There’s some crazy shit going on in Virginia, or so I have ascertained from the impossible number of promos I get from bands who hail from that region. And they have all kinds! Bands that play arenas, bands that headline huge clubs, bands that can play to 5 people and still slay. It’s a little unfair, and I wish they would spread around some of the wealth. Wow. I think I might be a socialist.

Anyway, more of that embarrassment of riches in on display with a new split effort coming your way via the always reliable Relapse Records. This piece features two bands that should light the hearts of anyone who likes things doomy and/or dirty. We have site favorite Windhand back with two bruising tracks and fuzz maulers Satan’s Satyrs chiming in with three of their own that might not be metal through and through but should still excite the fuck out of anyone who just wants their hearing permanently damaged. What’s nice about this five-track beast is both bands could not be more foreign from each other style-wise, yet the music each makes mixes together pretty nicely. It’s a strong piece that gives Windhand fans more of what they desire and a chance for Satan’s Satyrs to branch out to a different audience.

Windhand (photo by Jordan Vance)

Windhand hail from Richmond, and over the past decade, they’ve delivered occult-splashed, sultry doom that always pushes you to the limit and leaves your skin scorched. Led by steel-piped singer Dorthia Cottrell, the band unleashes thick blankets of darkness and melody that can infect you and leave you for dead. Live, they’re even burlier, as the band—it also includes guitarist Garrett Morris, bassist Parker Chandler, and drummer Ryan Wolfe—lays waste to any stage they’re on. But let’s not forget they also make great music in the studio, as their three full-lengths prove, and again they’re on the money with these two killers.

“Old Evil” gets us started as the doom buzzes and Cottrell’s vocals get things moving. Her voice is way higher in the mix, which is a good thing, and then we get into psyche-splashed soloing and powerful riffs. Noises hiss as Cottrell’s singing enraptures, and then we’re into a wall of feedback that takes us to the end.  “Three Sisters” follows, and we begin with bass echoing, and organs rising and taking over. Haunting doom leads to higher singing from Cottrell, and we get into a slow bleeding, calculated pace. Fuzzy riffs clobber while we circle back to the strong chorus, but from there, the guitars lumber, the organs bleed, and we end things in a clobbering array of feedback.

Satan’s Satyrs

Satan’s Satyrs hail from Herndon, and they’ve been at it only a year fewer than Windhand. Over that time, they’ve built up a nice resume that boasts three full-lengths (that last one was 2015’s “Don’t Deliver Us”) and an attitude that reminds of some of MST3K’s forays beyond sci-fi into the biker and rebel world, where strange but awesome C-level movies get their due. Sort of. These three songs are a total blast, and the band—bassist/vocalist Claythanas (also of Electric Wizard’s current lineup), guitarists Jarrett Nettnin and Nate Towle, and drummer Stephen Fairfield—creates a smoke-filled (possibly with illicit substances) clouded forcefield with which to confuse your mind. It’s pretty great stuff.

“Alvcard AD 2018” kicks this off, as the punchy open takes us into vintage rock, and the riffs pile up to keep powering the machine. The higher vocals mix with the burning soloing, and then the psyched-out fire burns. From there, molten loudness and bashing heaviness end it. “Succubus” has trudging riffs and Sabbath-style vocals, as fuzzy rock leads the way, and we’re into molten soloing. A burly assault goes from there, and a burning tempo takes us to the end. The record ends with “Ain’t That Lovin’ You, Baby” a song Elvis made famous and a track to which the band adds a snotty swagger. The song swaggers in blues and attitude, while the track takes on a glam metal feel (I sense some Faster Pussycat) before the cut ends in a lava-filled solo.

These two bands can claim home state and volume worship as common traits, but in the end, they’re very different beasts. But that’s what makes this Windhand union with Satan’s Satyrs such a rewarding collection. You get a dose of two styles of heaviness that kind of clash, but for some reason, they work stunningly well together.

For more on Windhand, go here: http://www.windhand.band/

For more on Satan’s Satyrs, go here: https://www.facebook.com/satanssatyrs/

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

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

When choosing a living thing after which to name your band, you’re likely going to pick something tough, rugged, and/or resilient, right? Especially if you’re a metal band. Imagine choosing something that doesn’t even have a mouth and, thus, is only able to live for a few days because it can’t nourish itself. That’s not as tough as a tiger or a lion or snake.

Yet, the Atlas Moth grabbed onto that giant saturniid creature that primarily lives in Southeast Asia and named their band after it, its suspect post-larval survival skills notwithstanding. And it’s worked for the Chicago band, whose style and approach match the multi-colored wings this creature sports. So what if it lives for a precious short time? While it’s here, it’s fucking magnificent, and that same thing can be said about this band that keeps coming back with a different approach on every record. Now comes their fourth effort “Coma Noir,” their first for indie powerhouse Prosthetic (their last two were issued by Profound Lore), and it’s yet another building block for the band—guitarists/vocalists Stavros Giannopoulos and David Kush, guitarist/synth player Andrew Ragin, bassist Alex Klein, and drummer Mike Miczek. The band maintains their metallic edge, but they mix in even more colors, some of which are psychedelic, while others are cosmic and atmospheric. The band won’t be foreign at all to those who have been along the ride the entire way, but you should expect new twists and turns.

The title track starts the record, as the track crushes and rumbles, and the cries emitted are practically strangling. The words are spat over the chorus, while melody mixes in like a streak of blood, and the track comes to a sludging, crazed finish. “Last Transmission From the Late, Great Planet Earth” is muddy and harsh as you’d expect, as the pace drives hard, the synth envelops, and the cosmic fog settles. Textured guitars feel trippy, and the song comes to a strong end, barreling into “Galactic Brain.” There, keys zap, as the band hits a groove that might remind some of Metallica’s “Load” era, but not in a gross way. “Are you listening to the rhythm of the sea?” is belted out, while shrieks stretch over top the melodic energy. All the elements build up and threaten to topple, as punishing screams take us out. “Streets of Bombay” is the longest cut at 7:08, as the drums make their push, the synth thickens, and the song tears open. The track is an endurance test, as growls and clean singing vie for position, while the band delivers deadly force and sweeping melodies that quiver and hammer. Toward the end, the guitars bleed color while the tempo stomps, and the track falls away.

“Actual Human Blood” is bludgeoning and intense, with animalistic shrieks and melodies spilling beneath the carnage. The song clubs away, but there’s a sense of cleansing as well, as the band warns of a force coming for us all, insisting it will take us all away. “Smiling Knife” has guitar stabs, yelled vocals, and a grimy underbelly. The screams feel like ones learned by studying the Faith No More playbook, while cool soloing soothes, and the track comes to a violent end. “Furious Gold” has static and grim cries, while the guitars destroy, and melody and mud mix. The track is spacious and infectious, while the gaze sprawls, clean singing emerges, and the track has an icy finish. “The Frozen Crown” has electronic pulses, as the question, “Do you ever wonder if your brain’s been disconnected?” is posed. This is the one song where my mind begins to wander elsewhere, which I don’t expect from an Atlas Moth cut. It finishes up a little stronger, but I could live without this one. We finish with “Chloroform,” as militaristic drums spatter, screamed verses and painfully sung choruses unite, and we’re off into a thrilling pocket of strangeness. The track gets eerie and dark from there, as doom seems imminent, horns swell, and the track ends in squealed shrieks and blistering fire.

The Atlas Moth’s metamorphosis is a never-ending process, and with each new chapter, the band figures out new ways to enrapture and enlighten us. “Coma Noir” is dark and punishing but also something that could have them grabbing the attention of those who may have been on the fringe before. This is their biggest, boldest record yet, and it could pay off with a nice bump in their number of devotees.

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

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

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

Fantasy-based metal will never die, and we should be thankful for that. For as many bands as we have that espouse Satanism, political anger, depression, or guttural violence, we always will maintain a slew of bands that want to keep their head in stories past, great glories, and swords clashing with shields in the most primitive of environments.

Salt Lake City’s Visigoth are fully committed to the same path carved by bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Cirith Ungol, Helloween, and many others before them, and they do so in such a natural, non-forced way that it’s not unheard of to find unbridled joy in their music. You’re not going to get songs about the state of the Union or social and political struggles, which is great, because we have other artists handling those topics. On their strong second effort “Conqueror’s Oath,” the band returns with eight pounders that will have you traveling into the past as wars are won on bloody battlefields adorned with chainmail-wearing warriors and horses raging and kicking up dust. It’s such a nice diversion from the hell that can be everyday life, and if you’re someone who indulges on NWOBHM, some of the bands from the U.S. power metal scene (Fates Warning is a natural callout) or even a modern act such as Grand Magus, you’ll find plenty to like with this record and band—vocalist Jake Rogers, guitarists Leeland Campana and Jamison Palmer, bassist Matt Brotherton, drummer Mikey T.

“Steel and Silver” kicks off the record as strongly as possible, rolling out an anthem that should be a live staple and a fan participation highlight. “Haunted by the shadows of the past,” Rogers wails as the music rambles and rules, as the massive chorus swells and causes the blood to boil in your veins. It’s a great opener, met by the next punch of “Warrior Queen,” a tale of a dominating figure coming in to claim her kingdom. Strong guitars and driving vocals pace this thing, and after a brief moment of solemnity in the middle as the bodies are counted, we mash our way toward the bloody final gates. “Outlive Them All” has an awesome early 1980s Maiden gallop, yet the delivery of the vocals reminds of Mike Kiske just a bit. “There can be only one!” is the hammering declaration on the chorus, surrounded by fast, raucous playing that tempers this nicely. “Hammerforged” has a channeled start, taking its time to get moving, but once it does, it’s a blast. Rogers sings of the refusal to swear fealty and the destruction of slavery, as he wails, “You are the anvil, you are the blade!” Later, the soloing catches fire, while the track comes to a satisfying, smoldering end.

“Traitor’s Gate” has a slow, quiet start, with solemn singing from Rogers before the track and the rage ignite. “I vomit a curse upon your name!” he bellows, as the band backs up with a hammering tempo and a righteous assault. A quick tempo change leads to a thrashy attack, with Rogers vowing, “Die, coward, die, as I take your life!” “Salt City” is a weird one, a track that perhaps would have been better off as a B side because it’s so out of place. The track is an homage to the band’s hometown, and it’s rife with cock rock swagger and Rogers singing of their stomping grounds is “right beneath the mountain throne.” It’s not that the song is bad. It’s fun in an Audrey Horne kind of manner. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of the aesthetic. Maybe that was the point. “Blades in the Night” reignites the battle torches, as the song shows its muscles, with the warning of, “In the cover of night, beware.” The track is faster than a lot of what’s on here, and the back end even contains a damn cool soloing section that is infused with folk melody. The closing title cut is an ideal end, the final stamp on this record that swells with chaos handed down over the ages. The band chugs hard, with the leads stoking the fires, and later the guitars twisting classic metal ferocity. That fires up the final moments, as the swelling vocals and trudging pace bring this to a bloody end.

Visigoth’s gift for huge melodies and fantastical imagery is the continuation of some of metal’s finest, longest-lasting tenets, and that’s what makes “Conqueror’s Oath” such a fun listen. You don’t have to worry about being weighed down with heavy shit (well, other than the music), and you can get lost in the middle of their world. We need bands such as Visigoth to remain vital and relevant, and there’s no doubting these guys will remain a force for years.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.indiemerch.com/metalbladerecords

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

Photo by Leito de Courson

Setting expectations can be a dangerous thing. If you situate yourself in them too deeply, you’re bound to be disappointed by the result because you have so much invested in your vision. At the same time, it’s OK to have standards and a hope that whatever you’re anticipating ends up being satisfying.

Anyone with an idea about what they might unpack on Chaos Echoes’ second record “Mouvement” is bound to be completely floored by what they hear on this six-track, nearly 33-minute collection. That could be a good or bad thing. If you are expecting the malicious, smothering amalgamation of doom and death metal that you received on their hour-long 2015 debut “Transient,” you’re not going to get anything even close to that. This feels like an entirely different animal, a completely modified version of this French beast. The music on “Mouvement” is not entirely unrecognizable (especially if you checked in with last year’s “The Unfathomable” EP), but it has completely transformed into something else. The band—Kalevi Uibo (guitars/vocals/effects), Steffan Thanneur (bass/effects/vocals) (Ilmar Uiobo (drums/vocals)—imagined the impact of the outside world on an individual, and they worked toward simplifying their process as they created these songs. Oh, above you see vocals attributed to each member. There aren’t any on this album, save for some bizarre chants toward the end of the record. This is a mainly instrumental affair, and it’s amazingly compelling.

The first four tracks are woven together, basically acting as individual movements for a larger whole. “Embodied by Perfidious Curls in the Innervated Flux” makes you think it’s going to be like their past, as wild howls and a black metal-style assault get going, but then a drizzling haze takes over, and we get into dramatic start-stop thrashing. Dramatic, grinding fury erupts, and then things turn fluid and violent and spill into “As an Embraceable Magma Leading the Subliminal” that feels weird at the start before the bass begins to drive. Slurry guitars and a jolting atmosphere emerge, and then air-infused strangeness seeps in, before proggy madness erupts, and the music boils and simmers. The noise hangs in the air, and we spin in the cosmos before encountering “Surrounded and Amazed by These Unplumbed Abysses of the Inverted Sea” and its sludgy pounding. Calm arrives, but then strings are struck, and a doomy haze falls. The playing smothers, and then it’s right on to “Through Kaleidoscopic Haze of Unexpected Extents” and its guitar smog. Power smolders, and then the steam rises, bringing with it another prog onslaught that rises, burns, and finally fades away.

The final two tracks take up half the run time and are both separate entities. “Shine On, Obsidian! Ego! Ego! Echo Back to the Yearning of the Self!” begins with ominous, dirty riffs, and things just get thicker and meaner from there. Drone and scraping power come out of the cracks, as weirdness floats, a sickening pace wears away at your senses, and the rhythm section chews your flesh. The track drones and scrapes, as weirdness floats in the air, and then shit goes off. The tempo brings sludge, as the band increases the heat, your mind is disoriented, and you’re driven into a dizzying submission. “Alas! Here Is the Feebles’ Assent, Exalted By Your Mouth Full of Flies” finishes off the record as we are situated into cleanliness and serenity, as noise hangs in the air, and the drums patter. The pace is calculated, as it’s easy to have your head swell, but then then the drumming lulls you into a trance. Chants, which we mentioned earlier, feel earthly and spiritual, and that oddness continues and captures your mind, as we head off into utter strangeness.

I doubt the metamorphosis Chaos Echoes have undergone is over, as we’re probably just experiencing this version momentarily on “Mouvement.” As the band works their way through their visions, it’s safe for all of us to keep our expectations tempered as we experience each chapter. As long as they keep making music this fascinating, we’re willing to follow them wherever they go.

For more on the band, go here: http://chaosechoes.org/

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

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

If you’re living with a fundamental misunderstanding of what the fuck is even going on in this earthly realm, join the depressing party. It feels like this time and space isn’t even real. It’s a place where the worst elements of us all have come to roost, and that isn’t going to end anytime soon. It’s enough to make one want to retreat into the darkness forever.

While it may not be political or societal woes that pushed the Specter to question the outside world and retreat within, something affected him so greatly that he felt the need to start Old Tower, but we’re all the better for it. Ever since its inception in 2015, the Specter, the lone member of the band, has questioned what’s real and what’s not in everyday life, what’s hiding behind the shadows but also in plain sight. It has permeated his dungeon synth-style compositions over several releases, his latest being “Stellary Wisdom,” his first album for Profound Lore. Over these two tracks and 30 minutes of run time, the Specter establishes a murky, foggy world that’s ripe with emotional torment and atmospheric wonder. This isn’t a record that’s going to have you imagining battles in a dank old castle. Instead, it will have you journeying mentally as if gives you a path to question your own existence and the things around you that influence it.

“Deep Within My Somber Castle Walls” starts the record, a 15:21 epic that starts with baroque-style emanations, key clashing, and crashing noises falling around you. Eerie choral-style effects blend with gothic weirdness, as sooty melodies and cavernous wonders mix together to bring clashing elements into the same concoction. The song begins to fade, but on the other side, keys return with a sense of regality, as things are whipped into a cosmic whir. The calm has holes poked into it, while static begins to spill, noise reverberates, and the track fades away.

The title cut finishes things off, a 15:09 track that has filthy synth pumps, wafting keys, and a mystical stretch of melodies setting the scene. Dark clouds collect, while the coverage manages to be calm and uneasy at the same time, almost like anxiety creeping its way into an otherwise easy mood. A quick fadeout teases serenity, but then the ground rumbles lowly, and cold synth waves begin to lap over the land. The track jabs you with panic, and the haunting passages enter in a cosmic fog that keeps pushing its way deeper and deeper into space. The pace loops and stretches for the record’s final few minutes, letting your mind sink into intoxication as the album disintegrates into mystery.

The Specter’s Shadow Kingdom might not be a welcoming place for all listeners, even those who indulge in dungeon synth, but “Stellary Wisdom,” if given an honest chance, will grow on you and rewire your brain. This is as much a mental record as it is physical, and the battle you wage within its confines can redefine how you experience this type of music. Right now, most of us are lost, and if we can escape into the darkness and determine our own direction in this, perhaps we can find our own path back.

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

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

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

There are probably a lot of people who don’t listen to metal simply to be enlightened. That’s understandable. We want riffs, brah. But that’s not all the genre has to offer the world. Some artists push into other realms and work to transform themselves and inform their music with that journey. It might not take with every listener, but it’s refreshing to have that approach out there.

Olympia, Wash.-based band Eigenlicht (WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT PROMO SHOT?!) are of the breed of artist who are not just bringing you a collection of music to soundtrack your drive or to help you fuck off at the gym. Just reading through the bio materials that accompany their astonishing debut record “Self-Annihilating Consciousness” (released by Gilead Media and I, Voidhanger) can be a little intimidating, maybe even to the point of questioning whether you want to take this journey. The band—vocalist/guitarist Ray Hawes, guitarist Yianna Bekris, keyboard player/flute player/ vocalist Mara Winter, and drummer J. DeLacy—talks of weathering failures, standing and staring failure in the face, and committing oneself to the void, defeated. Yet, they stretch beyond that and refuse to succumb. Each member walked a separate path toward the natural world and achieved a better understanding of existence and a greater grasp on knowledge. It sounds like a team of dark superheroes finally finding each other in the chasm and working toward something that expands their existence, spiritually and physically, and pouring every ounce of that into their music. That music is tough to pin down, but it’s an intoxicating blend of doom, with traces of death and black metal.

“There Lies Already the Shadow of Annihilation” is the intro cut that leads us into the full body, a track comprised of eerie noises, flutes setting you into a trance, and woodsy, atmospheric drone that leads toward 13:43 “Hagia Sophia.” The hypnosis continues here, as melodies enrapture, and organs swirl around that. The track ignites, as growls bubble, and a sorrowful pace leads the way to further anguish. The pace bleeds and then gets calm, as organs echo and tease serenity before a final blast and a frenetic pace entangles. “Labrys” is 11:52 and immediately kicks in with strong riffs and dark spirits. Wild howls mix with guitars wailing, as we head into a crazed fury, only balanced by the cosmic synth clouds. Noise stings, and then humidity sets in, as the band hammers away and even begins to hit the gas pedal. The guitars spit doomy fog, while the piece is completely deconstructed, coming to a slow, dreary end.

“Deifugal Force” runs 13:25, as orchestral synth and B-movie sci-fi effects combine with guitars welling up and a deep sense of murk, and a blast of spacious playing comes out of that. The shadows only grow thicker, sending your mind on a trip, and then the thing explodes about 5 minutes in. Shrieks meet up with gurgling growls, and then the punishment rolls on into heavy blasts. The band continues to unload before the sounds briefly fade before re-emerging into harshness, loops, bells, and a long finish that leaves you exhausted. Closer “Berserker” has a sweltering opening before organs flood, lowering temperatures, which sets the stage for the unexpected: an all-out black metal-style assault. Growls bury you, as atmosphere and chaos join forces, and a brief clean passage acts as a bridge toward the next thunderous storm. Echoing roars and a mystifying onslaught push the song into its back end, and just as the eruption reaches its zenith, it pulls back its might and dissolves into an ocean of sounds.

The five movements that are laid out before you on “Self-Annihilating Consciousness” will not affect you like a run with whatever death or black metal band you seek for letting out your aggression. Eigenlicht have a higher purpose for themselves and, if you choose to commit yourself to the cause, you as well. These songs get inside your head and cause a mental transformation as this record travels through your bloodstream, and each time you return, you get to understand the purpose better and can see how taking your own path of understanding can help enrich your own existence.

For more on the band, go here: https://eigenlicht-metal.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/self-annihilating-consciousness

Or here: http://i-voidhanger.com/shop/

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

And here: http://i-voidhanger.com/

For all the bizarre band names that make up the entire music world, especially the many sub-layers of metal, you wonder sometimes why more artists don’t just get to the point. It’s easier said than done, as the elaborate names often exist because just about every band name is already taken, but every now and again, simplifying things does a world of good.

Belgian one-man funeral doom monster Slow certainly didn’t aim to mince words when naming this project. The records are just that: slow as fuck. And since we’re in the realm of funeral doom, that’s exactly what those following this band need. The music created by Deha (Lore B. of Ter Ziele now is behind the lyrics and conceptual ideas, as she was able to find the right words to express what was behind the instrumental end) drubs you senselessly and pours on punishment that buries you under the weight of the world. The band’s latest opus “V: Oceans” entered the world halfway through last year, but Code 666 is bringing the vinyl release of this record, the way it really should be experienced, as well as a CD and digital version, and it’s a mammoth that retains all the might from when it first arrived. This five-track, 55-minute monster slithers and grinds you into the dirt, but there also is enough solemn melody and atmospheric darkness to keep things interesting while you wallow in pain.

All five tracks on these records are, essentially, stitched together, starting off with 10:14-long “Aurore” that begins with noise hanging in the air and the music floating. The song erupts as growls rise from hell, and from there, sorrowful guitars bubble and bleed over before we head into a pocket of serenity. The track reopens moments later, as the melodies thicken like a storm cloud, and the gorging growls push into the gates of “Ténèbres,” where calm waters are swelled by dripping keys. Creaky speaking crawls before the song splits open fully, and the growls unleash madness. Sad playing wells as cavernous growls overwhelm, emotion builds, and wrenching punishment brings the song to its end.

“Déluge” is the longest track at 13:33, and we get going with pianos bringing rays of light before the violence pushes through the earth. Growls draw blood, while atmospheric playing cools off the earth’s surface, while infernal crushing bloodies hands. Gothy drama combines with emotional heaviness, as shrieks streak, and the music rains down and floods. Dreary pain and drubbing growls meet, while the pace pummels and folds into “Néant,” which has a clean beginning, as a sense of eeriness grows and causes your flesh to chill, and moody keys combine with bludgeoning power. The vocals slither as elegant sadness drapes the picture, and a true sense of misery comes out of that and smashes together catastrophic pounding and gothic tendencies. Closer “Mort” sits in airy keyboards, as whispers roll into the scene, and then the bottom drops out. The tempo adds heavy sludge before spacey histrionics emerge, and then the skull-dragging is amplified. The vocals scorch as emotion overflows, anguished cries pelt your flesh, keys add calm, and the track bleeds off into a vortex, leaving you at the heart of mystery.

Slow’s gargantuan savagery is on full display on “V: Oceans,” a record that should have this project making an indelible impression into funeral doom’s crust. The band’s name pays off the sonic assault you’re about to endure, and that hulking crawling across the earth is enough to exert physical and mental anguish. This record’s expanded reach not only should boost their profile, but it should have those hungry for slow torture thoroughly excited.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.auralwebstore.com/shop/index.php

For more on the label, go here: http://www.code666.net/

Escape music is pretty much a total necessity these days. If you visit this site with any regularity, you’ve already seen my rants about not being able to watch the news without me wanting to drive my car into a nuclear power plant. Even I’m tired of it. So, delving into music that can make a difference in taking my mind out of this hell and into another version is much welcomed.

It is with that thought that we jump head-first into “Order of Torment,” the second full-length release from D.C.-based death unit Genocide Pact, which is one hell of a bastard. Over eight tracks and nearly 40 minutes, this band—guitarist/vocalist Tim, bassist Nolan, and drummer Connor—rips out classic death metal that is no frills, not particularly fancy, and certainly not looking to reinvent the wheel. And why should they? This band is a demolition that grinds away at you slowly, but surely. You’re not in for a science experiment or a trip into deep space, but there are enough bands doing that right now. This is a serving of the good stuff: meat-and-potatoes death metal that tastes great, fills you up, and hits all the right spots you need to walk away satisfied. Who could complain?

“Conquered” gets us started, as noise hangs over everything, and then guitars start to chug. Guttural growls strike, while the band hits a slow, doomy pace, and the track ends on a gruff assault. “Decimation Grid” has thick sludging before things open fully and punish, and Tim’s vocals strangle you. The band mashes you before we’re back to filth, and the final minutes go on a calculated assault. “Spawn of Suffering” starts with an ominous riff, as the band bashes hard, and the growls choke out all the light. The band then mauls you with intent, sprawling into “Pain Reprisal,” which starts with slow-driving death. The riffs coil, while the growls boil, and then the pain slithers and leaves behind a blood trail. Soloing burns hard, and then the song bleeds away.

“Ascendancy Resolved” has a different vibe, as we’re down a path that feels carved by bands such as High on Fire, as gross growls spill out. Humid guitars lead the way, with nasty growls penetrating, guitars building a noise wall, and everything catching fire. “Structural Dissolution” rips apart, with destruction leading the way and mucky growls drowning your senses. Blistering crushing draws blood, as the song rages hard before an abrupt finish. “Authoritarian Impulse” is slow driving and deadly at first before the song kicks into gear. A smothering fury comes out of that as guitars wail and fizzle, with the song bleeding into the void. “Blood Rejection” is your finisher, starting with clobbering ugliness and grim growls before we work into thrashy madness. Disgusting growls mix with ugly punishment, and then we head into a relentless assault that keeps things going until the track fades away.

Genocide Pact deliver a swift, stern beating on “Order of Torment,” their first for Relapse after spending time with the powerful A389 label. Here, they deliver a strong, reliable dose of death metal that helps you retreat from the everyday shit and instead get your ass kicked by something that won’t make you feel violated. There is something to be said for consistency, and so far, Genocide Pact have delivered just that.

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

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

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

Death metal generally is ugly and barbaric, which is often how we like it. But infusing some creativity and different types of insanity into the puzzle also makes for a good time, and that actually tends to be the blasts of death metal that stick to our ribs around here.

Just poring through the notes that accompanies the press promo of Stygian Obsession’s opus “Form Is Void” filled us with excitement right away. While we don’t know who is behind this machine—all we’re told is the members take their inspiration from the early genre pioneers, as their identities remain a mystery—there is something alluring not having any idea of the brains that dreamt this gnarly, atmospheric music. The tracks are grim and ferocious, digging into human subconsciousness, but they also bleed with creativity that goes beyond simply wanting to sound brutal for its sake. The bio suggests fans of bands such as Demigod, Grave Upheaval, and Dead Congregation are going to be down with this, but those who worship at the altar of Incantation also are likely to find a lot to like about these six songs. There’s something here that makes you feel extreme unease while your body is tortured.

“Stygian Obsession” begins the record situated in noise, as tribal drumming rumbles, a deep synth haze is born, and formless growls murmur before fading out and toward “Deep in the Bonds of Darkness,” which opens with churning riffs and gorging growls. Synth swims through the muck, while the band pounds away relentlessly, as miserable fury is unleashed, and the track comes to a sinewy end. “Gasping in Nausea in the Throes of Void” has guttural punishment and infernal growls, while the song crunches and thrashes, getting meaner and meaner. The guitars burn, and the growls swirl, with eerie keys bleeding into the picture, and feral growls blending in as the song fades away.

“Ceremonial Rites of the Abyss” ignites and mauls right away. The growls hiss, while the music thrashes recklessly, and the music boils and generates steam. Synth turns to lava, while a savage death assault is mounted, and mind-numbing drubbing blasts your brains into hell. “Vomit Empyral” launches gut-ripping smashing, as the band goes for the jugular before backing off and letting mournful melodies add more blackness. Out of that, the tempo tears flesh from the bones, as the pace rips hard, and the final dose of punishment leaves bruising. Closer “All That Are in the Graves Shall Hear His Voice” starts with drums crumbling and the song blasting shrapnel, leading toward total demolition. Damaged melodies and complete devastation team up, as the growls dizzy, mud thickens the recipe, and the back end destroys the ground beneath, sending everything off into the abyss.

You’re going to find very little information about Stygian Obsession if you peruse the internet, but all you really need to know is what is packed into this destructive package. This is death metal that challenges and melts boundaries, as its noxious fumes waft and infect your bloodstream. This is grim, punishing stuff that’s going to fill you up a lot longer than most servings of everyday death.

To buy the album (physical), go here: http://pacificthrenodies.bigcartel.com/

Or here (digital): https://pacificthrenodies.bandcamp.com/

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

Truly mystifying and terrifying bands are few and far between now in metal, which is pretty sad. Problem is, there’s so much music out there and so many bands, most of which are very accessible and open on social media, that there isn’t any room for mystique. It’s cool seeing real people doing real things, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for terror.

This is something Australian death beasts Portal long have understood. Yeah, you might think a band donning dark cloaks and a singer with a goddamn cuckoo clock on his head might be gimmicky, and you’re not wrong, but there’s way more to it than that. They crush you under waves of mystery, and their music long has stood out as some of the grainiest, devastating, and oppressive in all of death metal. But something happened along the way. Tons of other bands caught onto their sound, so much so that the band’s brand of noise-marred death is practically known as the Portal sound. Those bands are fucking everywhere now, but no matter. Portal, those hidden maulers, have other tricks up their sleeves. In fact, if you ever saw the band live, you understand just how mind-blowing and proficient the figures—vocalist the Curator, guitarists Horror Illogium and Aphotic Mote, bassist Omenous Fugue, and drummer Ignis Fatuus— are as players and how incredibly talented they are. You get a deep dose of that on their astonishing fifth record “ION,” a nine-track, 37-minute document of terror that is astonishing for many reasons. For one, the songs are not baked with noise, nor do they sound like they emanate from a dank basement. Also, it truly gives the listener a view into just how intensely powerful these cloaked beings are as performers, a fact that hammers you over and over again on this album.

Opener “Nth” is the gateway to hell, a quick intro cut constructed of weird noise scrapes and eerie transmissions, then it’s into “Esp Ion Age” that just goes off the fucking rails. The guitars burst into a cloud of confusion, while the Curator’s vocals sound like they’re worm holing through your head and deep into your brain. The track’s elements fold all over themselves, while the back end of the song melts your mind and fades out fast. “Husk” is destructive from the start, letting guitars race in circles, and the tempos charge into a wall. The vocals peels away the skin, while the pace is delirious, practically causing you motion sickness. “Phreqs” is the first cut the band released to the world, and it rips your insides apart, as evil growls crawl toward you, guitars create a tornado into the afterworld, and the frenetic pace causes panic. Riffs peel off and leave noxious fumes, while the song boils into formless madness, and monstrous noises grinds out. “Crone” has aching strings and guitars sparking, practically bleeding oil, and then things gets shredded. The fury is dizzying, while the growls fold in, with the Curator repeatedly inviting, “Breathe the sickness.”

“Revault of Volts” opens in thick humidity, while the playing bashes away at your bones, and the drumming tries to turn you into paste. Howled, hissed vocals snake toward your mind, with the guitars wrapping themselves around them, jarring and spinning and spilling into a vortex. “Spores” is a drill eating ferociously into the middle of the Earth. This isn’t one for those who get anxiety from penetrating drone, as this song moves at one pace, consistently and violently, with guitars splattering and churning, and the vocals sucking up the blood. “Phathom” has riffs rippling, causing seismic waves, as everything spills like guts, growls begin to spurt plasma, and the end pounds relentlessly before ending suddenly. “Olde Guarde” is the 9:44 closer, and it tears open right away, with guitars destroying and confounding, and a thunderous, devastating pace taking hold. The music creates a thick soot, while the Curator moans and wails his way into the ugliness. The chaotic frenzy suddenly dissipates, overtaken by strange noises that sound like they’ve been created by ghosts, and then an oddly mournful passage emerges. A cosmic star bath floods over, and the record ends in the strangest way possible—in the arms of serenity.

As long as Portal stand as a unit, they’re likely to always shield their true selves from their audience. That’s part of the allure for these guys, though the most important aspect is they make unreal records such as “ION.” This already is a high watermark for death metal this year, and it reestablishes these guys as the masters over all who have followed and emulated their sound. These are the faces of fear, and it’s even more terrifying that we’ll never get to even see them.

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

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

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