Photo by Shannon Corr

Anyone out there who’s ever had a panic attack knows they are no fun at all. I mean, at all. Times I’ve had them, my body goes weak, my arms get heavy, breathing accelerates, certainty of imminent death is the only thing on my mind, and the idea of calming down and taking deep breaths is the last thing on my list of things I’m able to do capably.

Saying that Dimesland’s music always makes me feel like I’m in the midst of a panic attack might make it sound like a negative, but really, it isn’t. That’s because I’m not actually in one, and I feel just fine. Yet it makes my mind race and insanity take over, but usually instead of curling into the fetal position, I start whipping around and getting shit done. So it’s a positive panic attack you could say. That’s the best way I can think to describe the band’s manic, all-over-the-fucking-map debut LP “Psychogenic Atrophy.” Deciding where on the metal sub-genre scale the band falls is near impossible. Noise? Prog? Math metal? Death? Doom? Uh, try all of those, with no one element ever taking over another. It’s perplexing stuff, this great first full document (their 2012 EP “Creepmoon” only hinted as the craziness ahead), and there’s no way you’ll have the same experience with this music twice.

Dimesland are comprised primarily of members of the awesome Wild Hunt (their 2012 smasher “Beyond the Plane of Angles” is a revelation), that being guitarist Drew Cook, bassist Greg Brace, and drummer Harland Burkhart. Along with them is guitarist Nolan Cook, and together they pump out a musically dynamic, sonically perplexing, often manic, always sweltering collection of eight songs. Truth be told, these guys may annoy some people with their sound, because its harshness isn’t always easy to take. For me, I revel in it, rolling around like I’m trying to cover myself in mud and pine needles, hellbent on scaring the hell of the neighbors or any scared child on the block. It’s OK. I’m moving soon.

Bizarre noises and trickling sounds introduce you to opener “Are They Cannibals,” a question you might direct right back at the band once you get your first dose. Yowled vocals and tricky, sprawling playing highlight this thing, with cries of, “Unhinged violence!” practically standing as the song’s calling card. “Dying Foretold” combines deranged yelling, music that feels like it bubbled out of an unauthorized science lab, and dizzying thrashing into a blast that is thrashy and mangling. “Institutional Gears” blows open with a rumbling bassline, lead guitar work that burns the brows from your face (literally … I have no more eyebrows now), and metallic strikes over top that remind me of a crazed person trying to stab blindly over a wall. And hitting the target every time. The final moments have chunky crunching and what sounds like a freight train trying to navigate under water. “Xenolith” is the longest track of the group at 8:43, and guitars rip this thing apart before everything freezes over and puts you in a trance. Then things gets weirder. A roiling tempo rises up, as mechanical voices convey unintelligible information before the band blows up the scene again and ends the thing in a cloud of smoke.

“That Cold Moment” is furious and nasty from the start, with howled vocals, guitars cutting through everything like a sword, and eventually fluid melodies that serve to bring the temperature down. The guitars get exploratory and spacey, while the bass and drums meld together to reach out and spread something that would make Rush proud. “Malfunctioning Gears” charges and trudges, with blurry oddness eventually making its presence known and making everything feel kind of drunken. No complaints there. Growls blow in, the pace gets deadlier, and an eerie calm steps in and pulls the song to its finish. “Bound in Store” is a monster, splattering blood everywhere, letting the music barrel out of control and toward any poor bastard in its path, with the final seconds simmering and blowing steam into closer “Odd Feats Are Bid and Won.” This one has a proggy, intriguing start before the bottom drops out and devastation returns. It’s a strange little journey, with angry bursts striking here and there, guitars later warming up and spilling over the track, harsh shouts emerging to poke a few final fingers in your eyes, and the song naturally ending as strangely as possible.

You might want to wear a helmet, tape your fists, hide breakables, and warn loved ones if you plan to take an extended trip with Dimesland. “Psychogenic Atrophy” can be as dangerous as it is musically stimulating, a collection that might make you turn into a whirling dervish of energy, looking for any task to complete while on this artistic high. Or maybe there’s just something wrong with my brain that it makes me feel this way. Either way, be prepared. These guys are out to challenge, and even hurt, your puny little brain.

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

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

If there’s one complaint I constantly hear from people who are not inclined to like doom, it’s that the songs tend to be long. This isn’t an inaccurate assessment of a lot of doom bands, and if you don’t have the patience for songs that take their time and stretch, you might want to go read something else. Today just might break you.

English doom band Eye of Solitude have one of the more demanding releases that recently landed, that being their new EP “Dear Insanity.” First, I take issue with this being labeled an EP, but that probably has more to do with what that kind of release entails. You know, a handful of songs that come and go. Yeah, OK, this is just one track, that being the title cut. But this son of a bitch is just a few ticks under 50 minutes long, a full-length document for any other band on the planet (and this is only 16 minutes shorter than the group’s last record “Canto III”). Sure, there is plenty of room to split hairs there, and I don’t care to do that. Instead, let’s focus on the major commitment you must make to this thing. You’re not pulling out a bit here and there. There are no multi-track movements to help you navigate. You get it all. In one large chunk. For consumption in one sitting. So yeah, if long doom tracks aren’t your thing, you’ll want to bow out.

I feel bad for anyone who decides to avoid this thing, because “Dear Insanity” is one hell of a compelling listen, and it doesn’t feel like it lasts as long as it does. Along the way, we get heavy drubbing, funeral doom-like weariness, gothic transmissions, drone, and outright fury, with so many peaks and valleys, it’s easy to lose count. The band—it consists of four Sidious members in vocalist Daniel Neagoe, guitarists Mark Antoniades and Steffan Gough, and bassist Chris Davies, with drummer Adriano Ferraro the only one not in the other group—weaves this huge piece together nicely, and giant helpings of drama and emotion packed into this song should be more than enough to keep you tuned in from front to back.

The track gets started with a serious pocket of synth fog, boiling and taking its time to get started because, let’s face it, they’re not in a hurry to get anywhere. There are wails in the background, sounding pained physically and emotionally, and the initial growls are buried under murk before the song breaks open eight minutes into the epic. There, the screams get nastier and meaner, with sorrowful melodies sprawling and dragging you into the darkness. At about the 15-minute mark, synth rises up and overrides the madness, with foggy, dreary passages, and minutes later the track heading into teary, goth-style melodies. The bottom drops again about a half hour into the song, driving slowly and letting the fires gain steam and choke your lungs, but that’s later displaced by another front of calm, with keys trickling and injecting some psychedelic notes into the track. With about 10 minutes remaining, all of the previous elements come together, with lead guitars churning over top, the track storming steadily and menacingly, and the last throes of punishment finally giving way to dark keys that evaporate into the night.

Even longtime fans of Eye of Solitude might be taken aback by what they hear on this release, but if you’re familiar with the band’s past and growing ambition, you won’t be surprised. It’s an interesting project they undertook here, and the fact they deliver it so well and devastatingly goes to show how good these guys are as creators. Get comfortable, take a deep breath, and get ready to take a trip that demands your undivided attention.

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

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

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

Sitting here with a sore throat, a headache that seems to come and go, and a body temperature that rises and drops 15 times per hour, everything feels like lunacy right now. I’m not bedridden by any means, and I am well enough to be somewhat productive on my couch with old NWA wrestling on my TV, so let’s get into a thunderous platter of horror that might help break my fever.

Ireland’s Zom haven’t been at it for a terribly long time, having logged three years together as a unit. But you wouldn’t know that from the hellish battery that flies at you on their debut full-length “Flesh Assimilation,” an eight-track assault that is raw and heinous as they come. There are a lot of bands that try to reach back to the black and death metal aesthetics of eras past and easily swing and miss. Not Zom. They could have crawled out of the gutters in early 1990s and been right at fiery home. They are devastating, mashing, and completely devoid of mercy for your feelings, and if that poke to the eye seems like something you might enjoy, you could get hours of infernal joy out of this record.

The three titans who comprise Zom are guitarist/vocalist Sodomaniac, bassist/vocalist Chthon, and drummer Sabbac. All three have serious impact on this thing, and each of their mammoth musical contributions go toward making this record feel like all-out war. Every second of this record is utterly brutal, with no let-up whatsoever. Even when they’re not tearing forward with great bursts of speed, they’re drubbing you with a thrashy, channeled attack that’s unquestionably heavy. Now that you’ve been duly warned, let’s get into this thing.

“Tombs of the Void” is the first offering, beginning with strange howls and eeriness before letting loose with a bloody assault, beastly growls, and a tempo that will trample you underfoot in no time. As with all of the songs on this record, the intensity remains thick and true right up until the end when it runs into “Hordes of the Cursed Realms.” The riffs are fantastic and sinewy, with the growling coming back as echoes and a strange alien feel to some of the playing. The track stomps and flattens everything in front of it, paying no mind to the bodies left behind. “Gates to Beyond” has cosmic wooshes that float in the air that are blown apart with a heavy, calculated display that takes its time distributing punishment. Of course, the song later is blown to bits as the band reaches a state of gravelly violence that only subsides once spacey noises slip in, take over, and bleed right into “Conquest.” Here, doomy pounding arrives and trudges before the guys unleash blazing speed and blurry noise that sits behind the carnage. There’s some back and forth to this one, and it ends with noises swirling in the air.

“Illbeings Unspeak” has a clubbing pace, harsh vocals that sound threatening and sometimes unintelligible, drums that detonate fully, and rampaging riffs that should make the blood surge and the body bruise more easily. “Dead Worlds” is introduced with shrieking sounds, more doomy sentiments, and guitars that start chugging forward with a purpose. This cut splatters fury everywhere, with great thrashiness that could strain your neck, feral growls that terrify, and a finish that mixes odd chants with electronic blips. Pretty weird stuff. “The Depths” finds the drums and bass working together like a well-oiled killing machine, more tremendous riffs causing smoke to rise, and a smothering display that seeks to maim and suffocate. The closing title track opens with a smeary pocket of sound that disorients before the band finds yet another violent gear and charges forward. The cut gets blistering as hell, with a true old school feel emanating from this thing, and the rawness and punishment taking a final stand, leading out with a pace that should leave you sore for hours afterward.

Zom’s commitment to outright violence and devastation is admirable and refreshing, and this debut “Flesh Assimilation” is the official first warning shot fired by the war-torn Irish heathens. It’s as heavy a record as you’re going to find in black and death metal circles this year, and it should make for a great wake-me-up blast if you need something to get your ass into gear. Zom are off to a tumultuous start on this debut, and they’re a band to keep your blackened eyes on as they progress down their path of terror.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ZOM/195971213790266

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

Or here: http://www.invictusproductions.net/shop/

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

Or here: http://invictusproductions.net/

My dream for the weekend is to be able to get outside, fill my lungs with some cold air, and remember that there is more to life than managing data, attending meetings, and sitting in a cubicle all day long. I don’t hold any ill will against those things, because they are part of what I do every day and I want to do them well, but taking a break to just live and be a speck in the world can be a welcoming thing.

If I get a chance to do that—it’s a big if at this point—I plan to take a couple of walking companions along with me, namely the two minds behind Swedish duo Bhleg. The band’s stunning debut record “Draumr Ast” (to fall in love with dreams) has arrived via two very reliable labels, that being Nordvis Produktions and Bindrune Recordings, who regular readers know we trust nearly with blinders on. In this late-year assault of very good records, this stands out as the most atmospheric, beholden to nature, and spiritually refreshing of them all. I feel like I technically do not even need that reconnection to the outdoors, that I can sense the great majesty of our surroundings simply through this music. But combining the two might make the whole experience that much more effective and rewarding.

Bhleg bring together two artists who used to play in the band Ljuset, namely Simon Johansson (guitars, vocals, synth, percussion, etc.) and Ludvig Andersson (bass, vocals, etc.). This project is studio-based only right now, which makes sense considering the great, full-bodied sound of this music and the effort and commitment that would take to recreate live. “Draumr Ast” is a record that combines primitive black metal, ambiance, and woodsy folk music to conjure dreams and connection with the earth and stars, and while that description might not sound like anything new conceptually, the way these two play the music and express their artistic workings will make you realize Bhleg is something special.

Opener “Solkronan” doesn’t waste any time getting started, kicking off with aggressive, chugging guitars, raw growls, and fiery instrumentation that fills the woods with smoke. Strong melodies serve as a base for this thing, with some stop-start playing and fiery imagination that takes you into the interesting, gazey next two cuts. “Kosmos pulsadra” has shimmery synth, damp and cold melodies, as well as a deathrock-like approach that makes the song feel dank. Sounds build and flood, a cosmic sense is injected into the track, and dreamy playing streams right into “Nyckeln till livskraftens ursprung.” It’s a shorter, cloudy track rich with acoustic guitars and a sense of traveling through the woods, drinking in every ounce of the scenery. “Alyr” destroys the calm, hammering violently from the start and pushing ahead with might. There is a mix of murky clean vocals and monstrous growls that take turns telling the tale, and the melodies hover like a swollen, gray cloud, saturating everything beneath it before it subsides and lets some sunlight poke through. The birds you hear chirp into the carry over to “Brunnens Hjarta” that is loaded with riffs and atmosphere. The vocals are grim, while the guitar work burns a path for them to follow, leading into pockets of great intensity and savage emotions that threaten with tumult.

“Skymningsdrommar” is led in by slow, deliberate drumming, keyboards that sound like a swarm, and compelling music that is unlike anything else on this record. There are haunting whispers that send drafts through the room before guitar emerge and slash open any sense of serenity. The vocals pour on the volcanic ash, and the track runs face-first into “Brunnakrar,” which keeps the intensity as a fever pitch with guitars that rage and a punishing tempo that seems like it could pulverize you. The band drives hard, with molten guitar work glowing and blinding and a full-on assault that returns after a brief moment of pullback. “Stjärnkartans väv” is a final, space soup instrumental, with weird keys that could soundtrack an old B sci-fi movie picked apart on “MST3,” which gives it a great sense of charm. It’s weird and tribal, setting the stage for the dramatic closing title cut, which begins with more glorious, smoldering riffs and vocals that sound like they are designed to permanently damage one’s throat. Each layer of this song come cascading down, leaving you little chance to catch your breath and pushing this journey with full force. But while it might seem the band is focused on breaking your will sonically, they relent, letting the song breathe and spilling folk acoustics and birds calling into the conclusion. That should remind you that while there was danger, you’re back in a safe place beneath the stars.

Obviously Bhleg encourage you to reach beyond this plane and into your imagination, both when asleep and awake. The music on “Draumr Ast” should help you accomplish that, and don’t go saying you’re too metal to get in touch with your darker aspirations and fantasies. Maybe you don’t have to do that, if you’re not inclined. Instead, go outside, crunch the leaves under your boots, and remember the world that suffocates you week in and week out and can be escaped for solace every now and again. Appreciate those times.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://eihwazrecordings.com/distro/

Or here: http://www.nordvis.com/store/

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

Or here: http://www.nordvis.com/

This has been a pretty busy year for welcoming back bands and artists who have been important to metal’s development over the decades, from Godflesh to At the Gates to former Trouble/current The Skull howler Eric Wagner. We have one more for whom we’ll open the iron doors, and they haven’t been gone for nearly as long as the aforementioned acts.

Greek black metal stalwarts Varathron last reported to us with a full-length in 2009 with “Stygian Forces of Scorn.” And before that, their release schedule was pretty erratic, only putting out two other records in the 16 years prior to that. They’re not a prolific band by any means, which probably is why it seems like them returning with “Untrodden Corridors of Hades” seems like such a monumental occasion. The seven-track, 50-minute platter of hatred and evil feels as purely dark as what the band churned out on their 1993 debut “His Majesty at the Swamp.” They also serve as a reminder that black metal doesn’t have to bludgeon and steamroll, as these guys always have been expert at letting songs breathe and the madness slowly bled out. That remains on this record, which is one of the things that makes it such a damn great listen.

The other part of that is that the band members–longtime vocalist Stefan Necroabyssious, guitarists Sotiris and Achilleas C., bassist Stratos Kountouras, and drummer Haris–are fully engaged and sell this stuff beautifully. Their playing is strong, inspired, and just so heavy, and although the record isn’t a perfect document, it’s still one of the more memorable black metal albums the last half of the year from a genre where homogenization is choking out creativity ever so slowly. The music here feels evil and doesn’t just try to be that way, and as the songs creep into one another, you can feel the danger building as you follow these guys into the fire.

Weird chants and ritualistic thrashing spill out of opener “Kabalistic Invocation of Solomon,” which then steers into raw vocals, strange melodies, and a mystical feel that makes it seem like you’re ensconced in a fog. There are sheets of synth that drop, strong lead guitar playing, and a calculated pace designed to stretch out the drama. “Realm of Obscure” marches heavily out of the gates, with strong riffs and a gallop that smothers you. The drums are absolutely assaulted, with complex guitar work unfurling and savage vocals feeling monstrous and growly. The guitars stab methodically, and the composition ends in fiery glory. “Arcane Conjuring” feels machine-like at the start, with Necroabyssious’ vocals sounding wonderfully deranged and murky, with odd melodies lurking behind. The pace settles a bit, with wild birds cawing and chant-like growls darkening the mood before it fades out in a mid-tempo drubbing.

“Leprocious Lord” has feral growls that sound raw and animalistic, guitar work that tricks and twists, and a sturdy bassline that buzzes through the middle. The vocals sound like they’re reaching into the spirit world, while the rest of the band builds an oppressive fever of chaos and unleashes some really intriguing progressions. “The Bright Trapezium” is the one sticking point on the record for me. It feels like four different songs smooshed together, and it never really gets off the ground, switching personalities just when things seem to be settling into place. There are some nice gothic flourishes and tasty guitar work here, but the whole thing falls a little flat. Luckily, we pick up on “Death Chant” that has an eerie, chilling first half, with guitars shredding flesh and Necroabyssious’ vocals sounding noxious and dangerous. Atmospheric synth later rises up, providing imposing shadows to the ominous storytelling, and the track ends with a crushing gasp. Closer “Delve Into the Past” rips open, throwing speedy guitars, fearsome vocals, and neck-snapping tempo shifts your way. The song is massively destructive, a great final salvo for the band to blacken your eyes and bloody your mouth, whipping everything into a tornadic bloodshed before dragging you to a tumultuous end.

I know I’ve said this a bunch of times about the other really quality late-year records that have come at us like a tidal wave, but I wonder how much more end-of-year enthusiasm would surround “Untrodden Corridors of Hades” if Varathron had released it, say, over the summer. Nonetheless, it’s a great record, a really volcanic ride, and one that takes its time setting the stage to let the horrors play out in front of you. It’s awesome to have Varathron back in our consciousness to make great noise again. We probably won’t hear from them again for a while, so make sure you relish this while it’s fresh.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.agoniarecords.com/index.php?pos=shop&lang=en

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

This time of the year is notorious for miserable days, where being completely down and dark is as natural as feeling rejuvenated in the summer. Like, right now it’s cold, damp, dark, and lousy outside, and it’s the middle of the afternoon. It might as well be time to go to sleep and forget you’re alive.

That’s makes the arrival of Mesmur’s debut album just perfect for this time. The North Carolina-based funeral doom band packs more than 53 minutes and five tracks of downtrodden punishment into this thing, and listening back today for the umpteenth time proved the best backdrop possible outside my window for this music. It’s slow, it hurts, it feels utterly hopeless, and it won’t turn your dark emotions into anything bright. Might it drive you further into hiding, where the sight of anyone or anything is the last thing you wish to encounter? Sure. But it’s also possible you need a record and band that feels as emotionally crumbling as you do, and for that, this band more than delivers songs that’ll equal, and even surpass, any blackness you suffer from the season.

If you’re a fan of bands such as Evoken, Mournful Congregation, Catacombs, and Thergothon, you’ll find yourself right at miserable home with this slow-driving debut record. The band is comprised of veterans of other bands, with mastermind Yixja, also of Dalla Nebbia, supplying the pace-setting guitar work; vocalist Chris G (Orphans of Dusk, Intorment Black) offering his guttural, stomach-clearing growls; Aslak Karlsen Hauglid on bass; and Alkurion (Dalla Nebbia, Funeral Age) behind the drum kit. Their sound is penetrating, vicious, full of salty, bitter tears, and a great way to wallow with your own bad tidings for an hour so that you come to realize you’re not the only lost soul stuck in the dark.

“Deprivation” opens the record with a slow chug, spilling the first helpings of doom into your lap and letting the dark, thick clouds set up. Once the song gets moving, it has a slight Opeth feel (think “Still Life” and “Blackwater Park” eras), toying with tempos before finally letting loose with lurching growls and furious heaviness. The pace switches back and forth, crumbling into crushing sequences but always letting that intensity subside as they allow more tranquil moments to trickle. The song ends in a deep fog, with you feeling your way through the mystery. “Lapse” is decidedly heavier and crunchier when it opens, showing the band’s more pulverizing side. The guitars pierce the skin, while the growls are menacing, and sorrowful melodies slip behind all of this smoke. At the halfway point, the track goes nearly silent, with only cosmic whirring audible at all, before the fires light up slowly again. The vocals go from whispers to growls, and all of the elements dissolve into the murk.

“Abnegate” is the second-longest track on the album at 12:14, and it’s an emotional mammoth. Keys open the book lid, giving off a gothy sense, and slowly delivered crushing continues from there. The growls sound like they were scraped from the ground, bleeding, as they are full of anguish, and pained guitar melodies and an overcast bottom end help hammer home the sense of dread and pain. Spacey winds blow in, with things holding in place as a chill freezes your heart. Soloing then arrives, giving the song a proggy bend, and from there growls return to offer final gasps of suffering, with everything ending up in a dismal crunch. “Descend” is awash in atmosphere at first, with the sounds buzzing and later striking out, entering a slow boil that gives off the proverbial steam. The vocals are more monstrous than elsewhere, as the band builds dreary layers on top of each other to make the pressure on your psyche even heavier. Closer “Osmosis” starts with quiet murmurs, strange noises, and slowly meted-out doom. The cut blows open, with the growls pushing ahead, guitar melodies drizzling like acid rain, and eerie voices calling out in distress. There’s a sense of panic evident, with wallowing cries exploding from G’s throat, melodies encircling and preparing to suffocate, and gusts of noise rising and disappearing into the night sky, with you left gazing.

As noted, Mesmur won’t help you rebound if you’re one of the many of us who struggle through these bleak months. The band’s debut is great company, however, like a tortured partner who is the only one who can identify with your pain because they’ve been down the same path. This is fearsome, desolate doom that will make you want to climb inside your closet, bury yourself in layers, and stay there until the faintest hint of sunlight and warmth return again.

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

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

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

Photo from Roadburn.com

That saying “seeing is believing” apparently goes a long way when it comes to Dutch black metal nightmares Nihill. I’ve never witnessed the band live, I’m sad to say, but reports I’ve read about them from some very reliable sources are they are a band that must be experienced in the flesh in order to be fully absorbed. I look forward to that day with great thirst.

Until then, the band’s incredible studio albums are all I really have to go on, and they’ve been some of the most warped, intense, and vicious recordings the genre has produced the last decade. I get the sense that had they been a part of the Second Wave bands, they might have been one of the ones revered the most. Their original trilogy of records was brought to the States courtesy of Hydra Head Records, and the reason I indulged in the band in the first place is because I trusted that label’s tastes and figured if they saw promise, there must be something there. Was that ever an understatement? Over the course of debut “Krach,” follow-up “Grond,” and series finale “Verdonkermaan,” the band established itself as one of the scariest, most unique bands in all of black metal, a breath of pestilent air among a scene that could benefit from a true sense of danger and malice.

Nihill have returned, seeing to it that our December is as black as possible, with their crushing fourth record “Verderf,” a mind fuck of an adventure that’ll peel the paint off your walls and color your nightmares with sights unseen and unimagined before. The eight-track, nearly 55-minute opus is pure Nihill, but it also has them upping the fury and bizarre nature of their creations. It’s an album that might take some time to set in and really infect your bloodstream, but once it does, you’re finished. Even I, a longtime Nihill fan, had to take a few trips with the record before it made its true character and intentions known to me, and I have since offered my submission to its force. It’s noisy, sometimes violently monotonous, and always bubbling with crazed terror, and what this band—vocalist Michiel Eikenaar, guitarist/drummer V., and bassist Jelle Agema—accomplish here are ear worms headed straight to your brain to warp you forever.

Opener “Ghoul” is a quick instrumental cut that’s sort of like the band opening the tightly squeezed jar lid on their world of horrors. Noises shriek and pierce the senses, sounds build like a storm, and you feel like you’re being sucked into a vortex on your way to “Carrion Eaters.” The ominous guitars, the relentless pounding, and vocals that sound like they’re being spit along with black blood and tar greet you. The whole damn thing pulsates in your ears, shaking your mind to its core, and they just keep building layer upon layer of filth to this thing until it swelters and tortures you to its end. “Kolos” runs 8:36, and its damaged, slurry guitar work lets you know right away that things are not normal. The vocals sound like a furious wind of moans at times, with Eikenaar howling, “Sow the seeds of heresies!” likes it’s an outright command and not a suggestion. The sounds swirl in air, causing an entrancing scene from which you cannot escape, and the machine-like churning and burning stay in their lane and rub your face into the dirt over and over again. “Wielding the Scythe” rages open, with monstrous growls assaulting you and riffs bending like sheet metal but refusing to break. If anything, they’re twisted into a new, sicker form, with melodies rising up like a swarm, riffs feeling meaty and troubling, and the crazed vocals joining with all of those elements and eventually succumbing to a noise haze.

“Spiritum” screams opens and then sludges away on a slow-driving pace designed to exact punishment in doses. Some of the lead lines feel stabbing and sulfuric, with the madman vocals stretching over top everything to give the track an extra dose of terror. Guitars buzz hard, the melodies sicken, and the band refuses to leave their path, instead staying the course and burning everything behind them. “Morbus” crashes open and starts on its campaign of absolute tyranny. The vocals are more like yelled diatribes, as if Eikenaar is on a pulpit directing his darkness to the masses, while the band clubs relentlessly and sometimes weirdly. Feedback sizzles and rings out, chunky sections emerge that should get your blood flowing and you right in line with the band’s agenda, and the final push of charred carnage at the end is a last chance to offer your flesh to them. “Engorged” changes the pace and face entirely. It’s a 10:43-long noise sermon, with pockets of chaos making like an electrical storm and the vocals coming off like hellish rants and stream-of-consciousness threats. Often times, the track seems like a dream, one from which you are roused not into consciousness, but into a different level of sleep you didn’t know existed. Try as you might, you won’t awaken until your mind is given permission. Closer “Ossuarium” revisits with razor-sharp guitars, chest-caving drums, and devious growls that sound monstrous. This is one of the more conventional (for Nihill, that is) songs on the record, but it’s still a pretty strange beating you take and a song that’s head and shoulders above what most other black metal bands are pumping out these days. It’s a track that keeps lacing you until it mercilessly bleeds out into the night sky.

Nihill’s legacy may be short, but it’s true. They’re the actual embodiment of horror, a band that should make your skin crawl. In fact, if they don’t, you might be doing this wrong. “Verderf” is another in a line of punishing, penetrating, and outright damaging records from this beast of a band, and if this is your first foray with Nihill, prepare to be damaged beyond belief. You might not hear black metal the same way again, and apparently if you witness them live as part of their congregation, you’ll never feel the same way about the darkness ever again.

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

To buy the album or for more on the label, go here: http://burningworldrecords.com/

Full of Hell

Maniacal chaos meeting impenetrable sound in the middle of a cosmic battle field with no boundaries and only space between the forces sounds both terrifying and completely exhilarating. Which forces come on top? Who has the gears necessary to dominate their opponent and beat them into submission? Ever scarier: What if they join together and exact their carnage on the rest of the world.

That latter scenario is what we get with the unholy union of hardcore/grind/sludge/noise warriors Full of Hell and Japanese experimentalist and uber-collaborator Masami “Merzbow” Akita. On the surface, their meeting could be catastrophic. They don’t seem like beasts that should mix together, but we’re also talking about two sides with terrifying open minds and the means to make some of the most fascinating sounds in extreme music. And it turns out on their collaborative album together–Merzbow gave Full of Hell a collection of sound for them to do with what they wish–is a fire burning hard and furiously during its running time. It’s also an interesting lesson in contrasts as, if you buy the CD version of the collection, you get the 11 tracks that are more FoH-driven and a second disc “Sister Faun” that’s more floating in Merzbow’s bizarre world. (The always reliable A389 is handling the vinyl.)

Merzbow (Photo by Jenny Akita)

It’s not like Full of Hell–a four-headed crusher consisting of vocalist Dylan, guitarist Spencer, bassist Brandon, and drummer Dave–needed more madness to add to their cauldron. Their live shows already are becoming a thing of legend, and their stock continues to rise as more people take notice of their hellacious sound and total devotion to the bloodshed. Merzbow is known the world over for his insane, bafflingly expansive catalog of material as well as prior collaborations with artists as varied as Boris, Sunn 0))), Melt-Banana, and that’s just lazily scratching the surface. His place in noise culture was more than secure before this record with Full of Hell, and after it, the album proves just how far the man’s work can stretch, fit, and make something even more explosive.

The main disc is actually the shorter of the two, with Full of Hell raging through 11 cuts in 24 minutes, which really is no surprise. The first three songs blaze by in about two minutes total, with “Burst of Synapse” getting things started with dizzying intensity; “Gordian Knot” blistering all over the place and letting the noise unfurl; and “Humming Miter” running headlong into piercing shrieks and growls, weird guitar parts, and pure detonation. “Blue Litmus” runs a little over two minutes, with maniacal growls spilling forth, guitars spiraling all over, sludgy bruising making the scene more savage, and bizarre sounds stabbing and leading toward “Raise Thee, Great Wall, Bloodied and Terrible,” a strange noise feast that bristles, with vocals buried in the din and every element boiling blood. “Thrum in the Deep” dumps more muddy riffs into the mix, with guitars smearing soot, the growls coming from the depths of Dylan’s intestines, and every element rumbling hard, every bit of noise scorching.

“Shattered Knife” has messy guitar leads that are ugly and satisfying, thick bass that blasts down walls, and short blasts of death that make the most of the 53 seconds. “Mute” is an even quicker gust at half a minute, containing deranged shrieks and a thick wall of fury, which leads into one of the two mammoths of the record “High Fells,” that rolls for a bloody 4:30. The sounds sting your ears, with feedback flooding and threatening, some strange clean singing giving the track a dose of strangeness, and bizarre, skronked horns emerging at the end, giving off the sense of permanent damage. “Ludjet Av Gud” goes 5:43, and it’s even more horrific, with what sounds like an oppressive furnace belching heat and the voices coming off as more monstrous than ever before. The track lurches and gurgles, with growls swimming deep underneath all the elements, guitars grinding, and relentless pounding that bleeds into finale “Fawn Heads and Unjoy.” This gives the band a last gasp to get all of the aggravation out of their system as they assault with tricky guitars, horns bursting again, and a death grind that comes to an immediate end.

The “Sister Faun” disc has fewer songs that run longer, with five tracks stretching over 36 tense minutes. As noted, this is the section that is more obviously Merzbow-inspired, and it’s a mind-melter from the start, with “Ergot” rising up on a prayer and electronic noises clashing with one another. Guitars wine and moan and eventually sound like a dying engine. “Merzdrone” is fairly self-explanatory, with beats drubbing, hypnotic swirling making your mind trip, and a bed of terror causing panic to invade your cells. “Aphid” has growls sinking in the depths, with laser-like sounds squealing, noises pulsating and shredding, and animalistic outbursts dressing the thing in an extra layer of volatility. The song has moments that are absolutely terrifying. “Crumbling Ore” is the shortest cut on the disc by a second at 4:09, with strings droning out and sludgy pounding emerging, pushing into siren-like wails. The last track “Litany of Desire” runs a beefy 13:46, and the cut is built on an oppressive loop that stretches through the duration. Along the way, that spine picks up added bits of strange noise and fiery hammering, and eventually is dissolves into a slow drawling passage that sounds like it’s dying alive, coming to a sleepwalking, out-of-body finish.

Clearly Full of Hell are on their way up in the world, and their relentless touring (they’re in my town nearly a handful of times in late 2014/early 2015) are keeping them a well-oiled, dangerous machine. A tour with Merzbow would be an event to behold and would probably blow minds of noise fans everywhere. As for Merzbow, what more really needs to be said? His resume and his work here speak for themselves. This collaborative is as furious as it is interesting, and even when you’re being pummeled with decibels, there remain a few empty pockets for you to dream as well. This is a really scathing union, one that hopefully has more to it than just this one collection.

For more on Full of Hell, go here: http://fullofhell.com/

For more on Merzbow, go here: http://merzbow.net/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/products-page/

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

Putting on a record and having an experience you don’t anticipate and don’t know initially how to process can be an enthralling thing. With so many things today sounding so similar and records seeming to bleed into one another no matter the style, a record making your hairs stand on end and drink in every detail is a godsend.

I already had heavy interest in the debut from Lotus Thief, a creative union of Otrebor and Bezaelith, both of Botanist who we’ve covered extensively on these pages, and both admirable and riveting musicians. Botanist already stands out as one of the most unique projects in all of metal and extreme music, and that made delving into this album something that held a ton of mystery. They couldn’t possibly replicate–or even try–Botanist’s style. That world borne out of Otrebor’s bizarre brain was its own thing, and sure Lotus Thief would go somewhere different. And that’s exactly what happens on their debut “Rervm,” but even I couldn’t have figured out where these two would take this thing. Turns out, they got into the starship and pointed it toward the cosmos, finding yet another level to make imaginative music.

This also is one huge-sounding, ambitious document. There are times when the music is so big and bold, it could inject a sense of intelligence and bravado back into arena rock. But that doesn’t mean the thing’s built on big dumb riffs. It’s not at all. It’s just such an explosive sounding display, with elements of space rock, doom, pure metal, and ambiance, a giant room is the only thing that could house these sounds. Bezaelith’s singing also is a huge element that makes this thing work, as she unfurls her passionate, emotion-packed voice and isn’t afraid to get right inside your head. The words and the album itself is a modern retelling of “De Rerum Natura” (“On the Nature of Things”), a work of 1st Century poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus. Bezaelith says she takes inspiration from the text for many reasons. She’s moved by how the ideals expressed by Lucretius remain relevant centuries later, and she has seen that awakening in some of her students as they realize that there is wisdom in old texts that apply to our lives today.

“Lucretius goes further than just pro-science, or atomism,” she points out. “He talks about psychology, of how humans can fall prey to their own fears, of how arranged marriages can stagnate a person, and of the importance of learning over all things: that human beings’ cardinal purpose is to learn.  If anything, it was a comfort to me to know that someone back then was saying stuff like this.  So I wrote an album to re-amplify it.” She says she sees Lotus Thief as a vehicle of empowerment through knowledge, that humanity can make things better for themselves by learning and knowing. Each cut takes the listener through all six books of the poet’s work, and that journey is still speaking to us 2,000 years later.

“Aeternvm” opens with a thick, cold draft, and that blends into some progressive heaviness and chilled out, atmospheric playing. A thick bassline drives through and makes a beeline for the heart, with Bezaelith letting her vocals soar, conjuring dark, riveting drama. Otrebor’s drums explode, as they’re joined by spacey synthesizers that make the track feel like they’re coming from another world, and the psyche-heavy, alien feel later pulls you back into nature, with birds chirping away. “Miseras” is a mammoth at 8:58, and it lets noise set up and build its spirit while guitars chase and buzz away. Again, the singing is tremendous and spirited, really grabbing at you, and the band’s bursts take you into the fog, back out into the chaos, and into dark again. There are awesome, crushing riffs that are washed in the band’s weirdness, and the vocals float like a ghost at times, haunting and shaking you at the same time. At the back end, sounds simmer, keys drip, and what sounds like a heart-rate monitor stretches to a flatline. “Discere Credas” has synth spread all over it like a glaze, but guitars rush in and disrupt the sense of calm. Strong and heartfelt melodies dress the bulk of this, with Bezaelith wailing with all her heart, and again, we go back into the stars and ride through terrain most humans never have visited, even if it’s just mentally. This is a great ride that should get your emotions flying.

“Lvx” begins with heavy bass rollicking, more synth fog, and dreamy guitar work that add texture to the more gentle setting. Bezaelith’s vocals once again shine, as you might imagine watching comets and space junk rocket past you as you indulge in this song. The cut has a true majesty to it, with the bright colors becoming more apparent and the tempo sparking blazes that could light up the night sky. The song eventually gets punchy and progressive as it winds down, as keys help accentuate the quiet sections, and an ambient passage arrives that’s complete with explosions that sound like worlds being blown apart. “Discordia” opens with pure aggression, as drums are beaten with a savagery, the guitars glow and rage, and hissed vocals ride underneath everything, giving it a sinister feel. There is psychic splatter in every corner, guitars blasting out of shadows when you least expect them, and an energy that is undeniable. Synth smears all over, the guitars chug hard, and the fireworks eventually dissipate into a collection of sounds that feel like a dream including random voices, laughs, and applause. Closer “Mortalis” gets off to a great outburst, with more scary sounding vocals that sound like they’re delivered by a serpent, destructive madness, and noises jabbing with ferocity. This is a final chance for the band to boil the drama and let it bubble over, with the guitars rising to a new level of power, the vocals are just awesome and pummeling, and the melodies reach their dynamic climax before slipping away and allowing final gasps of synth take the track to its final resting place.

This album is cinematic, sonically gigantic, and a true inspiration for those of us who love when a record transports us somewhere unexpected. “Rervm” does that every time you visit, and hopefully this is just the start of things for Lotus Thief. I can’t get over how much fun I have listening to this thing, and the fact that it’s based in so much more than sound makes the music something you can examine over and over and always come away with new ideas and ways to improve the section of Earth you inhabit.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://svartrecords.com/shoppe/

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