It’s the end of the week, so why not cap things off with a venomous burst of audio violence? I know we’re supposed to be getting to relax for the weekend and think of some fun Halloween shit to do, but you can’t shake the frustrations of the week that easily, right? Right.

So, it’s an ideal time for All Pigs Must Die to walk back into our lives after four years away. Their massive third record “Hostage Animal” is another feral blast of metal, hardcore, noise, and death, 10 tracks that’ll knock out your teeth and pour salt all over those gaping wounds. Recorded at Kurt Ballou’s GodCity Studios (naturally), this band of veterans has plied their trades in tons of bands you know and love and unleash savagery and chaos over this 35-minite album. The combination of vocalist Kevin Baker (The Hope Conspiracy), guitarists Brian Izzi (Trap Them) and Adam Wentworth (Bloodhorse, ex-The Red Chord), bassist Matt Woods (also of Bloodhorse), and drummer Ben Koller (Converge, Mutoid Man) just unloads on this record, an album that sets fire to the path they carved with “God Is War” and “Nothing Violates This Nature” and leaves shrapnel and blood behind. It’s a total demolition job, a record that’s perfect for helping alleviate the pressure building up in your brain.

The punishment begins with the title track, as the cut rips open, and Baker howls about “crawling in the cages of misery.” The band hits a thrashy burst, as the riffs ensnare, the drums blast, and everything comes to a dramatic finish. “A Caustic Vision” is packed with raspy shouts and relentless speed, as the band chops away and brings wind milling guitars. A final gallop from the band takes us into the collection’s shortest cut “Meditation of Violence,” a 52-second scorcher. Gnarly violence unfolds, as Baker shouts, “Total chaos unfolds!” a line that might as well be the song’s summary. “Slave Morality” has an eerie, ghostly start, and the song builds from there as the guitars heat up, and we’re full bore into the thing about two minutes into the track. The growls gut punch while the riffs sprawl, and a monstrous, metallic pace is the tidal wave that drags everything under. “End Without End” has drums rustling and throat-mangling growls, as the pace tempers, and the feedback spreads. Voices echo before the song turns a chilling clean, and mechanical guitars take over from there and push into a stunning haze of noise.

“Blood Wet Teeth” is a quick charger, demolishing everything in its way and setting the room on fire. Baker wails about a force that “devours all flesh” while the band hits a death-thrash groove and leaves bodies convulsing. “Moral Purge” is another quick one, lasting just 1:38 but packing enough insanity, explosive playing, and threatening madness to last you a few hours. “Cruelty Incarnate” simmers in doom at the start before wild shrieks pierce the curtain, and the tempo burns faces. “Let them burn!” Baker insists, while savagery and melody wage war over the final minute. “The Whip” is unhinged, tearing open and speeding toward the gates with reckless abandon. Baker shouts about “the lambs to the slaughter,” a common saying but one even more apropos considering what’s in the news and on social media every day. The back end of the track begins to liquify, flowing into its noise-marred end. “Heathen Reign” closes the album, and its 6:36 run time makes it the longest song here. A black metal boil generates heat, while the track begins to stomp bones. Baker screams of a “killing machine ready to die” as the guitars gain atmosphere before going ugly again. The band turns up the heat one last time, unleashing pain and charred emotions, as the song bleeds its way into the sewers.

A thunder-storming wave of power is perfect for getting us ready for a weekend after a tumultuous week, and All Pigs Must Die have the sickening fury to accomplish just that. “Hostage Animal” is another destructive building block in their jackhammering fortress, and a few years away only galvanized their chaotic hearts. This band continues to smash bones and smear blood, and their fires don’t appear anywhere near being extinguished.

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

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

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

A massive degree of heavy metal is ensconced with horrors, anger, sadness, and darkness, mostly because the times in which we live also are flooded with those things. It’s difficult to indulge in social media, watch the news, or even have conversations at work without talk going black in a hurry, and it’s a shame it’s come to that.

But it doesn’t have to be that way all the time when indulging into more extreme sounds, and long-running project Lustre has returned with a record that easily could take you out of the doldrums. “Still Innocence,” the new five-track, 35-minute record from sole creator Nachtzeit, who has helmed this journey ever since 2008, doesn’t mind pushing back against the anguish and violence of much of the music that surrounds him. Instead, he presents a record that might as well be a surging trip through a fantasy land that might only exist in your mind but still acts as an escape. The record purposely puts a murky sheen on the music, which reminds a bit of Alcest’s work, as this can enable you to return to a time when things weren’t so grim and life wasn’t a constant struggle. It might not sound extreme, but this heavy synth-laden music is the polar opposite of what so much of heavy music has become, that’s it’s downright rebellious. It’s also relaxing and wholly intoxicating.

“Dreaded Still” opens the record on a fantastical note, as cosmic weirdness and lush keys spread, while the vocal hiss sizzles under the music, with the words barely audible at all. Mystical keys and shimmering notes brighten the scene, while whispered calls emerge from the darkness, and the enrapturing melody slowly fades away. “Nestle Within” has magical keys and growls swirling amid the atmosphere. The hypnotic tones feel like a 1980s Saturday afternoon fantasy film, while loops of a baby crying dash more hints of the innocence ingrained in this piece. The music turns into a strange cloud, as growls lurch beneath, and the song’s essence transcends into the stars.

“Let Go Like Leaves of Fall” is lush and dreamy, a secret pocket from which a mysterious mist forms. Keys bounce through, while the music has an alien feel, and the swimming synth mixes into your subconscious and lulls you into slumber. “Reverence Road” is the longest cut, gushing over 10:15 and bringing synth that sounds like it arrived from decades passed, and an ambiance that makes your imagination swell. Voices again hiss below the surface, while a shiny coat is applied to the music, giving off gold beams, and then things rush open. The fantasy scape grows larger and bolder as it goes, enchanting its entire path and stretching its wonder to its washed-out finish. Closer “Without End” has synth glow, smearing melodies, and a glistening finish that shoots sparks. The track then sends you into a trance state, soothing the chaos in your mind and leaving you floating down a tributary to numbing solitude.

It might be a stretch to consider Nachtzeit’s work under the Lustre banner as metal, but certainly it crosses over into those boundaries and can have an impact on any apostle of whatever sub-genre you can name. Escaping the darkness can be healthy and necessary, and “Still Innocence” is a record that stands out from the rest of the extreme music pack simply by being its own thing. It’s a record that could soundtrack a fantasy videogame you indulge in all night while in a calm drunken haze, and the music is a refreshing change of pace from the pressures of harsh reality.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nordvis.com/lustre-a-10

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

Metal is a loud, violent business by trade. It’s why we’re here for a lot of reasons, because we want music that’s loud, destructive, and in your face. That’s one of the reasons why metal has gotten darker and gnarlier as time has gone on, because everyone has tried to one up whatever they thought was the heaviest and most terrifying before them.

That being the case, black metal terror trio Tetragrammacide just might be upping the ante. This band, based in West Bengal, are indescribable in many ways. Their brand of audio horror is massive and impossible to penetrate. It’s heavily noise based and marred beyond recognition, and the music sounds like it’s coming from an inhuman force that has only devastation in mind. The band’s debut full-length “Primal Incinerators of Moral Matrix” finally is here after a series of smaller releases, and every ounce of this nine-track, nearly 39-minute album is hellbent on ripping flesh from the body. The architects of this madness—vocalist M.Opium, guitarist S(d)S(t), and drummer U. Eliminator—put together a ferocious record that has many elements of their Indian homeland packed into the songs but also take black metal to a new level of violence that wants nothing but blood.

“Hyper-Spatial Mandala of Intuitive Latencies” is a strange opening that’s packed with buzzing noises, weird speaking, and overall strangeness that spills right into “The Prognosticators of Trans-Yuggothian Meta-Reasoning.” Horrifying growls and a death hammer strike immediately bring chaos, while the guitars spit lines of fire. The pace is relentless, as the guitars char, the tempo defaces, and the song spills into a thrashy hellscape that leaves a dizzying end. “Radicalized Matrikavyeda Operation: Militarized Cosmogrids Destabilization (Heralding Absolute Contraction)” has guitars smothering, drums feeling like a death rattle, and the scene incinerated by the hellish playing. The growls destroy, as another voice emerges behind that, and the punishment rolls down the hill. The strength remains thick until the sound is swallowed in echoes. “Cyberserking Strategic Kalpa-Terminator (Advanced Acausality Increment Mechanism)” is jackhammering from the start, as the music boils, growls corrode, and everything in its path takes a tremendous beating. Disorienting riffs makes your head spin, while the vocals rush to the surface at the end.

“Transcranial Ka’abatronic Stimulation Collapse” is another quick interlude, as noise-scarred singing and weird noises sprawl toward “Intra-Dimensional Vessel of Were-Robotics, N-Logics and Assorted Lattice Intelligences” that’s jammed with gargantuan growls and an unforgiving pace. Guitars spiral and screech, while the tricky pace chugs hard, and the song tears itself apart as it crushes to the end. “Meontological Marga of Misanthropic Computation & Extensive Backwards Physics” has mechanical cries that reach into the void, and the pace mashes fingers. The track is total sensory decimation, as the guitars are mean and disorientngi, and the track comes to a stinging end. “Imperial Cyanide Voltigeurs (Quantum Threshold Leapers of Hatha-Sorcery)” has sounds swirling as the band begins mauling, and violent cries chew at bones. The guitars burn, while the song brings on the nausea, and the drums clobber everything in its path. More hellish growls team with scintillating lead work to bring the track to an infernal ending. Closer “Dismal Ramification of Metamathematical Marmas and Sandhi” is a final instrumental cut that brings together eerie racket, strangeness, and a glimpse into damnation you’d been trying to avoid.

Tetragrammacide’s forcefield of madness cannot be understated, and the music on “Primal Incinerators of Moral Matrix” could frighten even the brawniest, burliest of listeners. This is music that should be used to gain submission from people who cannot take the torture any longer and will give you whatever info you’re seeking. Or, on a less damaging means, this music should be used to frighten and put ungodly nightmares in the back of people’s minds.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.ironbonehead.de/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.ironbonehead.de/

As has been obnoxiously pointed out on this site, the cold weather never is coming to the East Coast. As I write this, we are a little more than a week from Halloween, and the temperature is 76 degrees. I just cut the grass. Winter? What’s that? I want to have an autumn first.

That said, there remain musical elements that instill a deep freeze in my soul, and one of those is Italian black metal band Talv, who have returned with a third platter of coldness with “Entering a Timeless Winter.” That sentiment is smeared all over this five-track, nearly 44-minute opus, as you feel like you’re deep in the forest during a blizzard, with you barely being able to see you own hands in front of you, and any traveling by foot is a shot in the dark if you’re even on the right track. The music, the creation of sole member A, is entrancing, as the noise-marred black metal rolls out on loops, and it’s impossible not to feel like the room is spinning away. Over this project’s five years, the darkness has flowed generously from A, and the music has kept everything frozen solid, with no hope of any warmth.

“Dreaming a Funeral in Another Life” is instantly awash in murk, as the music bleeds, and the growls are buried beneath 15 feet of snow. Things are unforgiving and frigid, with the music creating a disorienting haze, the pain and anguish hanging like a cloud, and the pace pounding you into submission. “A Sad Moon Concealed by Pines” bleeds into the picture, with a similar tempo leaving bruising and the beginnings of frostbite. The music spills darkly, while the growls well up and threaten, and a wave of mournful playing is spread out like a fog. The cries drown in chaos, while the pain is dealt relentlessly and in great supply.

“An Eternal Snowfall Will Come” runs a hefty 8:49 and is the second-longest track on the album. The track is heavily mournful at the start, with wild cries exploding behind the wall of murk, and mesmerizing tones and melodies causing your brain to question reality. You might find your head swimming in the clouds as this track goes on, and it’ll stay there as the song numbs before fading into the night. “Sidereal Hypothermia” is the longest track, punishing over its 14:24 run time. Brutal cold causes your face to lose feeling, while the music spins and stymies, with everything blanketed in a heavy snowfall. Eerie noises begin to zap, while the tempo causes drowsiness, but not because it lacks excitement. It’s just easy for the playing to work its way into your mind and set you at a false sense of ease, as your eyelids get heavy. The song is relatively unchanged through its whole run, another element that causes weariness, and as the track reaches its end, the snow collects, and soon you can’t feel or move. A cover of ColdWorld’s “Winterreise” finishes the record on a proper, icy instrumental note, lulling you back into the middle of the forest to freeze forever.

We probably are still six months away from any hint of winter here in the eastern United States, but a new record from Talv at least teases that it’s possible. “Entering a Timeless Winter” perfectly summarizes the music that swarms you on this record, and it leaves a numbing chill over your entire body. We might not be physically digging out of a winter nightmare anytime soon, but at least this record can bring that chilling assault to us mentally.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://eshop.atmf.net/

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

In the spring here on the East Coast of the United States, we get some fairly insane storms. People in the Midwest will be laughing since their entire houses get destroyed, so, sorry. But staring out at a violent storm cell, with swirling winds, chaos in the skies, and utter blackness pouring over what used to be a bright, promising afternoon is unsettling to some, but to me, it’s a season highlight.

I commonly think of this scene any time I indulge in French black metal institution Blut Aus Nord. Any record from them. That’s always been my takeaway from their tornadic black metal, a style that often comes off like a mix of darkness in the sky that mars the sun and threatens sanity. The band’s new, 12^th record “Deus Salutis Meæ” (translated means “god of my salvation”) continues that storm-bursting ambiance. At 10 tracks and 34 minutes, it’s one of the most concise records in this project’s long history (Vindsval brought this project to life in 1994 after Vlad fell by the wayside). The music takes you on a journey into a vortex, one that transports you to a different dimension, even if that’s only in your mind. The band also has maintained its ridiculous level of creativity these 23 years, with the project morphing and folding into different forms, with this one spilling smearing, chilling black metal.

“δημιουργός” is a strange opener that is a haunting soundscape, with muffled voices, spilling toward “Chorea Macchabeorum” that slips right into warped growls and enrapturing melodies. Clean calls sit behind a wall of madness, feeling darkly spiritual, and then the song implodes, bleeding out into darkness. “Impius” has brain-warping guitars chewing right away, as well as odd howls that get into your bloodstream. Melodies warp and spin, while growls gurgle, the strangeness rises, and the growls disintegrate. “γνῶσις” is another ghostly interlude based on cosmic oddness and a spreading cloud of noise, heading right into “Apostasis” that tears its guts right out onto the floor. The guitar work sickens and causes vertigo, while the growls go beastly and gurgle blood, the melodies confound, and chants feel like they’re from another dimension. That leads to a final burst that’s downright demonic.

“Abisme” is slow driving and quite cold, sending freezing drizzle to coat your body. The singing is smeared in a dreamlike fashion, while a bizarre melody line snakes through the murk, leaving a haze of confusion. “Revelatio” erupts right away, as the guitars make their way through the tension before the melodies hit a dark groove. The song continues to fold in on itself, looping away and creating panic. Gravelly growls leave scrapes on the skin, while chants return and lift the song into another plane. “ἡσυχασμός” is a final interlude track, this one simmering in sounds and stinging the senses before “Ex tenebrae Lucis” barrels in with crushing playing, noises crackling, a scary ambiance firing off. Robotic voices blend into the mix, with a room-spinning assault of sounds, guitars lighting fires, and the singing numbing. The final moments are frigid and unsettling, ending as abruptly as possible. “Métanoïa” is a cloud of confusion, as vocals lurch out like a blaze from a furnace, and the ferocity levels are multiplied by a thousand. Vocals spill out, sounding like they’re spun backward (which makes this even creepier), while weird calls burst through the song, and the track comes to a violent, sudden finish.

Blut Aus Nord’s immersion into dark waters and cavernous mysteriousness continues more than two decades into their monumental run, and “Deus Salutis Meæ” is the next, harrowing chapter into their psychological horrors. This quick burst of black metal ferocity is infectious and otherworldly, a beast of a record that burrows into your brain and stays there. This band’s journey always steers into unexpected corners and crevices of the universe, and these 10 songs are unforgiving entries that stretch your mind even further than it’s been before.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: http://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

During the Stanley Cup Finals this past spring, I had to wear the exact same shirt every day when the Penguins played, otherwise they’d lose. Olli Määttä No. 3 player T-shirt. I wore a different player one night because my regular shirt was not accessible, and sure enough, the Pens got waxed. You can bet the night they won’t the Cup over Nashville, I had that (very) unwashed Määttä shirt on my back.

Fact is, it meant nothing that I was wearing that shirt. It was a pattern of coincidence that I happened to have that shirt on and the team came out on top. I knew that in the back of my head, but I wasn’t about to tempt fate. it’s a phenomenon known as apophenia, and that also happens to be the name of the debut record from Brooklyn-based crushers Belus. “Apophenia” contains seven tracks that will tangle your brain, and taking on this first full recording from Belus took some time to fully absorb. There are so many tricks, twists, and turns here, that keeping up takes getting used to the terrain. The music, if you let it overtake you, might have you seeing strange patterns and visions, another form of apophenia (it’s a multi-faceted phenomenon that also is often linked to the early stages of schizophrenia), but that’s just your brain pushing you. The band—guitarist/vocalist Matt Mewton (Woe), bassist Leslie Wolf (Mortals), and drummer Jacques Johnson—have put out plenty of smaller releases during their seven-year run, but this is the first full vision we’ve gotten from the band, and it’s devastating.

“Chasm” starts the record, and it’s burly and proggy, as Johnson’s drums just go off. Gritty riffs and Mewton’s scarring growls combine, while things get even nastier, and the music begins to flood the room. The back end has more cool riffs and a black sense of creativity before fading away. “Monolith” has warmer guitars before the assault happens, as Wolf and Johnson thicken the bottom that begins pounding you. Black metal-style melodies run, while the guitars give off electricity, and the growls grind at the flesh. The song turns toward heavy demolition before heading off into space. “Avarice” bleeds into the scene, entering into a dark, black metal-style pace, as strange riffs and grisly growls amplify the violence. The track eventually gets trance-inducing and the music goes trippy, while the growls return to bring back menace, and the drums deliver death blows before the song comes to its end.

“Illusions” takes off in the fog, as guitars creep in, and the track stretches into mystical territory. The track eventually bursts, as harsh growls penetrate, the music makes you dizzy enough to clutch the wall, and a heavy dose of strangeness wafts in. The final minute is a head trip, with the melodies playing cruel games and the growls leaving gashes. “Psychosis” tears things apart, as Mewton’s growls chill the flesh, and the music floats dangerously above. Riffs cut through as the song hits demolition mode, bringing everything to a punchy end. “Omens” is a charge of suspense when it starts, as the song is slashed apart, the drums crush rock into rubble, and harsh growls jab at the ribcage. The music is boiling, giving off heat and humidity, while the band hits a trudging path later, bringing the song to a slow-driving, devastating finish. Closer “Equilibrium” is mind-bending and punishing right away, with a prog-fueled base, vocals scraping, and a heavy storm laying waste. Speedy shifts and disorienting stretches push you to the limit, while the music stings, and the guitars buzz. Finally, the melodies cascade, saturating the ground, while the song slowly slips away.

Belus’ first full-length effort is an invigorating, challenging experience, but every time I’ve delved into its flesh and organs, I’ve had a completely different experience. “Apophenia” is a damn effective first impression, another entry into underground metal that expands its reaches into new areas. It took a while to get their debut record in front of us, but now that it’s here, there’s no guessing where they’ll push into the future.

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

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

Everyone is excited for the Halloween season because of the return of the beloved “Stranger Things” series. I get that. I’m one of those people, and I’m really looking forward to see where they go next, as well as what that weird red thing in the sky is. But that’s not the only beastly treat that awaits you this autumnal holiday season.

Brooklyn-based Clouds Taste Satanic are the perfect band for this time of year, and their fourth long-player “The Glitter of Infinite Hell” will land in your lap, ready to take you on a mysterious journey. The instrumental doom four-piece have been very active ever since their formation in 2013, releasing a new record every year since 2014. This new one is a beefy monster, as their followers surely expect, with four tracks stretching over a hefty 74 minutes. This harkens a bit back to their debut “To Sleep Beyond the Earth” and its mammoth two tracks, and not as much to their past two records, where the songs were more concise, so you’re going to need some time to sit back and absorb this album. But that’s well worth your time as the band—guitarists Steve Scavuzzo and Brian Bauhs, bassist Sean Bay, and drummer Greg Acampora—delivers four songs that all have their own personalities and environments, and even without words, they manage to convey a thick sense of pain and dread.

“Greed” opens the record, and it’s an 18:40 heater that starts with drone welling up before the first punches are thrown. The track has a bruising, dusty feel like you’re being dragged through the desert, and despite some sludgy moments, we’re mostly baking in the sun. Some turns remind a bit of modern-era Earth, while the riffs chew, and pace begins to stomp guts. The guitars slide as the track heads into psychedelic realms, and from there, the riffs give off heat, the pace drubs, and it all fades into the distance. “Treachery” goes 18:10, and trippy noises and thick basslines get the storm brewing. The song kicks in fully, while the playing bruises and heads into the swamps. The leads burn and bring more humidity, as the track lays in the punches slowly but heavily, and the melodies stretch into a weird haze. Out of that atmosphere comes a stomping gallop, whipping up dust and creating chaos. A heavy stoner vibe lands in the final minutes before soloing rips out, and madness compounds.

“Violence” runs 17:48, making it the shortest song on the record, and it gets punchy and aggravated right away, as muscular riffs begin flexing, and the interplay gets gritty and psychedelic. The guitar work lets off noxious smoke, the kind that makes your brain feel like it’s floating among the stars, while the band’s strong work together helps glue all the various parts into one. Later, the tempo cools down, though the band keeps striking, and melody laps over everything like a wave. The guitars burn off, and the final minutes are shrouded in fog. “Wrath” closes the record and is the longest track at 18:56. It’s ugly and ominous, as the song gets darkly melodic, and more psyche vibes settle into the mix. Some weirdness is injected into the play, adding a cool touch, and the band hits on a heavy shuffle that douses everything in heaviness. A burst of space sludge spreads, while the guitars are open and spacious, the pace lights up, and we’re into the mouth of hell. The band puts all irons in the fire as we reach the end, with dual guitars aligning and dizzying, and the song barreling its way into strangeness.

Clouds Taste Satanic make records that keep you on the edge of sanity, and “The Glitter of Infinite Hell” is another spellbinding entry to their molten catalog. They are massive beasts in the live setting, and this record will provide even more fodder for their stage actions. This is an album that takes some time to fully absorb, but once you do, each visit beyond your initial voyage will reveal different folds of hell that will scorch your body and soul.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://cloudstastesatanic.bandcamp.com/album/the-glitter-of-infinite-hell

Winter is coming. That’s not a “Game of Thrones” goof. It really is. I think. Here on the East Coast of the U.S., I’m also hoping autumn will arrive, as it’s my favorite season. But that’s looking highly unlikely at this point as I gaze at the 15-day forecast. So, looking forward to winter is kind of a loser’s game.

That said, the music of one-man project Eneferens always makes me think of the snowy, freezing days that, allegedly, are right around the corner. Luckily for sole creator Jori Apedaile and for us, his music is getting the wider stage it deserves, as Bindrune Recordings and Nordvis Produktion are teaming up to bring the project’s second full-length “In the Hours Beneath” to their loyal audience. The music has been out there digitally since December of last year, but now more people can indulge in this nice mix of frosty folk and woodsy black metal that fits like a glove right at both labels. This six-track, nearly 43-minute collection will sound ideal once the snows start falling and we’re trapped in dark homes with equally blackened beers. But even now when the weather remains warm and oppressive, this music at least makes one think of a time when snow-crunched hikes and layered clothing are parts of our lives.

Fittingly, “Morning” begins the record, as sounds spread majestically, and serene guitar work bursts over the horizon. Apedaile’s singing and the atmosphere remind heavily of Alcest, making it seem like everything is easing into a fog. Calming synth warms up and adds a bluish hue before the guitars light up, the tempo gets heavier and faster, and we gently rollick into the finish. “Chrysanthemum” unleashes the power, as riffs set fires, and the vocals get growlier and more aggressive. The song lets the earth quake, while melodies rush in, infusing even more colors into the sky. Bursts continue to drop before the song melts into serenity and fades out. “Through the White” lets sounds gush, growls draw blood, and a proggier edge bite into the song. Cleaner vocals swell and become a greater part of the song, while the pace picks up and lets adrenaline crush. A brief measure of calm emerges, leaving an icy feel on the surface, before the track ruptures and bleeds away its chaos.

“Refuge” takes its time getting started, but it has time with its 9:24 run to fully develop, and it does. Melodic riffs rise as the vocals turn decidedly death metal. Guitars then begin to blind, as the tempo rages with great momentum downhill like a snowball with a boulder as its core. All elements spiral and crash before we calm down a bit. Singing floats and begins to rise higher, while dual guitar lines rule everything in its way. From there, the emotion caterwauls and leads right to instrumental cut “Upon the Black Mountain.” Pianos drip, while a wintry glaze is applied to the song, making it the perfect pathway to 12-minute closer “Ascension.” The serenity leads in before a storm erupts, and the song thunders away. Clean singing adds a different texture to the chaos, while the leads also ease up before taking off into the sky. Melodic calling and epic guitar work combine, as the lead play takes on a ’70s vibe (if Opeth played with this kind of vibe, we wouldn’t have an issue) before the song disappears for good into the cosmos.

Eneferens has been a bit of an elusive project since its inception, but with Bindrune and Nordvis on board, “In the Hours Beneath” should find a wider audience to admire these engaging songs. Apedaile’s style should appeal to fans of bands such as Panopticon and Wolves in the Throne Room, and this music can be a perfect companion when taking on nature. The deep freeze will be here soon enough, and Eneferens will be the perfect medicine to get us all through the dark months we so enjoy.

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

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

Or here: https://www.nordvis.com/compact-disc-c-22/eneferens-in-the-hours-beneath-cd-p-594

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

And here: https://www.nordvis.com/

I don’t always go to all the shows I want to see. It’s a combo of a few things from working long days, needing time for exercise and nourishment, and just not feeling like driving longer than what feels comfortable. Every now and again I miss a band and totally regret it (Tom Petty this past June, for example) or I don’t get to see a band because of bad luck.

This past July, I flat out missed Amenra’s opening slot on the Neurosis/Converge tour. I was a block away, trying to grab a pre-show meal and beer, and I thought the show started later than it did. I caught the last five minutes of Amenra’s set, which still blew me away, but I’ve regretted missing the bulk of their set since. Now that Amenra’s fifth crushing full-length “Mass VI” has arrived, I feel even dumber. These guys are gargantuan monsters whose mix of post-metal, doom, and sludge is ungodly heavy. The six songs on this new record are some of the best of their run, a record that sure as hell should make a huge impact, especially among the Neurosis/ISIS/Cult of Luna fanbase. The band’s concentration on sadness, depression, and darkness never has been thicker, and the way the music rolls out of them, it’s almost like a personal demon exorcism right there in front of you, bleeding from your speakers. The band members—vocalist Colin H. van Eeckhout, guitarists Mathieu J. Vandekerckhove and Lennart Bossu, bassist Levy Seynaeve, drummer Bjorn J. Lebon—themselves went through their own trials and tribulations, from watching loved ones suffer with disease to taking on new parental roles. All that chaos is plastered all over this thing, and goddamn if it doesn’t feel like a self-cleansing when it’s all over.

“Children of the Eye” kicks off the record, and it’s a 9:41 cut that starts eerie and cold, as if we’re spiraling into space. A riff slowly formulates before it, along with the song, explodes to life. Wild shrieks rain down, while the pace pounds way. The sound hangs in the air, hovering over chugging guitars, and then cleaner singing emerges, sounding foggy and disorienting. The earth’s crust erupts again for a moment, as crazed growls wail, and the band deals heavy blows, but then it all dissolves into tranquility. “Edelkroone” is a quick interlude that’s spoken dryly, and then it’s into “Plus Pres de Toi,” that goes a healthy 8:40. The song rushes with melody and anguish, as cries scrape flesh off the face, and the tempo feels volcanic. We ease up a bit, with the song taking on calmer waters, and the singing feeling more melodic, before the assault starts all over. The band lays waste from here, with the vocals leaving ample bruising, their pain spilling all over the floor, and the song fading into the distance.

“Spijt” is a second interlude, also containing speaking but bursting into a fireball of intensity that leaves a trail of ash right to 9:04-long “A Solitary Reign.” Prog-folk-style riffs get us started, as van Eeckhout calls, “I see distance in your eyes,” a line he threads through the entire song. The band expertly applies soft/loud dynamics, as the singing eases and stabs, and the music follows the same pattern. Mournful sections flood heavily, as the band continues clobbering behind, and the twist of growling and singing stretches, adding to an emotional swell that slowly dissipates. Closer “Diaken” is the longest track at 12 minutes, and it gradually leaks into the scene, getting off to a plodding start before completely combusting. Guitars slice the flesh, while the band hits a melodic stomp, and their outburst of menace makes the calm section that follows feel like being brought up from under water. Cleaner guitars create a tributary, as the signing registers softly and vulnerably before devastation returns. Monstrous shrieks and playing that feels world-toppling join forces and create a seismic force that could, and probably should, end worlds.

Amenra have made incredible, volcanic sounds going on two decades now, but it’s their sixth record “Mass VI” that should be the one that makes their largest crater in the underground metal scene. This is an emotional bloodletting, a record that feels as heavy psychologically as it is emotionally. These guys lived every moment of these songs, and now they hopefully can sweat and bleed away every note of their creations.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.churchofra.com/

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

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

I love putting on music that leaves me completely annihilated. Like, a heaving mess on the floor trying to pick up the pieces, wondering what it is that just happened to me. I love to sink in and concentrate during music as well, but a good demolition sometimes is what it takes to get rid of the toxins and regenerate the self.

That’s always a good place to tackle music from French metallic force Celeste, who have been lighting faces on fire for more than a decade now. They have returned with their ferocious fifth full-length “Infidèle(s),” a harrowing, 10-track experience that hits you like an anvil carrying another anvil. It’d their first in four years, following up 2013’s monstrous “Animale(s).” As has been the case since they formed, the band has a sound that’s tough to pin down. Black metal, sludge, hardcore, and noise all are crucial elements of their explosive style, though none of them overpower the others. On this record, you’re bruised over 48 challenging minutes that rarely even take a break from dumping the intensity and heaviness. Yet, it’s not just brutality, as the band—bassist/vocalist Johan, guitarists Sebastian and Guillaume, drummer Royer—nuance the music with melody and emotion, letting you know human hearts are behind this thing.

“Cette Chute Brutale” opens with grimy power and raw growls, typical elements of the band’s songs, while we head into dissonant thrashing. Later, the band deals some hardcore juice, while the song grinds out as Johan tears his pipes apart. “Comme Des Amants En Reflet” is muddy and trudging, with the pace clobbering, and the vocals dealing maximum punishment. Faces are pushed hard into rocks, while the track has an ugly, violent end. “Tes Amours Noirs Illusoires” opens in atmospheric heaviness, making it feel like thick cloud cover is marring the sun. Nasty growls erupt while the playing folds in on itself, and powerful riffs drag us to the ground-soaking end. “Sombres Sont Tes Déboires” opens in a panic, as the song smashes away, destroying every shred of calm. Vicious growls and tar-thick guitars are intertwined and make sledding tough, while the back end is blistering and deliberately punishing, making you absorb every blow.  “À La Gloire Du Néant” tears apart and reignites the storms. Your brain wires are ripped out of your head, as the temperature cools to a freeze, and the sounds rush and fade.

“Sotte, Sans Devenir” chugs hard, but the music also hangs overhead and gives off a trance feeling. As the track goes on, its assault leaves bruises, and the shrieks and growls pelt the flesh. There are strong melodies packed inside but also a menacing end. “(I)” is a massive instrumental that has guitars churning, the band grinding away, and the drama continually building. While devoid of words, the song’s story still is easy to follow, and it rushes into the face of “Entre Deux Vagues” and its weird, nightmarish black metal-style riffs. In what is a theme of the record, the heaviness situates overhead like a cold, fall rain storm, and along with that are burly growls and a destructive path that rips everything in its path. “De l’ivresse Au Dégoût” is hypnotic and stunning, as the vocals bring devastation, and the band unloads a mathcore-friendly attack. The song clobbers intensively and repeatedly, with the song coming to a gritty, muddy end. Closer “Sans Coeur Et Sans Corps” begins as a slow-driving push, as the vocals scrape, and the guitars spill buckets of muck. Things remain blurry and dangerous, as the shrieks jab you in the ribs, and the group brings the song to a heavy-handed finish.

Celeste’s destructive energy and emotional outbursts always make their records memorable affairs, and “Infidèle(s)” is no exception. Their music, even if the language barrier holds you back, has a way of getting into your blood and raising your temperature. They rip through those roadblocks and create fiery music that either could signal the end of the world or the blazing rebirth of a new one.

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

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

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