicates. “Get Out From Under” has guitars trickling and more exceptional singing straight from Lemouchi’s guts. The chorus is tremendous while the vibe is mesmerizing and driving. “Corpse of Mind” flows in mystically as melodies spread and the vocals float, with Lemouchi commanding, “Break through the eyes of time.” The singing feels otherworldly while the end of the track disappears into a void. “I Am No Longer” melts in with guitars liquifying and dreamy slowness dictating the pace at first. Drums bustle, joined by keys perfect for nighttime as Lemouchi declares, “I am forever haunting.” “The Devil Lives” is the perfect final cut, a 10:33-long anthem that feels like it stitches its path from the last band to this one. “Something’s amiss, and you KNOW it,” Lemouchi stabs with a line that’ll chill your bones while the guitars intoxicate with a mix of blues and psychedelia. Farida’s declaration of, “The devil’s blood is within me,” as the track rounds out is both a pronouncement their message is alive and a promise that the mission will continue to rage with fire as long as they’re all drawing breath. (Oct. 16)

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

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

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

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

December records always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to making year-end lists because so much stuff gets wrapped up and decided on early, that the later releases never seem to get the respect and love they deserve. Luckily for us, we’re not really forced into a timeframe for making up our top 40, so that’s how “Die Lederpredigt,” the debut record from Swiss-American black metal band Folterkammer, managed to rank so highly. This isn’t a recency thing. We’ve had the music for this record (its title is translated to “The Leather Sermon”) for a few months, and from our first visit with this astonishing display, we were floored. Vocalist Andromeda Anarchia is an absolute force, going operatic and then digging right into guttural growls within moments, her German feeling like its gnashing your wounds. She’s joined by guitarist Zachary Ezrin (of Imperial Triumphant, who also are no strangers to challenging, mind-defying music), bassist Darren Hanson, and drummer Brendan McGowan on a record that conjures the evil spirits of black metal, exposes the abusive nature of religion and authoritative power, and comes from the perspective of a scorned goddess looking to shed blood.

“Die Nänie” dawns with organs swelling and Anarchia’s hushed singing before she goes operatic and tears paint from the walls. Her shrieks cause muscle spasms as the pace goes nuclear, delivering spellbinding madness as the chorus wooshes back for more, and the track ends in a sticky pool. “Die Hymne” arrives with Anarchia going for the stratosphere vocally, as the playing lands heavy punches, and her shrieks are nuanced by her theatrical hacking and splintering, which is just a morbid joy. “Das Gebet” enters the room frantically as Anarchia mixes operatic singing with vile speak-like growl bursts that crawl up your spine. It’s madness. As the song progresses, it actually turns into a really catchy, almost pop-like display that explodes like sugar in your blood, and Anarchia’s playful, manic gush of words is both utterly charming and completely terrifying, calling out for dark forces that likely cannot be controlled. Das Zeugnis” closes this experience with organs signaling doom, and slow, dark tidings bleeding ever so slowly. The singing pushes, starting with a glimmer of hope before turning ugly, and the song unloads with ill will, bringing with it pumps of Gothic soot and black waves of horror. This band is here to scramble your brains and fight back against a power structure that has suffocated too many. The fact they do it in such a savagely gorgeous and spellbinding manner only ups the ante on this great record. (Dec. 11)

For more on the band, go here: facebook.com/folterkammer.music

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/products/folterkammer-die-lederpredigt-lp

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

The first time I saw the Mariusz Lewandowski-created cover art for Atramentus’ debut record “Stygian,” it was a few months before it was released when 20 Buck Spin announced the record, and I immediately got lost in that image, wondering if it would equal the torment and doom that the vision seemed to promise. Turns out, I wasn’t prepared for how dreary and dark this three-track, 45-minute record actually was, as it delivers funeral doom in an extremely slow, Arctic-blasted elegance. It just gushes with frigid drama following the tale of a nameless knight granted immortality through the gift of God’s sword, only to watch the world die all around him, leaving him to wander, unable to perish, in a world of cold and unforgiving blizzards. The band—vocalist/guitarist Phil Tougas, guitarist Claude Leduc, bassist Antoine Daigneault, keyboardist/dark element conjurer François Bilodeau, drummer Xavier Berthiaume—weave their magic in other groups such as Chthe’ilist, Funebrarum, and Gevurah, all mighty and noteworthy, but this band and album could be their collective greatest achievement yet.

“Stygian I: From Tumultuous Heavens… (Descended Forth the Ceaseless Darkness)” opens the record and runs a healthy 16:28, starting with keys chiming and Tougas’ lurching growls boiling over. Guitars drain into a freezing funereal pace as glorious leads flood with light, while deep croons slither into another section of bubbling growls, and keys glimmer and cause you to shield your eyes. “Stygian II: In Ageless Slumber (As I Dream in the Doleful Embrace of the Howling Black Winds)” is a bridging ambient piece where sounds shuffle and float into darkness. Keys create a wall of sound while voices quiver, and the dark ambiance leads us to our final chapter. “Stygian III: Perennial Voyage (Across the Perpetual Planes of Crying Frost & Steel-Eroding Blizzards)” ends the album, a 23:17-long finale that feels like it drips in slowly from the atmosphere, as Tougas’ voice creaks, and strangeness is in the air. Guitars give off a classic psyche haze while deep growls shove along, meeting with an exquisite, alien ambiance that takes over, ushering in moody guitars and beams of light that caress the frosty terrain. This record is a cold soul navigating the night, trying to fend off frostbite and hypothermia, attempting to figure out what actions could justify such a horrible curse. It’s the best funeral doom record not just of the year but in many years. (Aug. 21)

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

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

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

10. SWEVEN, “The Eternal Resonance” (Ván): The untimely demise of Morbus Chron was a gut punch, as they had just gotten started showing how imaginative and expansive death metal can be when they called it quits after 2014’s landmark “Sweven,” their second record. Six years later, MC’s driving creative force, guitarist/vocalist Robert Andersson, regrouped, named his new band after world-toppling record, and released “The Eternal Resonance,” this project’s first record and one that nobly continues that mission but takes it even further than before. It really ices the blow of losing Morbus Chron because Sweven feel like having them back in spirit.

“The Spark” is the instrumental opener that has clean guitars fluttering before the pace steps up, going into a progressive plunge that pushes into “By Virtue of a Promise,” a 9:21 cut that trickles slowly before things flow eerily into anguish before Andersson’s wails jar. “Reduced to an Ember” has a jazzy start that chills the flesh before the tempo is shredded apart, and riffs spiral into a cascading section that bleeds imagination. Rough wails and exploratory guitars combine and create a chaotic feel before keys and acoustics buff the edges. “Mycelia” plays tricks with your mind, as hand drumming paces, and grim howls fan the flames. The tempo picks up and stomps bones as the vocals rip down your neck, and the playing keeps adding intensity. “Sanctum Sanctorum” closes the record by entering slowly, creating an ambiance before the guts are torn out. The track starts racing hard, making your adrenaline gush before it settles in the clouds and appears ready to drift away. I cannot wait to hear where this band travels from here, as I’m along for the entire ride. (March 20)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://van-records.com/

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

9. MSW, “Obliviosus” (Gilead Media): The world is suffering right now from a horrible virus that has impacted our everyday lives (even the assholes who refuse to admit this is real), but at some point this will end. But there are other problems that exist that won’t be able to be expunged by a jab in the arm and can’t be avoided with distancing and mask wearing. MSW, the mastermind of doom smashers Hell, tackled one of those head on with his solo debut “Obliviosus,” an album that was inspired by his brother’s addiction problems. The scars are evident, the pain bleeds through these four songs, and your heart just has to go out to him and his family as they navigate this darkness.

“O Brother” starts with guitars clashing and doom falling as sorrowful guitars bleed into the night. Carli McNutt’s vocals immediately haunt as she calls out before the ground breaks, and MSW’s shrieks penetrate. The tempo chugs hard as McNutt’s singing swirls in air, while the playing begins to punish hard. “I will never forgive you,” MSW wails painfully while an angelic haze drops, and guitars rain down like ice daggers. “Funus” is an instrumental bridge that immerses itself in darkness and piano drips like a cold rain, and the strings scrape in and later flood into full body. The title track ends the record and starts with guitars agitating before a doomy storm laps shores, and the leads light up the sky. Strings flood as wordless calls connect, while the music feels like it’s floating along on a clean tide. About 10 minutes into this 19:40-long cut, MSW’s first shrieks tear open as the bass clobbers and the guitars rush. A gazey caterwaul brings added pressure, pounding away as it gusts, as MSW jolts, “Our family destroyed, dragging your fists through the open void, where are you, my brother?” Indescribable pain aside, this is such an immersive, incredible record that is some of MSW’s best work. (July 3)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/obliviosus

Or here: https://loweryourhead.bandcamp.com/album/obliviosus

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

8. SPIRIT ADRIFT, “Enlightened in Eternity” (20 Buck Spin): It should be no secret that Spirit Adrift are a favorite at this site and have been ever since they arrived four years ago. Nate Garrett and Marcus Bryant have remained busy as they pick up praise along the way and have created some of the best records in all of metal, and that continues on their fourth LP “Enlightened in Eternity,” one of the best sounding and most lively of their stellar run. As luck would have it, the songs were designed to be a positive, uplifting experience, and they succeed at that goal, but tragedy struck both members of the band since with the passing of each of their beloved dogs, who you can see galloping gloriously on the album’s cover art.

“Ride Into the Light” starts the record with the riffs killing and hugely chugging as everything comes to life. “If we make it through the night, we’ll ride into the light,” Garrett declares over the chorus as the track charges, and the soloing catches fire. “Cosmic Conquest” has the bass driving up your blood pressure and more great leads that make your heart surge. Guitars flex before the soloing adds more fire, hitting glorious highs that’ll have your serotonin levels cruising. “Battle High” opens with a bass line that reminds of “Black Velvet,” as everything snakes in around that, with Garrett warning, “Save yourself, war is hell.” The chorus gushes through the center of its rigid body while the music is charred and leaves pockets of smoke behind. Reunited in the Void” is the 10:48-long closer that dawns over the horizon as the guitars lather, and a slower pace is achieved. “Pain is just an inner guide, voices from the other side,” Garrett wails as synth rises, and the emotional toll gets heavier, “you and I will be one eternally.” Spirit Adrift are one of the best bands in any metallic sub-genre, and even bigger things surely are in their future. (Oct. 16)

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

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

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

7. THOU/EMMA RUTH RUNDLE, “May Our Chambers Be Full” (Sacred Bones): When it comes to dream unions, it’s hard to think of anything more satisfying than putting together doom maulers Thou with bloody-heart-smeared-on-sleeve artist Emma Ruth Rundle. Yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean them making music together was going to be an automatic sure thing, but their first collaboration “May Our Chambers Be Full” alleviated any worries that came along with the idea. This record is so good and so satisfying that it’s hard to put into words, but we’re hoping this is just the first of a fruitful artistic endeavor together (Spoiler! There’s a new EP coming in January!)

Rundle takes the bulk of the lead vocals, with Bryan Funck playing a lot in the background and helping enhance the edges, though KC Stafford also gets a chance to drive, which is always a good choice. “Killing Floor” starts with guitars rising from ashes before the track bursts open, and Rundle’s voice leads the way. Funck plays more of a back-up role here as his growls complement the singing, while the chorus trudges on, and Rundle calls, “Move your body from this place.” “Monolith” is crushing and clobbering from the start as Stafford takes lead, adding their dusky tones to the mix. The pressure keeps building as Stafford’s singing swelters, with the back end picking up filth, and the track mauling on its way out. “Magickal Cost” starts rusty and like something that crawls out of the evening dusk, a track that wouldn’t sound out of place on one of Rundle’s solo albums. Guitars echo and moan as the sun sets and splashes oranges and purples across the sky, and then the ugliness rears its head as Funck digs into the center. “The Valley” ends the album, and it’s a monumental track, an 8:58-long rush of emotion that makes your heart cry out. Strings swell as Rundle’s singing slithers into the murk as she calls, “The fear of giving up is in the valley.” This record is an utter triumph, dark, heavy, vulnerable, and massive to the end. (Oct. 30)

For more on Emma Ruth Rundle, go here: https://www.facebook.com/emmaruthrundle/

For more on Thou, go here: http://noladiy.org/thou.html

To buy the album, go here: https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/collections/releases/products/sba007-emma-ruth-rundle-thou-may-our-chambers-be-full

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

6. INEXORUM, “Moonlit Navigation” (Gilead Media): Without going into too much detail, it’s been a very dark and depressing year for me, and finding things that truly make me feel good, especially recently, has not been terribly easy to come by. It is what it is. Anyway, one thing that has managed to lift my spirits has been “Moonlit Navigation,” the second album from Minneapolis-based Inexorum, an eight-track, 42-minute exercise in supreme melodic riffing and positive energy. Yeah, yeah, black metal is supposed to be grim, but I don’t remember reading a rule book on the style, and Carl Skildum (guitars/vocals) and Matthew Kirkwold (bass/vocals) refuse to adhere to that standard.

“Ouroboric State” gets things off to a rousing start as the drums come to life, and the riffs start cutting down their path. Right away you get a sense of what’s to come, that being huge riffs and vocals that wrench at you, as the leads blast through, and a sense of delirium strikes. “Dream and Memory” is a massive deluge out front, with punishing roars and a mass of energy creating a great force. The drums decimate bones as a charge jolts your chest, making your blood rush, before the tempo calms and melds into the fog. “Signal Fires” lands punches as everything lights up, while the playing destroys everything in sight. The growls have an added conviction as they jar your ribcage, while the drumming once again rocks your insides. The chorus is powerful as hell, while the back ends trudges before becoming breezy, and all the elements blend into dusk. Closer “In Desperate Times” inflicts damage with a rage of riffs, melodic growls, and razor-sharp guitars that work their magic as Skildum laments “when all is lost and nothing’s left to save.” That isn’t a sign of submission as the battle continues, and a blistering chorus does its best to get you going. I’m not exactly overflowing with positivity right now, but this record always reminds me to refuse to quit and to find the power I have hiding somewhere within me. (June 26)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/collections/pre-orders

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