What an utterly perfect time for doom. Normally at this time of the year, the sun is coming back, the leaves are starting to bud, and new life is on the horizon. But these are not normal times, they may not be again for a long time, and threatening shadows seem intent on canceling all of our hopes.

So, it is fitting we welcome back Finnish doom warriors Solothus, who are back with their third record “Realm of Ash and Blood.” This seven-track, nearly 43-minute opus follows 2016 offering “No King Reigns Eternal” and falls right in line with what their country (Skepticism, Thergothon for example) has contributed to the sub-genre for years. The band—vocalist Kari Kankaanpää, guitarists Veli-Matti Karjalainen and Aleksi Luukka, bassist Tami Luukkonen, drummer Juha Karjalainen—has been at it for 13 years now, so it’s not like they’re newcomers to this sound, but with the band now locked in with 20 Buck Spin, this record should get the band the most exposure they’ve had so far in North America, something they absolutely deserve. Not to mention this music sinks into your blood and affects your mood at a time when we’re all struggling, so look at this as a way to know you don’t suffer alone.

“Father Of Sickness” opens the record in a dour manner as riffs carve through, the growls gurgle, and a deathly pall darkens the skies even more. Leads lap and swim, the playing boils and bleeds, and misery dominates as the track drains out. “The Watcher” is punchy as hell as the music burns and howls, while the growls splatter blood all over. Gothy guitars rise up and cast a heavy shadow as the music rains down and floods the earth, and then the track begins trucking hard. The music smears darkness, soloing spills over, and the cut is hammered closed. “The Gallows’ Promise” drips in ominously as a sludgy beast kicks through the doors, and the growls unfurl. The track slowly hammers with pain as the playing chugs hard, while elegant leads rise up and begin to glimmer. The song quakes and releases molten lava, the growls hammer the earth, and the track swims into “Last Breath,” a quick instrumental that’s solemn with clean playing slowly trickling like blood down a snowy mountain, pooling at the bottom.

“Below Black Waters” smears and crumbles while it starts as the growls press down, and melody lets some liquid leak into the tar. Blackness then pools generously as the playing crashes down morbidly, and sorrowful leads carry it home. “Chasm of Shattered Bones” tramples down a darkened path as the track gets crunchy and fearsome, and growls slither, bringing with them terrible punishment. Things pick up when the guitars get meatier, and filthy riffs do physical and mental damage with growls cascading and the end burning out. “A Rain of Ash” is the 10:03-long closer and opens by penetrating your senses, battering your mind as growls hulk along, and then the pace starts moving faster. Brutal playing seeks to scorch flesh while a strong solo emerges, sending blinding light, and the growls drag you into a blood-caked tunnel. The track lurches along while Kankaanpää’s vocals scar, the tempo wrings every last drop from your veins, and the track buries itself in misery and echoes.

Awful times often call for music that conjures the most depressing and sullen of moods, and Solothus nail that on “Realm of Ash and Blood.” We are in unprecedented times for most of us, and while some may be trying to live positively—and good for them—others might need a sobering trip to the other side, where only the worst awaits. On top of all that, Solothus continue to add to their homeland’s stellar cast of doom warriors at a time where some people need them more than ever.

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

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

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

How’s everything with you? You OK? Kind of hiding out and waiting for this whole thing to blow over? Yeah, we’re going to be waiting a while, and in our realm, it’s been tough getting to new music because real life has overtaken everything that’s going on. But we got to hear two brand new things we’d like to tell you about, both stellar, both worth your time.

We start off with “No Dawn for Men,” the ripping debut full-length from Feminazgûl that dropped in our lap by surprise this week at a pay-what-you-want offering on Bandcamp (the suggested price is $6.66, naturally, but they also make it clear they know people are suffering financially and want to make their art available). They could have sat on this music and did the normal promotional cycle, but instead, they revealed what they created to celebrate the art rather than a product. The trio of lead vocalist Laura Beach, multi-instrumentalist Margaret Killjoy (we just visited her new Vulgarite album), and violinist/theremin player/vocalist Meredith Yayanos packs savagery, sorrow, and ridiculous amounts of melody into their ashy black metal, and there’s something about their music that feels both apocalyptic, vulnerable, and outright vengeful. I can’t recommend this enough. By the way, artwork by the great Trez Laforge (one member of fiery duo Mares of Thrace).

“Illa, Mother of Death” starts the record calmly with bird chirps and accordion moving through before hammering guitars begin raining down, and Beach’s howls echoing in the night, as sinister intent is in the air. “I Pity the Immortal” has guitars crashing and drums devastating while melody twists through with ferocity and power; “The Rot in the Field Is Holy” is full of angelic calls and atmospheric playing that haunts and later overwhelms when the chaos is allowed to reign. Hell storms the earth and the final battle of humanity feels like it rages before us, ending in a bed of strings as all bodies expired. “Bury the Antler With the Stag” starts with keys dripping and strings aching as Leach howls the song’s title, and from there a dramatic and deadly sweep takes place, punishing and stomping out into the night. “Forgiver, I Am Not Yours” opens with an emotional pall, a sheet of noise, and keys raining as gut-wrenching pain is delivered later. Bleeding punishment ruptures as the stratosphere bursts and Breach calls, “I was not made to be gracious, I will carry this hatred, I will carry this hatred to my grave.” “Look Not to Erebor” is an instrumental that crashes through whirring space, peaking the emotion before crumbling away. The final two cuts are “No Dawn” versions of tracks from their “The Age of Men Is Over” EP in the form of “To the Throat” and “In the Shadow of Dead Ghosts” that put the perfect exclamation point on this tremendous record that makes these dark times even thicker with dread.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://feminazgul.bandcamp.com/album/no-dawn-for-men

Pittsburgh-based Slaves BC are good people, and they’re no strangers to trying to make the world a better place and lift up those who need it. Their 2019 EP “300 Dead Rapist Priests Floating at the Bottom of the Ocean” was a benefit for those hurt by the Catholic church, with money donated to RAINN. Now, the band is reaching out to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who need help right now. “Third Temple” is a single track whose proceeds will be donated to people close to them who are struggling, and as expected, the track is a monster. Over 4:51, the band shapeshifts constantly, starting off gloomy and doomy before trippy riffs lead to thrash destruction, and Josh Thieler’s vocals wreak absolute havoc. The track shreds sanity as fiery hell builds up behind them, doomy muck finds its way into the waterways, and total insanity echoes out, leaving your mind destroyed. This violent display is one hell of a great way to help those who are in a bad situation as uncertainty faces us. Let us battle together.

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

To buy the music, go here: https://slavesbc.bandcamp.com/track/third-temple

Source: Wellcome Collection

Holy shit, what the fuck, man? A plague? All … I guess it’s joking?… aside, I hope you’re all well. This is crazy shit, and I know I’ve never lived through something quite like this. But hey, don’t read dickhead talking science on twitter, stay clean, stay home if you’re sick, and listen to metal. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?

OK, look, I have a day job that is going to require a LOT of my time the next, I don’t know, weeks? By the way, and this should go without saying, but respect the people stocking shelves, ringing up your orders, shopping your orders, bagging your items, serving your tables, pouring your beers, delivering your food and/or groceries, etc.  I miss my old life. But updates here may be spotty. That sucks because there are a lot of really good records coming up, and I’ll do what I can to write about them. I just don’t know in what form. I’ll do the best I can, but it guts me to not be able to be consistent. Well, unless I’m exposed to COVID-19 and I get quarantined, then I’ll be here constantly.

So, the other obvious thing is this virus is hurting the metal community a lot. Bands can’t tour. Record stores could be impacted. Band members who work normal jobs when not touring may be impacted again if their places of business close. That’s a lot of money not being made, a lot of people who may not be able to get essential items and care and, oh by the way, there’s a good chance they don’t have healthcare. The people who make the music we indulge in could use us right now, and this isn’t to shame anyone, because not everyone can put money into things right now. You need to take care of yourself and your family first. But if you can help, here are some ideas:

BUY SOME RECORDS: Labels could use your help and so could the bands. If you are looking for some new music, buy some physical copies through an online site or, depending on public situations, hit a record shop. Buying music not only helps the bands you like; it also can make you feel better. That’s not a tested theory or anything, but it works for me. Get some vinyl, CDs, cassettes, whatever. It’ll help you pass the time and will irritate the fuck out of your neighbors!

BUY SOME MERCH: Just about every band alive has merchandise readily available (come on, Bolt Thrower!), so if you want to support artists and you need more black T-shirts in your life (and it’s scientifically proven that you can’t have enough), throw some digital money their way and show your support in that manner. Plus, studies have shown clothes keep you warm, so if you do get ill, it’ll help keep you toasty as you battle this menace.

GET THE BANDCAMP APP: If you’re more into digital music than physical, there’s no better method of amassing music than by downloading the free Bandcamp app and starting to buy your music there. The app keeps all of your purchases in one place, so it’s easy to find something in your library when you want to access it. Not every band and label offer Bandcamp options (though a mega shit ton of them do), so you might have to scour for other options. But this is the best method for digital music, though you also can order physical copies and merch on the app from most bands and labels.

I’m sure there are more ways, but I’m tired, I haven’t slept a lot, and this is what I came up with right now. Thanks to everyone who comes to this site and reads my stuff. Much appreciated, and I look forward to the day when we can have some normalcy back. Be well, stay safe, wash your hands, wipe down your smart phones, keep an eye on older members of the community and people with health issues, and don’t say stupid shit about this on the internet or in public. Listen to some heavy shit, and let’s all fight our way through this.

There’s been a ton of bad stuff going on lately from political situations being a joke to a deadly virus sweeping the globe, and far be it for us to try to a beacon of hope, but there still are some things worth being excited about. I swear this isn’t as red herring that’s paving the way for more complaining.

So, you know Temple of Void have a new record coming out in a couple weeks? Yeah, we’re jumping the gun just a bit with this, but “The World That Was,” the band’s third record, is so explosively good that it’s hard to pull back on the enthusiasm. The Detroit band’s mixture of doom and death metal reaches its apex on this six-track, nearly 38-minute record, a display that has ToV primed to be considered one of extreme metal’s most promising bands, and if you think that’s hyperbolic, listen to this monster. The band—vocalist Mike Erdody, guitarists Alex Awn and Don Durr, bassist Bret Satterly, drummer Jason Pearce—capitalizes on what they’ve done so well over the past seven years and pours that into a volcanic blast of a record that could splatter your guts but also elevates your imagination with their addition of mind-warping synth passages.

Ripping open the record comes “A Beast Among Us” that has doom waves crushing, Erdody’s growls decimating wills, and the track lurching along. Melodies drip and smear over the smudge before the track lays into a heavy pocket, feeling destructive and mean before clean lines snake their way in. The new colors drip as the playing mashes fingers as calm strains numb, and the track slowly dies out. “Self-Schism” absolutely hammers from the bell with the growls punching their way in and the chorus splattering. The unforgiving pace mixes into a section that feels like chilly deathrock as Erdody wails, “Only darkness is left!” Murky keys bubble to the surface before the playing rages and burns, slowly moving monstrously while gaining ground. The growls scrape the earth before the track melts away, leading into brief instrumental piece “A Single Obolous” that unfurls classical-style acoustics guitars, hand drumming, and a strange sense that hangs in the air.

“Leave the Light Behind” begins with cosmic synth whirs whipping through the air before the song bursts open and stomps heavily, as the growls gurgle away. Strong leads push their way in as clean singing drizzles over the chorus, and mean and nasty waylaying keeps adding pressure. The track gets even more grisly before the guitars immerse themselves in stardust, and a strange dream state stands tall. “Casket of Shame” charges open with force as the growls corrode, and the music over the chorus chugs. The track turns deadlier as it puts the screws to you as the playing rains down violently before a slower pace sets up and hits hard. The song turns mournful though it never relents on the intensity, burning out at the end. The title track closes the album by bringing eeriness and sorrowful power, while the vocals work in and destroy the Earth. “Will the future die with us as one?” Erdody wails as the leads reach out and sizzle with light. Clean playing flows in before the band mounts its final assault that ends in a show-ending-style display of destruction that leaves everything in a pile of rubble.

Temple of Void have mixed their doom and death influences perfectly on “The World That Was,” easily their best and most well-rounded effort to date. It’s clear their palette is growing as they advance as a band, and this record is sweltering yet imaginative from moment one. This collection should catapult Temple of the Void deeper into any conversation about who will take death and doom into the future.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/pre-orders.asp

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

It’s seemingly impossible not to feel like shit mentally and physically pretty much 24 hours a day. Well, unless you’re not paying attention to anything or you retweet asshole politicians you think care about you but would have you first against the wall. There’s a lot to be disgusted about these days, and that’s kind of an unhealthy thing, really.

Baton Rogue duo Christworm feels that, but they also have their band as an outlet to get out their frustrations and anger that have built up inside of them. That’s on full display with their spine-wrenching debut album “Breeding Weakness,” a five-track, 33-minute beating that mixes molten doom and bristling noise in a manner that sounds almost cruel. The pairing of guitarist/vocalist George Caldwell and drummer/vocalist Travis Slayton has been making ungodly sounds for eight years now with a split and a demo to their name before this monstrous awakening. It’s a record that gets more pulverizing with each listen, which seems impossible after it shreds your bones on a first visit, but go back again and again as more levels peel off and you find yourself drowning in a pool of lava, saliva, and aggression.

“Spineless” opens the record with riffs snarling and smearing and the growls utterly burying any hope for peace. The playing is slow and sludgy as the band lays waste to your senses, with the howls of, “Fucking coward!” boiling in a cauldron is disappointment and guts. That sprawls into the 8:49-long title track where guitars hypnotize before total demolition is unleashed. The cry of, “Your savior has failed you!” bludgeons as the band mashes mercilessly, overwhelming and finding ridiculous new ways to be oppressively heavy. The playing doubles down on the fiery doom as the growls scars, flesh is melted away, and the track burns a path to what’s next.

“Amygdala” picks up with smoking riffs and sooty playing, weighing down on chests as the vocals scrape at congealed wounds. “I am filled with regret,” is howled as the playing continues to smash through gates and assaulting what’s behind them. “Dismal View” scorches for 7:19 as the sound bleeds in, and the riffs punch your ribs while the vocals smother ash over their unsuspecting victims. Noise rings out and stings as a storm builds a wall of chaos into the 8:27-long closer “Bastard Flesh” that has an utterly disintegrating start. The playing quickly turns fast and deadly as the band pounds away with reckless abandon, looking to exorcise any demon in the room. The hellscape builds furiously as menacing power and monstrous pounding combine to beat your psyche into submission. From there, the growls scar, your blood is infected, and everything ends in a blast of corrosion.

Feeling like you’re at the mercy of your anxiety and personal darkness definitely doesn’t put you in a corner all by yourself, as so many people are suffering the same way. Christworm’s means for handling their own chaos is what you hear on “Breeding Weakness,” their molten debut record that’s something that’ll no doubt stick with us as the year goes on and only gets more volatile. The band encourages people to experience this in person in order to truly burn away your troubles, but having a physical copy of this earth-rupturing music sure as shit is a great option.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://eldermagickrecords.bandcamp.com/album/breeding-weakness

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

We tend to veer toward music that’s about the human condition, especially when it centers on darkness and struggles that make our very existence a lot to take sometimes. Probably why I listen to a lot of folk music. For a long time, expressing your sorrow or showing vulnerability was a pox in heavy music, but as time has gone on and people (well, some of them) have grown up, that has changed.

While they might not be what you’d immediately think of a heavy music, Fool’s Ghost are making their way through downtrodden times and emotional turmoil on their debut record “Dark Woven Light.” A duo comprised of vocalist/keyboardist Amber Thieneman (Liberation Prophecy, Sandpaper Dolls) and Nick Thieneman (Young Widows, Breather Resist), the band unfurls songs that feel like they originate in the shadows and only come out at night when it’s the easiest to send haunting chills down your spine. Recorded in their hometown of Louisville, Ky., with Kevin Ratterman (which makes sense as he worked with like-minded acts such as Emma Ruth Rundle and Jaye Jayle), the band produced 10 tracks that likely aren’t going to damage your hearing, but it’ll creep into those spaces where you keep all the things that weigh down on you mentally in order to provide some soothing partnership.

S“Epilogue” starts by slowly trickling into the scene as keys glaze and Amber sings, “The evening twilight fades away.” The track moves gently but assuredly with the vocals and music blending into time. “Golden” has guitars awakening and buzzing with the music glimmering and creating sunlight beams. “Everyone and no one is listening,” Amber notes as the song builds its strength, and murky melodies bow out in the night. “Touch” shimmers in the moonlight as the playing echoes, and Amber calls, “I just want to feel your touch.” Warm drumbeats amplify the sorrow as the longing spreads, and the song echoes out. “Fugue” takes its time setting up its ambiance as Amber urges, “Moving, keep moving, sink or swim.” The nighttime vibe is thick and sparks your brain while the track rumbles into the earth. “Chasing Time” quivers and moves in slowly, letting its wings unfurl. “I want to break my body to see my bones, what I’m made of, will I ever know?” Amber laments while the music pays the mystery nicely, later tripping with keys and guitars trembling.

“Sparked” moves directly as Amber calls, “Don’t give up and don’t give in,” before the track moves to a chorus that’s as punchy as anything on here. The vocals just soar as melodies mesmerize, putting emotional pressure into this gutsy song. “All Hours” has keys dripping slowly and the song takes shape while the guitars glide and gloom thickens. The chorus is thick and rich as Amber wonders, “Why do we break each other’s hearts?” The track moves through the ether as the chorus moves, and everything fades to black. “In Between” has ominous tones opening as the keys spread and Amber notes, “Dream of you by day, hopes are high.” Guitars slide and immerse while the darkness envelopes, and the song retreats to its hiding place. “Shut Away” is blusier and dirtier as drums awaken, and the power starts to open. “I’m not fine, you’re not fine,” Amber warns while the song crawls slowly, and then the chorus opens. The band lands some punches along the way before the embers burn off. “Ghost Heart” is your closer, and it brings with it some of the tenets of the opening track. Piano drips as Amber delivers softer words, calling, “We’re slow to learn from the stillness within.” The idea resonates as the playing, like a ghost, of course, brings everything to a final rest.

Fool’s Ghost is a band whose music might actually work better in the fall, when the days are darker and colder, and your heart is at its most impacted. Not that “Dark Woven Light” doesn’t work just fine now, because it’s not like heartbreak and mental wounds take a break when the sun is shining, so you can be assured these songs won’t abandon you. This is music that allows all of us who have our moments of weakness and need to find solace a chance to bask in the same shadows.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/Fools-Ghost-672679909593868/

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

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

There are many band names that, once you hear them, you have a decent idea as to what the music might sound like. Did anyone think Bolt Thrower was going to be brainy prog? Did any listener expect warm folk passages when they first learned of Morbid Angel? Did anyone think a band called Mastodon could one day make boring-ass records that are forgettable the moment they’re over?

Despite doing this site for, holy shit, eight years now (?!), I haven’t heard of or especially heard every band, no matter how many records a group might have. So, when “Acts of Repentance,” the fourth long player from Australian blasters Wardaemonic landed in my email, I wasn’t super familiar with them. But I expected outright chaos and violence in their music, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s just what I got. Over five tracks and nearly 46 minutes, we’re treated to mammoth-sized tracks that bludgeon through and through. There also are pockets of strangeness and disorientation that could scramble your brains as the band—vocalist/drummer Maelstrom, guitarist Lord Bane, lead guitarist Anharat, bassist/synth programmer Blitz—adds imagination to their vile assault instead of just obliterating with no variety.

“Act I – Introspection” starts with dreary strangeness before aggression begins to pound away, and the playing blisters and destroys. An odd haze swims through the fury as an intense pace clobbers, and rubbery guitars confound. Crazed shrieks rain down as the track erupts into infernal mashing, hissing wildly before spilling into “Act II – Admission” that fires up right off the band. The band clubs as a monstrous pace creates a mound of ash, while the guitar work burns through proverbial barrels of fuel. Red clouds hang overhead as a furious storm arrives in downpours, there is a blur of chaos that ignites, and the final minutes are bathed in psyche strangeness and guttural pummeling.

“Act III – Castigation” has fog marring vision while scary chills go down your spine, and then the drums begin marching hard as the growls well up. Stinging hysteria chews at the psyche while the guitars mix through, and a coldfront approaches. The song chugs at mid-tempo while the playing reopens, guitars spiral, and the track drips away. “Act IV – Sufferance” delivers cosmic coldness before animalistic growls tear through time, and clean bellows smoosh your chest. Cool riffs spark further blazing, simmering in their juices, creating eerie strains. The track levels all over again with murky singing, melodies rupturing, and the assault bleeding away. “Act V – Repentance” ends the record by starting with tornadic pressure as the growls eat away, and the drumming decimates. Clean guitars flow in later and have a numbing effect, bringing temporary reprieve before the hammers drop again. The playing ravages the mind, the wind whips, and noise rises and burns away, bringing the record to a smoldering end.

Wardaemonic deliver exactly what you think they do on “Acts of Repentance”: smothering punishment that warps you mind. It’s been five years since we got new material from this band, and in that time, it seems as if they stored up aggression and frustration and unleashed it on this record. This is a cataclysmic display that leaves your flesh scorched and your psyche scarred.

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

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

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

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

It likely goes without saying that death metal and black metal are intrinsically violent and, from a musical standpoint, should not be considered styles for anyone who fears danger. But some bands take that more seriously than others, and their records can sound like pure war zones that could chew into your psyche and trigger your fight-or-fight response.

One of those is NYC’s Ruin Lust, a band that had sort of an off-and-on first few years before they solidified their assault and have delivered two scathing records in the past two years. The latest is their forthcoming “Choir of Babel,” a five-track, half hour exercise in unforgiving torture and music that makes it feel like the weight of the world is on your chest. Comprised of well-traveled crushers—vocalist/guitarist J. Wilson, guitarist S. Bennett (Vorde), drummer/vocalist M. Rekevics (Fell Voices, Yellow Eyes, Vanum)—the band follows up last year’s devastating “Sacrifice” with a bloody, aggressive display that feels like the earth’s rock is all melting together, creating an unavoidable lava flow that overcomes you, filling your body with hell, and feeling no concern for your mental well-being. This sounds over the top. It isn’t. In fact, it’s very possible I’m underplaying the intensity here.

The title track rips off the lid to hell with grim tidings and a furious eruption that bursts like a volcano. Growls scar while the mauling terror rips across the land, with guitars spilling pools of blood. Yells and growls mix and mar as thrashy fire engulfs the vicious end. “Prison of Sentient Horror” has guitars scorching and outright animalistic rage boiling over, melting flesh. Tornadic playing rises and twists your brain while metallic disaster strikes, and a searing solo tears in and creates havoc. The drums pummel bones to dust while the track spills its guts on the floor, leaving a massive stench.

“Worm” crushes from the start as the drumming rattles, and melodies are drowned underneath the chaos. From there, storming ferocity creates an increased amount of danger as blinding death ravages, horrific power overloads, and feedback smears to the end. “Bestial Magnetism” has guitars coming in black waves as a full assault is mounted, and the ruffles encircle you as gruff growls spit bolts. The playing comes apart by design as shrapnel burns through your body, as infernal destruction makes its way toward unsuspecting victims. Growls tear at throats, a wild fury grips, and everything burns out in madness. “Rite of Binding” is the 8:53-long closer that wastes little time attacking your wounds, as nasty growls and razor-sharp riffs swing wildly. Wild cries crush as the guitars hammer away before the pace slows down, grinding the brakes and letting the smoky aftermath choke you. An ominous fog hangs over the track as the growls mash and a hypnotic torture suffocates before the band violently hits the speed pedal again, driving you to a deathly finish.

Ruin Lust are here, they’re firing on all cylinders, and “Choir of Babel” is a disarming record that puts to shame the furious intent of most other death and black metal bands out there. Not that it’s a competition or anything, and likely they don’t give a fuck what everyone else is doing, but there is a resentment and sense of metallic revenge to these songs that rots them to their core. This isn’t music for reading or relaxing or vibing out. This is for all-out war, and if you’re not prepared to face it, you definitely won’t survive.

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

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

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

Photo by Kira Solomon

The young year hasn’t quite reached its quarter mark, so it’s still ripe for us to find new bands that will make lasting impacts on our year and, preferably, our listening futures. That means there are plenty of opportunities for records from fresh artists to sneak up and knock us on our asses, with said punishment totally welcomed if it means further solidifying metal’s lifeline.

That said, the Maryland-based doom psychonauts Dirt Woman have come out of the gates with their excellent five-track, 56-minute debut album “The Glass Cliff” that has pummeled our eardrums since ripping open the promo copy of the music. The band also has an interesting origin story as vocalist/guitarist Zoe Koch and drummer Gabe Solomon started their project in Ocean City, inspired by the late Donnie Corker, also known as the Dirtwoman, a cross dresser who lived in Richmond, Va., who was heavily involved in politics, music, arts, and food banks in the area. Corker also acted as a living floral arrangement for the Hamaganza holiday rock charity event that combined local dignitaries and creators. Corker’s story and activism inspired the duo, and later they were joined by guitarist Kearny Mallon and his brother and drummer Avery Mallon to round out the band, and the results from their first full-length together prove they sparked magic and are a true doom power to behold.

Lady of the Dunes” begins with heavy drone before the riffs begin to pummel, and Koch’s singing begins to infect. The track is burly and slowly melodic, flattening as more filthy guitar work slithers in, and dual lines entrance. The pace bashes as Koch’s vocals swelter and smother with the playing burning and bashing to the end. “Creator” punches for 13:09 and spits a ridiculous amount of fuzz as the track mashes away, and the music stings your senses. Koch’s singing haunts and glows as the drums leave welts on your chest, and warm static flows like a river as the power swells. The playing floats before the pace rips open, and the guitar work is from the same terrain as High on Fire and classic Sabbath. Bluesy fires rage harder, slowly melting away and crushing chests as the band creates metallic alchemy that deliberately bows out.

“Fades to Greed” begins ominously as the riffs tease, and Koch’s voice continues to command. The playing spreads and smokes your mind with the guitars spiraling and steamy speaking sprawling into the scene. The track then reopens and starts up its assault all over with psyche-washed guitars warping and everything liquifying metals. “Demagogue” runs 13:30 and has the bass quivering and the vocals penetrating as they soar into the atmosphere. The track slowly fills your head as the track goes from sweltering to outright trippy, continuing to build momentum as the waters warm up, and the leads release heat as the soloing comes in and melts. Koch’s singing hammers again before the tempo chills out, and the end is flushed in psychedelics. “Starhawk” runs 13:45 and closes the album, starting with chunky riffs and layered vocals that trip your mind. The guitars light up before dissolving into a strange haze as things hulk along and soloing tears off for the stars. Koch’s singing dominates and gets inside you as spellbinding playing increases the magic, and the band starts to unload hammers anew. As you’re being lulled into a calculated beating, the tempo suddenly shifts into a speedy barrage, bruising your eyes and bursting torches as the track comes to a thunderous finish.

Not only are the songs on Dirt Woman’s debut record “The Glass Cliff” filled with smoky, swaggering songs that overdeliver, the production sounds absolutely perfect, like you’re left with dusty sunburn when it’s all over. Koch is a killer singer out front, helping make these songs even more mesmerizing, and the rest of the band packs a punch that promises doom muscle and stoner gazing in equal amounts. This is a promising first step, and where the band goes from here is up to their smothering imaginations.

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

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

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

Some things, great as they may be, just aren’t meant to last. Things have a shelf life, and when they run their course, we just have to let them go. So goes the story of Morbus Chron, the incredibly promising, future-thinking progressive death metal band from Sweden that left us after just two records, that last one coming six years ago. What they could have been.

Here we are in anew decade, and the germs of what Morbus Chron planted see life in a new project Sweven, named after Morbus Chron’s 2014 swan song and helmed by that band’s founder Robert Andersson. For him, there was no other name to even consider for the band considering how “Sweven” transformed him as a creator, and since this group is essentially an extension of those same ideals, the decision was easy. Joined by guitarist Isak Koskinen Rosemarin on lead guitar and Jesper Nyrelius on drums, Andersson moved forward with what he was creating in Morbus Chron, a band that would end of influencing a great deal of the current progressive death metal movement and taking it to its next logical step. That’s found on their deliriously good debut record “The Eternal Resonance,” an eight-track beast that washes over you with strange fluidity, psychedelic scarring, and savagery, but not in a way that totally mimics Morbus Chron. There are definite differences here from that band and what others in the field are doing, making this another piece that should expand death metal’s mind.

“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. The track is both thrashy and spacey with the soloing rumbling before the playing gets harsh again. Aggressive melodies pummel, while the emotional toll is heavy. “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, and the playing gently mystifies. “The Sole Importance” runs 8:03 and punches right away with guitars driving, Andersson’s vocals grunting, and the track melting into sci-fi fantasy. The playing turns melodic and trippy with an underbelly that contains a full bleeding heart. A hypnotic gaze gains steam as the soloing sprawls, bleeding out into a vortex.

“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. Keys join up and drip into the guitars, with the track ending with jazzy serenity. “Solemn Retreat” is the longest of the bunch, hulking over 9:43 and beginning submerged in water. The vocals push in and feel gruff while the guitars stretch and begin stinging your senses. The track feels like it floats for a bit, with the temperature shifting from hot to cold as some tremendous lead guitar work comes in and soothes your wounds. The back end lets the blood surge heavily as manic cries hit the air, and the track disappears into the stars. “Visceral Blight” enters with clean guitars as the pace trudges over the land, and the track ignites into a proggy explosion. Smeary keys blend in and create blurry vision as the playing gets pushier and stranger, the drums decimate, and things come to a crushing end. “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. The band returns to speed for a stretch, which works into gazey ambiance, pastoral chants, and the music turns into a metallic stream that drains into your nightmares.

Morbus Chron are truly irreplaceable, and they’re a personal favorite of mine. Funny, I once had someone at Century Media dig up a Morbus Chron T shirt deep in their inventory for me to buy, which was nice of them. But this is about Sweven, Andersson’s current beast, one with similar DNA but with obvious mutations. This is an exciting endeavor, one that places one of death metal’s most inventive minds back in the game at a time the genre is exploding. This utterly swells with possibility that hopefully Andersson is able to see through well into the future.

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

To buy the album, go here (pre-orders start March 9): https://van-records.com/

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