We live in an increasingly dangerous world, compounded by the fact that we let pesky old fascism back into the goddamn room, and now it’s getting its stink everywhere. Yes, we here in the States are dealing with a nauseating offering of the stuff, but that also has popped up many places worldwide. There’s another fight on our hands, and it’s disgusting this way of thinking, this authoritative rule has been allowed to breathe again.

German black metal force Verheerer are as sickened as anyone to battle this all over again, and on their great third record “Urgewalt” (translates to “primal violence”) lashes back at the forces with evil with devastation and scorn. The band—vocalist BST, guitarist SMN, bassist MYR, drummer KRZ—says the record is dedicated to those who have fought fascist rule through the decades and to those who keep grinding away to this day. It’s sad we even have to have records that are about this subject matter, but here we are. Obviously a record isn’t going to unseat a dictator, but its presence can light the fires in others’ hearts and minds so they refuse to let these monsters win or even live to see another day.    

“Intro” starts in the clutches of battle, war chaos spreading as guitars build and agitate, flowing into the title track that stirs and rips right off the bat. The vocals are a grim howl, a raspy attack that feels personal, while the playing ravages, melodies coating over the chorus. The leads take off as the earth quakes beneath, the playing boils, and the growls punish. “Hail Mary” dominates as the drums strike, the playing lathers, and howls tears into your flesh. “Hearts aflame, death is here!“ BST howls as fluid leads bubble to the surface, goddamn hand claps emerge (it’s not as out of place as you may think), and a melodic flood savages as a warbling dialog melts away. “Grabenwurm” blasts in with crushing drums, fluid riffs, and a channeled attack that compromises flesh. “We never truly live, we never truly dream,” BST laments as the guitars ignite and sweep, engulfed by a snarling end. “Totenvolk” storms in, the vocals flexing, a volcanic pace spreading dangerous amounts of ash. The storm mangles as the attack turns maniacal, the drums destroying as powered bones get sucked into your lungs.

“Lungs” is a drubbing beast, speedy and urgent, soot spread liberally, the guitars generating and enacting destructive forces. The leads heat up to throttling levels, carnage raining down, a vicious pace blasting away. “Stahlgrab” starts with growls scowling, mean and menacing playing drawing blood, the pressure mounting. Guitars hang before overflowing, the guitars tearing through flesh, grimness and speed joining forces and crushing chest cavities. “Arsonist” heats up as the yells belt, the guitars take on lava, and the scarring approach tries to squeeze the life from you. The melodies flood your head, even as the song sharpens the danger, swelling and racing as electricity spikes. The fiery yells are encountered by clean singing, everything combining and sinking into wooziness. Closer “Kriegstreiber” takes you by surprise as you’re greeted by piano notes dripping, static spitting, and then the carnage arriving. The playing gets animalistic and grinding, sweltering before a stampede arrives, the vocals scarring. The temperatures rise as singing swells, the guitars take on a blinding glow, and a gradual fade liquefies with piano chilling, the dialog spreading to the bitter end.

Verheerer’s metallic battle against tyranny and refusal to let our previous victories over oppression die, they practically make “Urgewalt” sound like a true-life battle cry. These nine tracks feel like the lifeblood of rebellion, the electrical jolt we need to stay out there and refuse to let the boots come down on our necks. A record isn’t going to save democracy, but it sure as fuck can be an elixir for our hearts and minds when we need another boost.

For more on the band, go here:

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://meteor-gem.com/

Or here (UK): https://ripcordrecords.limitedrun.com/categories/vendetta-records

Or here: https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/

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

I already did a Mega Powers thing a while back about two major forces combining to create something larger than the both of them. But here we are as that still applies. True collaborative records can be eye-opening, ear-wrenching experiences when artists from different bands put their collective minds together and reveal something you might not have expected.

“Alluvion” combines Mizmor’s A.L.N. (guitars, vocals, drums) and Hell’s M.S.W. (guitars, vocals, bass) on a four-track beast that might not deviate terribly from their main projects but lets their talents and forces meld into a collection that allows their metallic personalities to breathe different air. Also, this is not the first two times these guys have worked together as they both were a member of sadly defunct Sorceress and also have shared the stage for separate Hell and Mizmor live performances. Together, the sounds they create won’t be a huge surprise, but they’ll wholly satisfy the urge to examine one’s own psyche and travel freely through the blackness. This record also, sadly, marks one of the last for Gilead Media, a label that has meant a lot to this site and the underground metal world as a whole, so it’s going to be sad (yet understandable) to see them go. 

“Begging to be Lost” opens slowly, flowing ominously and perilously before the gates break, and we’re swimming in sludgy doom and powerful shrieks. Noise sizzles as a battering tempo leaves ample bruising, the riffs entangling as the power simmers, slowing some but remaining potently heavy. Guitars chime as wordless calls hang like a storm cloud, rupturing anew and soaking the land in fury, howls and roars buckling, guitars lathering and pulling you with force toward the sky. “Vision I” opens in guitar steam and foggy visions, navigating through immersive drone, halting and letting the atmosphere breathe. Plucked guitars give off the sensation of solitude, while lonesome melodies flows, disappearing into mysterious openings.

“Pandemonium’s Throat” slowly emerges like an apparition from the mist, doom drubbing as a sooty balance smears its blackness. Shrieks belt as howls burn, strangling as guitars flow generously, blistering as the fury multiplies, screams battering as you’re dragged over craggy rocks. A sense of coldness sends chills as the cloud coverage thickens, clean playing melting and creating its own stream. “Vision II” closes the album, drone roiling as guitars chug amid ghostly cries, minimalist sounds merging with the oncoming pressure burst. The playing is slow and burly as guitars entrance with repetition, the drone returns and drives, and strange sounds encircle and consume all remaining energies.

Having the two creative minds behind Hell and Mizmor working as one again is as immersive and intoxicating as one might expect when taking on “Alluvion.” The heaviness is there both sonically and psychologically, and this collaborative piece is one that could push the right cathartic buttons and we navigate a world in hell (um, the bad version). The push and pull, the light and dark may force you to encounter the stress that’s squeezing your brain, but the end is a cathartic release, where you rediscover the tools inside you to continue living in defiance of madness.

For more on Hell, go here: https://loweryourhead.bandcamp.com/music

For more on Mizmor, go here: https://mizmor.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/collections/gilead-media-releases

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

Death metal that tends to stick with me is the type that burrows into my brain and tries to alter me psychologically. It’s always fun to be thrashed and devastated sonically with the most wicked of the metallic arts. I’m always going to be into that. But having your mind warped along the way? That’s the stuff that transforms me and never lets go.

“Deific Mourning” is the latest from Decrepisy, a band that might give off some scents of Vastum’s psycho-sexual trauma, and that’s for good reason. Guitarist/bassist Kyle House used to play with that band, and for this record, he recruited Vastum frontman Dan Butler, whose voice and histrionics are unmistakable, as well as Leila Abdul-Rauf on synth and vocals. But that doesn’t mean it’s a carbon copy or anything of the sort. It’s just a similar ambiance that the band—rounded out by lead guitarist Jonny FOD Quintana, drummer Charles Koryn, and synth/noisescape artist Gabriel Lageson—conjures here. The power and creativity are their own as they ply you with mentally stirring, sometimes cosmic death that encircles and refuses to let go. It’s a big step up from debut “Emetic Communion,” itself a strong record, and it should be a huge jumping-off point for them to accumulate more acolytes. It also should be noted House suffered from a litany of physical ailments that prevented him from playing for long stretches of time, so this record even existing is a testament to his resilience.

“Ceremony of Unbelief” opens amid smearing guitars and a crunching pace, the heaviness battling with the strange psychosis abound. The playing actually has a demented feel, mashing as growls corrode, the leads explode, and detached speaking makes chills roll down your spine. The title track is frosty as the guitars chug, bizarre riffs burn your veins, and things bubble and add thickness. The playing shimmers and melts, the growls spread ash, and the playing starts thrashing harder, the leads burst with morbid colors, and a growl/speak mix sends this to the ground. “Dysautonomic Terror” has voices warbling as the guitars glide into sludge, charred brutality washing against borders, pummeling with full force. Ghostly calls bathe in the void of light, guitars mesmerize, and calculated driving sends everything to its breaking point.

“Spiritual Decay 1/4 Dead” has guitars angling as disarming speaking feels ghoulish, growls chewing into nerves, the thrashing piling onto the slab. The pace is slower but ungodly heavy, the guitars encircle and dizzy, and a brain fog takes you over mentally. “Severed Ephemerality” scrambles to life, pulverizing with their ferocity, growls choking you to the floor. Guitars go off and slam the gas pedal, crushing and suffocating, the vocals maiming with no mercy. “Corpseless” brings deranged speaking again, the grim, chilling tidings working their way into your brain. Guitars drip as psychosis liquifies, bruising as the growls decay, the spoken verses swirling in your mind, the steam finally fading. Closer “Afterhours,” a cover of the Sisters of Mercy song, emerges from the core of the earth, chugging as the voices warp, repetition driving madly, the humidity thickening in a hurry. The playing keeps thrusting, the blade boring into the earth, guitars hanging in the air and threatening, the terror moving into the darkness. Static fries as death drives deeper, slipping out into a medicine dream.

“Deific Mourning” is grim and chilling, a brutal form of aggression that delves into the darkest, most hopeless regions of existence. Decrepisy hammer with a morbid sense of violence that easily digs into your head and scratches in its messages forever. The fact the music was created as the grips of actual physical and mental anguish took their toll adds another level of misery that wrecks your soul forever.

For more on the band, go here: https://decrepisy.bandcamp.com/album/deific-mourning

To buy the album, go here: https://carbonizedrecords.merchtable.com/search?q=decrepisy%2F

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

There are a lot of reasons to be stressed the fuck out with the state of the world right now, and one of those aspects is the lack of control we have over the process. We’re watching inhumane decisions and unspeakable methods of cruelty being spread all over, and while it’s hard to try to stay positive with that lack of power permeating, one has to balance that over the dark.

Miami noise makers Bleeth return with “Marionette,” an aptly titled record in this era where it feels like so many of our leaders are puppets for more nefarious forces. Plus, there’s that lack of control and the battle internally with our light and dark sides that make navigating these shark-infested waters so frustrating. The band—vocalist/guitarist Lauren Palma, bassist/vocalist Ryan Rivas, drummer Juan Londoño—pours doom, grunge, noise, and plenty other heavy elements into this 10-track driver that batters you sonically but also keeps you engaged mentally so that you can absorb this energy and use it to keep yourself in the game in a meaningful way. It’s heavier and more urgent than their previous work, which will make your neck snap back at times. Plus, it’s infectious as fuck and a great candidate for repeat listens.

“False Memory” opens in doomy, grungy waters, riffs whipping as Rivas howls, “Go ahead and break it!” Drums blast as the guitars scuff, letting everything burn into oblivion. “Echoes of Doubt” has guitars flooding, Palma taking over vocals as she calls, “I’m scared of regret, I’m scared to be alone.” The playing continues to punch, self-doubt continuing to swirl as Palma wounders, “Am I making a mistake? Is it going to be bad?” before a battering end. “Medusa” has guitars tricking and smearing, your head spinning along with it, swimming in a pool of madness. Noise continues to collect, pushing your buttons as melodies melt in the sun. “Devils Advocate” is a puncher, feeling a little like Helmet, the playing wrestling you down as Rivas wails, “You take! You take! You take!” The playing drubs and hovers, and then the intensity pulls back a bit, the singing scathing as bluesy scraping settles, dripping away. “Break Free” bludgeons, Palma and Rivas combining voices, reminding a lot of Kylesa’s glory days. “I don’t get it, but I want it,” Palma heaves as burly bashing adds bruising, surging to a mangling end.

“Placebo” arrives on fire, Rivas’ barks landing hard, guitars blasting chrome as the humidity increases. Steely wails pierce as echoes digest the electricity, the noise slowly dissolving. “Pro Choice” is a force, Palma in total command vocally. There is a palpable anger and frustration woven in, the carnage rising as the battering continues. “This is all a show,” Palma howls, igniting newfound savagery and chaos that spits nails. “Snake Eyes” is immersive and cool, Palma’s voice leaving brush burns, the pace turning more toward volatile punk. “What kind of future are we building for the little ones born today?”  she calls, hammering home a sobering point dressed in acid. “Reflections” is an instrumental piece that swims in noise and cooling weather systems, the haze stinging as the bass strikes, culling feedback and cosmic mystery. Closer “Monarchs” arrives with guitar crunch and a sense of restraint as Palma’s voice floats, the guitars adding more fuzz as the rhythm stomps. Things get sludgier as the vocals pierce visions, the drums rumble, and everything blurs out forever.

“Marionette” arrives at a period of great upheaval that’s been going on for some time but really seems to be boiling over now. Bleeth’s power navigates the tension, anxiety, and manipulation we’re experiencing at ridiculous levels but always shines a light on more positive aspects of taking back some control and living in whatever form of comfort one can find. This is a battering, heartfelt, electric experience, and Bleeth are answering the bell with might that’s their own.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://seeingredrecords.8merch.us/
Or here (International): https://seeingredrecords.8merch.com/

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

We live in a lot of darkness right now. It’s been thickening and lowering the past few years, but right now, we’re smack in the middle, with very few lights to shine a way out. “Leaders” cling to this purposely misleading religious oath wrought with fraud and evil, and we are expected to live inside it, waiting for some false salvation.

Savage Master don’t outwardly tackle this on their great new record “Dark & Dangerous,” but they sure do lay a path to something sinister and dark that isn’t oppressive and instead can feel outwardly freeing. On this, their fifth record, the band—vocalist Stacey Savage, guitarists Adam Neal, Larry Myers, and Julian Fried, drummer John Littlejohn—reigns supreme with their occult-based classic metal. Will it incinerate an oligarchy? No, not likely. But it can fill you with a different type of dark energy that strives for good, defies the system, and helps one find power and strength within themselves. This also happens to be their most powerful and sticky record yet, one with killer hooks, guitars that fill the senses with glory, and Savage’s vocals that spark fires and emotion you’ll need for battle.

“Three Red Candles” opens the record and is a classic metal instrumental, everything getting warmed up and heading toward “Warriors Call,” as strong a first full song as you’ll find in the band’s catalog. Savage’s singing dominates, as it should, carrying the way over fierce, yet glorious playing, the guitar work filling your veins with energy. The soloing ushers in a great throwback feel, and everything jolts. coming to a rousing end. “Black Rider” brings dashing guitars and chugging fury, riffs lathering as the vocals increase your pulse. The leads take over and explore with power, hammering along with Savage’s commanding voice. “The Edge of Evil” opens with guitar heat and synth glow, Savage flexing over the alluring chorus, with gang shouts to add to the muscle. In fact, she pushes her voice even higher in spots, later calling, “I’m on the edge,” as murky melodies dominate. “Devil’s Child” brings charging guitars, a metallic attack, and Savage wailing, “No sympathy, no love for me.” The electric pace rattles, the guitars turn into lasers through the darkness, penetrating urgency, bringing the track to a big finish. “Screams From the Cellar” is steamy, with a pace that gets your adrenaline going, guitars rushing and taking your breath with them. Some atmospheric gusts add a different feel, and the heavy chorus jars before only Savage’s voice warps in echo. 

“Never Ending Fire” has the bass driving, the motors charging, and a tasty classic metal atmosphere, Savage defiantly calling, “Now I’m going to break my chains, learn to love again.” The positivity leads to guitars swallowing you whole, blasting through your chest and leaving you heaving. “Devil Rock” is pretty to the point, a strange open leading to a catchy attack, trudging as the synth bathes you in weird light, Savage howling, “Dirty looks and holy books don’t mean much to me.” The chorus is simple and driving, an easy live callback, with the final promise of, “I’m going to steal your soul,” sending chills. “I Never Wanna Fall in Love” kind of counters “Never Ending Fire” thematically as here, Savage burns love to the ground. This is total ’80s thunder, and I love it, storming its way through group vocals, lathering guitars, and Savage insisting, “I know I’m better on my own,” as everything crashes down. “When the Twilight Meets the Dawn” starts clean before rampaging, thrashing as hard as anything else on this record, the singing ruling as the power grows. Hammering intensity makes everything feel even more urgent as the soloing boils, bringing everything to a snarling end. Closer “Cold Hearted Death” starts as a mystical ballad, Savage’s vocals coming softer, the keys enveloping with murk. “Won’t let me go free,” Savage calls as the chorus swelters, and emotion floods. The guitars then blaze, packing a heartfelt punch, as everything swims through fire, melting over for an exciting conclusion.

Savage Master have been on the cusp of breaking out for a while now, and “Dark & Dangerous” just might be what helps them get there. These songs are massive, driven, and catchy as fuck, pouring classic heavy metal thunder, thorns, and fantasy into one hulking package. This is Savage Master’s most formidable album, and hopefully everyone else catches up with their majesty. 

For more on the band, go here: https://staceysavagemaster.bandcamp.com/album/dark-dangerous

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

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

We could use a mental break, right? As I type this, which is well before you read it, it’s just shit wall to wall, fascism spreading its poisonous wings as half the country is in fucking denial? How do you pull yourself out of that mentally? How does one manage to feel good again in the midst of a nightmare?

Well, distractions are nice, and putting on a heavy metal record that reminds you about your heart and fight could be the perfect antidote, at least for a while. That’s where Pittsburgh trad metal warriors Lady Beast come in, and they arrive just in time with their fifth record “The Inner Alchemist.” This band—vocalist Deborah Levine, guitarists Andy Ramage and Chris Tritschler, bassist Amy Bianco, drummer Adam Ramage—always answers the bell when we need a jolt of the pure stuff, and this nine-track offering keeps intact their trademark sound but also scuffs it up a bit, letting you feel the chrome blast right against your head. It’s a heavier, more channeled Lady Beast that breathes fresh air into their machine and makes it more muscular. 

“The Oracles Omen” rips out of the gates, Levine’s singing in full command as always, the playing driving colorfully. The soloing goes off as the power consumes, the chorus blazing back, everything ending in a sinister tone. “Through the Eyes of War” has a vintage Maiden feel at the start, I’m talking pre-Dickinson, and the singing snarls, violent imagery spilling over and filling the shadows. The soloing smoke as the pace trudges, dual leads cutting through the void and disappearing into madness. The title track is a real standout, jolting as the guitars surge, Levine shining over a simple chorus that’s expertly sung and full of energy. The leads glisten as the push picks up the pace, bleeding into a classic-style run that keeps your heart racing. “Starborn” starts slower and shimmers, channeling Rainbow, but it isn’t long until the guitars melt, and the beast tears through your chest, smoking like a chimney. “From the stars we’re born, and to the stars we return,” Levine belts, the pace hitting harder, lathering with a vintage stomp that gallops to an abrupt end.

“Crones Crossroads” charges, coming in faster and meaner, the singing even taking on a more ferocious edge. The chorus blisters as the guitars steer toward menace, thrashing as wild cackles reverberate, delirious emotion making your blood rush. “Feed Your Fire” crushes with full NWOBHM authority, the riffs wrestling you down and bending your arms behind your back. Speedy and propulsive, the path is beaten bloody by a rollicking bassline, the chorus whipping you again, and your breath suddenly increasing. “Witch Light” should be a beer name. Instead, it’s an urgent basher, twin guitars ruling, rocky melodies carrying the way. The leads glisten and increase the heat, encircling you in an instrumental metal storm that sizzles with lightning. “The Wild Hunt” pushes the gas pedal but also contains a bit more grit, the pace chewing at bone and muscle, the swinging sweltering. Dual leads flood as glorious spirits rise and carry you into a commanding finish. Closer “Off With Her Head” is a barnstormer, the vocals flexing, a fast, blunt chorus digging into your nervous system. Levine practically spits her words on the verses, guitars ignite and bubble over, and a fiery vengeance pushes everything else to the limit.

Lady Beast are a force, pulling from the roots that generated heavy metal and always packing their music with passion and power that you can’t help but feel in every pore. “The Inner Alchemist” follows the same path the band has been on, but it’s noted there’s an extra sharp cut on their blades, and they sound as explosive as ever, more like how their live shows feel. This is music we need right now when the darkness is at its thickest, and we need something to keep us headed toward the light, where forces of justice can thrive once again, vanquishing the cancer of tyranny.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://dyingvictims.com/index.php

For more on the label, go here: https://dying-victims.de/

I don’t own a sword. Yet. But if I did, certainly I can see myself wanting to be inundated with music that would make me want to take up said blade and dramatically swing it above my head. In my backyard. I don’t need those government motherfuckers over here wondering if I’m about to attack a Tesla.

That said, “By Light of Emerald Gods” is the first long player by Colorado-based classic heavy metal force Chamber Mage, and does this ever foot the bill for music I’d want to hear if I had to participate in a trial by combat. Over eight tracks and about a half hour, the band—vocalist Avery Berg, guitarists Devan Fechner and Jaden Knowles, bassist Ted Jedlicki, drummer Daniel Nevin—packs riffs, swords clanging, and driving vocals over a collection that easily would have landed in 1984. If you’ve got a hankering for something like Manilla Road, Visigoth, or Cirith Ungol, then you’ll be right at home on this record that jettisons me back to my formative metal years and fills me with unbridled power. You can use something like that every now and again.

“In Battle” starts with the sounds of swords clashing! What better way to open a metal record? Guitars heat up as the pace gallops, Berg’s commanding vocals adding energy but never overpowering. Boisterous “woah-oh-oh” calls get your energy channeled, and the final battle adding clanging that leaves everything in dust. “Blades on the Rampart” is daring, gritty singing pushing, a smashing chorus taking you down with force. Berg sings of the ills of war as guitars command, ripping back into soaring vocals and vintage fire that ends this thing in fire. “Bishop’s Vengeance” has guitars chugging as the riffs flex, deeper singing landing meatier punches before the soloing rips. The electricity jolts through your veins as the bass thickens, the chorus swings back for one more shot, and smoke enshrouds. “Beyond the Lighthouse” brings slicing guitars and a driving pace, Berg digging deep into his guts vocally, the pace growing more muscular. Guitars sweep as the tempo bristles, the vocals spreading their wings before the melodies go clean and slip away.

“To Spires Deep and Caverns High” punches immediately, the playing going faster, the singing blasting as the drumming comes unglued. The pulsating quakes the earth as fluid soloing ignites, group calls make your heart race, and a raging, gutting end goes for your ribcage. “The Length of the Chain” opens with guitars snaking through an aggressive rhythm section, the singing toughening, and a melodic fury arriving with relentless energy. Berg’s words speak of defying a temptress, the simple chorus feeling urgent and impactful, the pace surging before a soaring end. “The Emerald Tower Revealed” has guitars churning and energetic singing, the catchiness impossible to shake as the pace stomps before coming ablaze. The chorus rouses with power as the guitars collect their strength and charge, the leads exploring the outer realms before a dusty end. Closer “The Silver City Fell” runs 10:42, and it is a proper concluding epic, with emotional singing, glazing strings, and a calculated pace unfurling to tell the tale. Guitars fire up as the playing grows more sinister, going on a melodic run that still has its blades stuck deep within you. The tempo and danger both spike, the playing clashing like the swords at the opener, Berg calling, “The tower that would never fall is lying broken after all,” leading to a furious, dramatic finish that leaves you battered.

Chamber Mage’s plight to continue the storied honor of classic metal bursts at the seams on “By Light of the Emerald Gods.” This is a steady debut record, one that will resonate with the old guard fans who have been dining in these halls for decades now as well as the newer listeners who found their way back through other newer bands of this ilk. This is an album that helps you get lost in your imagination as great battles, large feast halls, and vengeful fires surge, leaving you exhausted yet exhilarated by what you just experienced. 

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

To buy the album, go here: https://namelessgraverecords.com/collections/nameless-grave-records-releases

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

I like reliability in bands as much as the next person, and it’s good sometimes to put something on and just sink into familiarity. It’s another experience altogether to take on music from a band that’s constantly changing, maintaining its DNA but always pushing toward something else that charges.

Belgian metal power Amenra very much fall into the latter, and when they put out new music, you have to leave your expectations at the door, because they don’t deal in formulas. Speaking of which, they’re back with a duo of EPs that pull from different sound palettes from their history and update them for the present. “De Toorn” and “With Fang and Claw” definitely sound like the same band, but broken up into different regions of their creative minds. The band—vocalist Colin H. van Eeckhout, guitarists Mathieu Vandekeckhove, Lennart Bossu, and Tim De Gieter, percussionist Bjorn J. Lebon (Oathbreaker’s Caro Tanghe provides backing vocals—gives you more reflective, meditative tones on “De Toorn,” while “Fang” is grislier and heavier, a bloodier package that leaves its mark with force. Both, especially when digested back to back, give an encapsulation of their melodic forces, their cerebral energies, each leaving a different lasting impression.  

The “De Toorn” portion opens with “Heden,” spreading with knocking effects echoing, a slow build, and spoken verses in their native tongue. Guitars glisten as the words sprawl, continuing to work deeper into the fog, soft singing lurking, and the path widening as chilling air approaches. At about the 9:35 mark, the track detonates, shrieks maiming as the tension tightens the cord, screaming and singing disappearing into hypnosis. “De Toorn (Talisman)” starts calmly, drums tapping as the spoken words drip, calls echoing as the calculated pace crawls into murk. Drums pace as the bass quivers, a sullen darkness spreading overhead, clean guitars beginning a ramp up and exploding, shrieks carving bone as the doom waters thicken. Dusty riffs choke, the playing bashes away, and the screams belt rib cages as the cosmos opens its jaws. 

The “With Fang & Claw” portion opens with “All Is Light” as a noise haze hovers, gushing as the shrieks create a smoke cloud, harsh and colorful melodies uniting and tangling, bursting with new colors that blaze across the sky. The playing melts into a corrosive pile, the growls gut as the intensity shoulder blocks its way in, the humidity thickening and choking. “Talisman/Wrath” closes the collection, guitars spiraling, screams leaving dents, the doom gust thickening and filling lungs. The pace grows more urgent, the vocals crushing before the tidal wave pulls back, entering reflective realms, clean singing soothing before a final stab. Screams gut as menacing riffs encircle, stirring and wrecking before the power finally subsides.

These two EPs feel like, as designed, as a trip through specific stages of the Amenra canon, and both bring inventive, reflective, and menacing chapters to both their surreal and brutal work. Each EP also fits different moods, depending on what you’re feeling, though a journey through the whole thing isn’t an unwelcome thing no matter where your head is at the moment. This band never rests, always evolves, and leaves the listener emotionally and spiritually tested like very few other bands can accomplish.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/amenra-de-toorn-with-fang-and-claw

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

New York City long has been an inspiration and sometimes target for people when they think of the United States. The culture, the architecture, the history, and the arts overflow, feeling like it’s the real center point of the United States, a place people come to experience everything it has to offer. And it’s been the target of two high-profile terror attacks. There’s a reason for that.

The city long has inspired black metal trio Imperial Triumphant—vocalist/guitarist Zachary Ezrin, bassist/keyboard player Steve Blanco, drummer Kenny Grohowski—and on “Goldstar,” they continue to dig deeper into the city’s seamy history, the smoke and smog included. This is the band’s fourth consecutive look back at a very specific period for NYC, and if it feels like a strange fever dream from a century ago, you’re on the right track. The fact the band finds this much to mine from the city is astonishing, and they keep creating pieces that feel like they’re reaching out from the past, wrenching us with horrors and violence we can digest today. The record doesn’t delve terribly far from their past few releases that kicked off with 2018’s “Vile Luxury,” but there are twists and turns, new color palettes, and expanded sounds that prove they are growing along with this empire city. 

“Eye of Mars” opens already drubbing, a smeary path mixing with keys and Ezrin’s roars that explode out of the speakers. Things are zany, which is typical for this band, with some end-of-days horns aching, and then the trudging gets heavier, the bass grows rubbery, and cosmic winds chill after a total combustion. “Gomorrah Nouveaux” starts with rhythmic claps and the drumming playing along, crushing with sooty growls, delirious gusts, and the bass again flexing its steely muscles. Organs breeze as the pace engulfs anew, the bass slapped as the smoke rises, guitars sprawling and swallowing everything into the sewage systems. “Lexington Delirium” features Meshuggah drumming beast Tomas Haake, and it starts clean and elegant as distant sirens cry, eerie strangeness bubbling before the growls erupt. Again, the bass playing is very active, and even a brief breath of calm explodes into savagery, sailing into a cosmic bath, returning to crush wholly. “Hotel Sphinx” turns up the insanity, leads sweeping as crazed cries penetrate, the guitars warping and snarling, weirdness at every corner. Whirry synth chills and gives off science lab vibes, and then it combusts, a children choir chanting, the end balanced in filth. “NEWYORKCITY” is a brutal shock, a blinding, almost grind-like destroyer with Yoshiko Ohara (of the great Bloody Panda) attacking, shrieking, and warbling as your brain tries to hang on for dear life.

The title track plays like an old time radio ad, harmonized singing calling the praises of Goldstar brand cigarettes, urging, “Die for Goldstar.” And you will! “Rot Moderne” squeezes your temples as the pace goes for broke, your brain melting along with the bass smoking, and the guitars chewing and bubbling with electricity. Start/stop mangling bruises our extremities while an unsettling force sends vibrations, the playing spitting sparks. “Pleasuredome” features the legendary Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Mr. Bungle) as well Haake, sirens signaling trouble as the ambiance churns. The playing then drives into your heart, bells chiming in loops, howls reverberating, and the rhythm bashing your skull into concrete. A haunting aura builds as molten thrashing lays waste, sounds fading into the steam. Closer “Industry of Misery” lets keys drip before everything ignites, guitars knifing as the tempo challenges your stomach contents, hypnosis mixing with a thickening smoke cloud. The melodies continue to make the room spin, fiery jolts landing blows to your ribcage, the city vermin circling you and taking you deep underground.

Imperial Triumphant’s journey into the center of a city long since decayed into something else remains as ashen and energetic on “Goldstar,” a trim, muscular beast that aims to throw you from the top of the Chrysler building. The band’s fixation with this subject matter might grow weary after time, but it’s clear these guys have so much more inspiration and devastation to pack into their music that continues to morph into a different being each time out. This is another fascinating vision from one of the most challenging bands in all black metal. And metal in general.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.imperial-triumphant.com/

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://centurymedia.store/pages/imperial-triumphant-gold-star

Or here (Europe): https://www.cmdistro.de/

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

It’s been an awfully productive year for darkness and morbidity, and it’s still fucking March! The weather is getting warmer, the sun is out longer, and for some reason, the malaise cannot be overcome. For good reason. Evil walks the earth. Rules it in many parts. So excuse us if we aren’t feeling it. 

So it’s as fitting a time as ever to get a record crusher from Hungarian death/doom power Rothadás, that being “Töviskert… a kísértés örök érzete… lidércharang.” I don’t speak the language, and Google translate gave me “Thorn Garden … the Eternal Feeling of Temptation … Ghostly Harangue,” and yeah, that about captures the tone of this six-track beast. The two-headed monster consisting of vocalist/drummer Lambert Lédeczy, guitarist/bassist Tobir Hanyi pours a ton of morbid tones, deathly power, and ghastly doom over 45 minutes that’ll you’ll feel in every cell. Oh, and don’t let any language barrier scare you. Even if you’re not aware of what they’re saying (wailing?) the feel is there, and you can’t help but be captured by the harrowing tones and immersive journey into darkness.

“Urnaszellem… szentek csontpora” opens in a doomy cloud, sinking your feelings, the death strains coming on like blades. The pace then pummels, turning fiery and crushing, the guitars ache, and the vocals sicken with guttural sour. The playing then pulverizes, engulfing you in hell, the guitars melting into the soil. “Vértükör” drubs as the growls boil, sludge and muck combine to clog veins, and the guitars heat up and knife through the chaos. The pace dizzies as the growls engorge, everything chugging through a massive heat wave that wilts wills. “Sóhajok kapuja” churns and drubs, the doomy death thickening as speed picks up and makes your heart race. Sickened howls lash out as the pressure mounts, raw fury digs in its fingers, and mesmerizing tones make the growls feel like they’ve come from a dream state to rupture your psyche.

“Tetemek tava… lidércek tánca” opens already crushing with its weight, heated riffs encircling as the band achieves a dangerous level of death crush, if that’s a real thing. Then things devolve into slow-driving filth, calculated hell, and the guitars amplifying the misery before melting away. “Sikoltó füst” has guitars chewing and stomping, the growls hazing, and a bizarre glaze spread over everything. If it feels like your mind is melting, you’re not alone as riffs destroy and tear everything apart, and the steam rises, reddening your flesh along the way. Closer “Az örök isten Lucifer” slowly churns, growls rumbling through airy playing, the well eventually bursting as everything overflows with ferocity. Death mauls as the pace gets angrier and more monstrous, generating a fog that chokes and settles into an eerie cleanliness. There’s even a gothy feel blowing through before the guitars sting, strange singing bellows, and sounds fade in a pit of darkness. 

“Töviskert… a kísértés örök érzete… lidércharang” will stomp your face and psyche in short order, and their numbing pile of doom and death metal is a suffocating and depressing. Rothadás have a might and penchant for misery that digs deep inside of you, leaving you blackened. This is a  beastly album that leverages all of its weight and never relents from making the experience flatten you for the better.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/rothadas-toviskert-a-kisertes-orok-erzete-lidercharang-lp/

Or here: https://store.pulverised.net/

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

And here: https://www.pulverised.net/