Metal bathes itself in destruction, both literally and figuratively. Of course, the sound is heavy and the thematic elements often are doused in punishment and death, but so are many of the lives of the people who play this music. That’s often the reason the music is so compelling.

The fact that we have sludge/doom legends Eyehategod still with us and operating is something of a miracle. This band has been tested like few others, as they have faced personal issues, drugs, arrests, and every bit of chaos one could imagine having to endure. Last year, the group was dealt yet another blow when longtime drummer Joe LaCaze passed away due to a respiratory ailment. Likely no one would have batted an eye or been the slightest bit shocked if the band decided to put their nearly 30-year legacy on the shelf and devoted their attention to the members’ myriad of side projects or just their own lives. But here we are in 2014, 14 years after their last full-length “Confederacy of Ruined Lives” dropped, with a new, self-titled platter that should more than please longtime devotees.

Despite having such a storied history and a number of split, DVD, and other smaller releases, this is only full-length number five for the NOLA warriors. They’ve remained active and have toured, tackling demons along the way, and this new platter fits right in with their most noted work, 1993’s “Take As Needed for Pain” and 1996’s “Dopesick.” The band is in fine form, sounding strong and formidable, and singer Mike IX Williams (also of Corrections House, Outlaw Order) is as pissed off, passionate, and coherent as he’s ever been, making it a filthy joy to hear his work on this record. Along with him are guitarists Jimmy Bower (Down, ex-Superjoint Ritual) and Brian Patton (Soilent Green, Outlaw Order), bassist Gary Mader (Outlaw Order), and new drummer Aaron Hill, though LaCaze was able to finish the record’s drum tracks before his untimely passing. That’s a great final testament for him, and he’s an absolute force on this album.

“Agitation! Propaganda!” kicks things off with a punk-fueled rage that gets to those Black Flag comparisons right off the bat. Williams’ screams are bile-filled and nasty, and the rest of the band backs him up with attitudinal aggression. They could not have gotten off to a better start. “Trying to Crack the Hard Dollar” is up next, with feedback leading into a doomy pace, the vocals coming out gnarly and throaty, and the band hitting an awesome Southern-friend swagger, something to which they return often. “Parish Motel Sickness” is cold and uninviting at first, but then that bluesy demeanor returns in full, with Williams howling, “It takes a life of its own, it takes its own life!” The song is sludgy, heavy, and unhinged. “Quitter’s Offensive” has gruff screams and shouts from Williams that sound spat out, and the band gets thrashier, especially the guitars that whip a storm of a frenzy. “Nobody Told Me” opens in a cloud of noise, with a blues-fed groove back for more punishment. “Climb the walls!” Williams howls, as the rest of the guys hit onto a thrashier sequence and a killer guitar exchange that takes this thing out on a fiery note.

“Worthless Rescue” has more swampy vibes, but it gets down in the dirt as the song goes on, with filthy playing and grimy vocals to match. “Framed to the Wall” is charged up right from the start, as they let things boil over, with the punk vibes returning and the music sent into a rage. “Robitussin and Rejection” sounds as messed up as its title indicates, with Williams shouting, “Staggering backward,” as if he’s reliving some old war tales, with menacing, humid music giving his delivery even more weight. “Flags and Cities Bound” is the longest cut at 7:11, and it’s full of Williams’ dark poetry, some simmering heat, and truly thought-provoking work before it meets up with thunderous guitars and a more sinister pace. Williams unleashes his howl once again, with LaCaze’s drums absolutely demolishing everything in sight and dousing gasoline on this already blazing heap. “Medicine Noose” is doomy and has a proper bluesy strut, while closer “The Age of Bootcamp” gives the record a perfect conclusion, with Williams howling a diatribe of one-word shouts such as, “Hammer! Sickle!” that makes him sound like he’s assembling a weapons list. The song is confrontational and wailing, and the whole thing fades out into a bath of chaos that lets everything melt down to the ground permanently. If the hairs on your arms aren’t standing after this is done, you’ve either shaved your arms or you can’t feel anything worthwhile.

Having a new Eyehategod record in 2014—and a ridiculously awesome one—is a gift to all metalkind, and this self-titled opus was worth the 14-year wait. It’s great to hear this band hitting on all muddy cylinders all these years later, after all the tumult, and they deserve to have this album be remembered as one of their greatest triumphs. Because that’s what it is.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.eyehategod.ee/

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

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

Doom metal, at its core, is not supposed to be friendly and inviting. It is meant to be ugly and dark, potentially scary, and with bad intentions. That’s why, when done right, even at its most melodic, it feels like a dark omen and bad things waiting to happen.

One band that totally gets that right on their second album is metal superforce Serpentine Path, made up members of the befallen Unearthly Trance and the mighty Electric Wizard. Those two bands right there had their own ways of bringing out darkness and fury, and each differentiated enough from each other that they had their own followings, but certainly a meeting in the middle for much of their respective audiences. On their self-titled 2012 debut record, they proved they could pull their forces together and make for a great band that could combine the sum of its parts and come out sounding dangerous and like a monster born anew.

They accomplish a similar feat on their new record “Emanations,” a seven-track, 45-minute skull basher that isn’t trying to win any style points and doesn’t care to wow you with theatrics. Instead, this is plug-in, forge-forward, maintain-the-course doom that sludges and pounds relentlessly. There are few tempo switches, not many fireworks, and no room for dazzling playing, so what you get is a workmanlike effort that’s giving you exactly what you deserve, in a serving size big enough to leave you full and swollen. What more can you ask for? The band is just about the same lineup as who killed you on their debut, with a member added for good measure. Ryan Lipynsky (currently also with The Howling Wind and ex-Unearthly Trance, ex-Thralldom) on vocals, Tim Bagshaw (ex-Electric Wizard) and Steve Flam (who came on after the debut and is of doom stalwarts Winter) on guitars, Jay Newman (also ex-Unearthly Trance and ex-Thralldom) on bass, and Darren Verni (ex-Unearthly Trance) on drums.

The record opens with “Essence of Heresy,” the shortest track of the bunch at 3:47 and as good an introduction to this feast as possible. Lipynsky’s growls are gruff and instantly recognizable, and the band wails away with a steady attack with just a little melodic dressing over top. “House of Worship” is mucky and plodding, with strong guitar work and more monstrous growls to hammer home the message. “Treacherous Waves” is a 7:45-long pounder, opening with spacey, atmospheric noise that eventually gets overwhelmed by a slow-driving doom assault that feels like a volcano slowly overflowing. The vocals take on a scary pitch, and the bulk of this piece simmers in place, letting smoke rise up. “Claws” runs 7:30 and is built on sinister riffs, guitar lines swirling, and mesmerizing melodies that could dizzy you. The final moments of the song bring the whole thing to a blazing finish, with metallic chaos rising up and the vocals evoking savagery.

“Disfigured Colossus” is as punishing and crushing as the earthquake that destroyed the Colossus statue in 226 B.C., as the track pounds and rumbles hard, mauling your insides and continuing to slam away at you until you think you can’t take anymore. It’s wholly devastating. “Systematic Extinction” pulls you through 7:14 of horror, with huge roars, slow-cooking drubbing, and some mournful tones to the guitar work as if they’re channeling the darkest of Black Sabbath. The final moments have the guitars bubbling up again and threatening overflow before noise takes over and leads right into the 8:24-long closer “Torment,” that easily lives up to its name. “No chance to survive,” Lipynsky howls over corrosive guitar work and a pace that stays pretty much the same as it lays in the bruising. The band chugs hard over the length of the cut, with everything taking on a thornier tone, only to drown in relentless feedback and eventually dissolve.

Serpentine Path’s mission remains true on “Emanations,” and it’s a solid blast of calculated, drubbing doom that explores the darkness and brings you along for the ride. It’s an album suited for solitary listening, preferably by headphones, where you can absorb the music and the words, and not be distracted by outside forces. There are bands out there with more flash, but few with the drive, bloodthirst, and determination of Serpentine Path.

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

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

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

It is our right as humans to feel nasty and angry, and as long as we find constructive ways to get out that vitriol, there’s nothing wrong with that. It always seems like there’s that one person out there who wants you to smile through agony and look on the bright side, but to hell with that.

Music that equals that mentality and makes you understand the rage and disgust inside of you can be cathartic and make you feel a part of the chaos you’re hearing, and I find that every time I hear Young and in the Way. It feels like a cult in a way, something to which you can subscribe and find that thing that unites you with others who feel the same things inside. Over the course of their four full-length efforts, including the cataclysmic new “When Life Comes to Death,” their first record for Deathwish Inc., where they could not be more at home. Their combination of furious black metal, crust, and hardcore melds perfectly, and their assault never has been more on point than it is on this new album.

The band chooses to look at itself as a brotherhood, a single entity united in pain and anger, so we’re not going to list the various members here to keep in line with their philosophy. The Charlotte, N.C., group also has members of other bands such as Votnut, Ayr, and Worsen, but this union as YAITW is ready to set fire to the world and take unprepared prisoners who don’t have any idea what’s about to hit them. Yeah, the band uses familiar sounds and mashes them together, but it’s the way they do it and their incredible execution that sets them apart from most other heavy bands, and you can feel in your veins the madness and chaos afoot on this great record.

“Betrayed By Light” opens the record on a raw note, with creaky vocals that sound like they originated in a cave in Norway, a razor-sharp black metal approach, and some great guitar work. Lines such as, “The time has come!” are howled that sound as much like a warning as a declaration. Chilling pianos drip at the end and lead into “Fuck This Life,” that keeps the mentality the same, as well as the sonic assault, and the band completely steamrolls over you on this track. “Be My Blood” has more of a hardcore feel to it, both in sound and spirit, and the song is punishing and callous. “Self-Inflicted” has thunder and feedback pouring down, but just when the band reaches a fever pitch, the tides turns and it goes eerie and cold. “Loved and Unwanted” sets everything ablaze again, with dangerous howls of, “Pull the trigger! Shoot me dead!” and the pace of the song matches the insanity of the words. “We Are Nothing” keeps the sentiment in place, as it’s sludgy and dizzying, with nothing but black thoughts flowing freely.

“Final Dose” is short and to the point, wasting no time decimating you with their power and ill intent, and then it’s into “Weep In My Dust,” that blows open with devastating drumming, black metal-draped guitar work, the band trying to kill you slowly, and a molten end that burns hard. “Take My Hand” has slow-driving muck, a thrashy groove that is tasty and full of torment, but then everything halts and goes clean and spooky. It doesn’t feel comforting at all. It feels like they’re setting the stage for horror, and sure enough, the explosions tear you to bits. “A Shadow of Murder” sounds like, from its name, that it should be another dose of napalm, but it’s not. There are eerie noises, acoustic guitars strumming, and lowly delivered growls that match the environment. The song is sorrowful and dark as a day-long downpour, and the blast you expect is coming never arrives. It’s an awesome, effective change of pace. Closer “Embrace Extinction” is the 9:46 closer that begins dreary and spacey, like something you might hear during an out-of-body experience. The song eventually begins to open up, with the band starting to club you anew, chaos re-emerging, and noise simmering and eventually bubbling over. There is a morbid shout of, “I die in vain!” that sounds like a bloody exclamation point at the end of the record, and it allows you one final chance to bask in the morose atmosphere.

YAITW bring back an element of danger to metal, and that’s something that’s been sorely missed. From the artwork for “When Life Comes to Death” to their menacing approach to their utter darkness, this band is a killer, one you need to hear right now if you haven’t already. This band is going to roll heads and spill blood, and if the darkness you feel inside matches theirs, you’re likely going to find a kindred spirit that knows how to draw forth those demons and put them to good use.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://store.deathwishinc.com/category/new.html

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

Warped chaos and black infinity sound like better subjects for a Monday post, I know, but there’s no reason why they can’t brighten your weekend in a real charred way as well. You do the same thing every weekend, right? So why not dig into a new record that’s almost impossible to describe and will make you feel uncomfortable and just a little nauseous when it’s over?

See, today we have “Nothing But the Whole,” the fourth full-length effort from Belgian monsters Emptiness, and what you’re bound to feel inside when it’s over will pretty much be the opposite of the band’s name. It’s a strange, warbling, challenging record, and chances are this won’t be the thing you want to hear as you’re driving down a highway looking for an adrenaline rush, you amateur. Instead, this is the type of record you put on late at night, with the lights down, and hopefully it’s storming with plenty of lightning just to add another layer of eerie ambiance. It’ll fill you with fear and make you think your head is full of noises telling you to do strange things. You might find when the record comes to an end, you’re flooded with strange ideas and indecipherable messages, but that means you absorbed this thing just right, and you’re ready for another trip.

Emptiness is masterminded by two members of black metal cult Enthroned, that being lead vocalist and bassist Phorgath and guitarist/vocalist Olve j.LW. While their other band is a little more conventional in the black metal sense, they uncover new levels of strangeness and savagery with Emptiness, showing you they have far more prowess for the dark arts than you ever realized. Alongside of them are two more black souls in the form of guitarist Phil Pieters Smith (a former member of Manic Movement) and drummer Jonas Sanders (who also plays in Drakkar, Resistance, and Age of Movement, among others). The band reaches a new level of menace and mystery on “Nothing But the Whole,” and it’s bound to be one of the most unique, unsettling death metal experiences you’ll have all year long.

The vicious, malicious “Go and Hope” begins the record, and while it’s a grisly, furious song, it’s not brutal riffs and blast beats on top of each other. Instead it’s a cold piece, with strains of deathrock and dreary playing, as Phorgath delivers his growled vocals almost as if he’s reading an epitaph. It’s not a conventional delivery, and that’s what makes it so damn effective. There are pained cries and wails, some gothic instincts, and final noises that grind out into dust. The title track follows, built on low rumble growls that sound like they’re bouncing on an underground electric wave, charged-up riffs, and some off-kilter melodies that lash back and forth. There are elements of doom and classic black metal to be heard, as well as voices swirling all over the place, with the song disappearing into madness. “Behind the Curtain” is a strange one, opening with more odd noisemaking and the song floating in ether before it hits on a death groove and some chugging that seems to come out of nowhere, with Phorgath howling, “I call to you, my faithful friend!” The song switches tempos often, from spooky to crunchy, all the way up to its conclusion. “All Is Known” is the longest cut of the seven at 8:51, and it has liquidy guitars tricking, some thorny riffs that threaten to scar, and gravelly vocals. The track has some moments where it leans more toward a rock tempo, which feels strange considering the surroundings, but the tumult comes back around again, eventually drowning out in static.

“Tale of a Burning Man” brings back the aggression, with corrosive guitar work, dizzying melodies, and creaky growls that sound like they’re being transmitted from beyond the grave. “The Past Is Death” has threatening riffs, a plodding atmosphere that boils and burns, and furious growls that are frightening because they feel strangely detached. Later, there are some vocals that feel like they’re meant to be spoken, though they sound filtered through glass, and the final moments of the song veer back into explosive chaos and finally dissolve into nothingness. Closer “Lowland” injects more deathrock cloudiness into the record, following that up with an explosion display from the band and Phorgath following up with grisly vocals. The band drives far off the path of conventional and expected with their playing, exploding over and over again with their murky assault, leading toward its sinewy bizarre finish complete with echoey growls and guitars slicing and dicing everything in front of them. If you need a moment once the record ends, you’re not alone. I needed a few minutes to figure out what I’d just heard, and even then it took another trip to really grab hold of my thoughts.

There’s nothing normal about Emptiness’ approach to death metal, and that is awfully damn refreshing in a world where everyone is grinding out the same thing. A band that can put chills up your spine is a lost treasure in today’s world, and having a band like this that can freeze you over and over again is something to behold. “Noting But the Whole” is an experience you won’t soon shake, and like a ghoul looking to exact revenge on you for some kind of wrong, it will haunt you until your final days.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.emptiness.be/

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

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

It’s always cool when a label tosses you a curveball and releases a record you might not ordinarily expect them to handle. I’m talking stuff like Relapse working with True Widow, or Profound Lore putting out Liar in Wait’s EP, or even Gilead Media releasing music from Lychgate. All of those labels have open minds for sure, but they still surprise you with something now and again.

Now the same thing can be said for Iron Bonehead, who usually put out the gnarliest, most vicious of death metal bands, most of which create sounds that seem like they originated in a crypt. They’ve become a pretty damn reliable label for when you want death metal that feels raw and violent, but now they have a release that might take some by surprise with Landskap’s debut offering “I.” The music sounds influenced by psychedelic rock and doom metal from the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it’s one hell of a headtrip taking on this four-track record from this UK-based band. If you let the music take over your mind and body, you could find yourself transformed somewhere unexpected, and you might not even need mind-altering substances to get there. But it’s also heavy and riffy, so you get a dose of weightiness along with the trippiness.

Landskap are comprised of musicians who have made marks elsewhere in a number of noteworthy bands, and they came together for the simplest of purposes, to share influences and play a different style of music from what they were doing in other groups. The lineup includes Jake Harding on vocals (he also plays with sludge/doomers Dead Existence); George Pan (Father Sun) on guitars; Frederic Caure (currently of Serpentcult) on bass and rhythm guitar; Kostas Panagiotou (Aphonic Threnody and Pantheist, and formerly of Crippled Black Phoenix) on keyboards and organs; and Paul Westwood (Pan and death metal dreamers Indesinence) on drums. They sound pretty damn tight together, and their ability to throw themselves into eras past and remain true to that sound is pretty remarkable and makes for a record that should please longtime doom fans and newcomers who relish a vintage sound.

The first side of “I” begins with the 11:37-long “A Nameless Fool,” a song that begins loud and disruptive but then settles into a psychedelic groove, with strong doom riffs, death bells, and smoking organs. Harding’s vocals finally open up, and they definitely stand apart from the rest of the metal world, even the doom category as they sound transported right from the 1970s, when having pipes mattered. The song eventually darkens again, with a sinister rhythmic underbelly, simmering, fiery guitar work over top, and the band unleashing their true power at that point. Harding returns to warn, “Possessions weigh you down until the day we die,” as the band fires its final salvo that fades out in noise. “My Cabin in the Woods” follows, and this instrumental sounds like said cabin would be located on a far-off planet somewhere. It’s full of psychedelic space rock, and it’s a cool little piece.

“Fallen So Far” kicks off the second side of the album, and it’s packed with bluesy doom swagger that shows off their attitude. Even the singing, as melodic as it is, has a menacing shine to it even when Harding is trying to wallow in positivity with lines such as, “Speak the words you forgot to say, a belief in better days.” The song kicks into a cool Black Sabbath-style shuffle, complete with mind-altering keyboards and fiery soloing. It’s a great piece. “To Harvest the Storm” is the 11:54-long closing instrumental, and it packs in more space rock, but in a much darker sense. Eventually the volume and intensity really kick in, giving you a good drubbing before the next section blows in and fills the air with mesmerizing tranquility.  The last portion of the song really gets the jets going as the band starts clobbering you and letting smoke rise everywhere, with the storm continuing to build and everything dissipating in a psyche fog. Naturally. I mean, how else would you expect this to end?

This is an interesting, spirited record that really hit a sweet spot with me. Especially since so much doom is starting to sound so similar (sludge and growled vocals), it’s cool to hear these guys sticking to classic sounds and doing a damn fine job interpreting them. Hopefully we get more from Landskap in between the members’ other projects, because it sounds like they have a lot more to say and plenty of psychedelic magic to make killer music for years to come.

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

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

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

It’s not terribly often when I get to say that today’s band might piss you off. They might get under your skin, cause welts, annoy you, and wear on your nerves. All of those things are why I love the band Jar’d Loose, and their new record “Turns 13” is bound to be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition for most.

The Chicago-based band’s second record is a raucous follow-up to their killer debut “Goes to Purgatory,” and the group’s mix of noise rock, early hardcore, gutter rock, ’90s indie, and death metal is one weird amalgamation, but one Jar’d Loose make work incredibly well. Yeah, they might grate at you. But at least you’re feeling something, which you can’t really say for a lot of bands out there today. This band slaps at you, torments you, pokes you hard in the chest, and spits at you without the slightest bit of remorse. But it’s strange because their music is so fun, so filthy that you might find you don’t mind the insults. You also can’t point to another band that sounds like them and packs the same power as Jar’d Loose, another feature that makes them a must-hear group.

At the front of Jar’d Loose is frontman Eddie Gobbo, whose approach and style are fairly hard to explain in words. He’s snotty, confrontational, unhinged, pissed off, deranged, and absolutely impossible to turn away from. He sounds like he could front a death metal band with no problem, yet sometimes his delivery makes me think he could have been a great frontman for an old glam metal band like Faster Pussycat or LA Guns and been awesome.  Joining him is guitarist Pete Adam Bialecki, bassist Eva Bialecki, and drummer Phil Hardman (Nate Madden also plays guitar live), and they are a powder keg of a band. They hit hard, leave bruises, and back up Gobbo’s big words and presentation perfectly. Combined, this group has amazing chemistry and a rock-hard fist, and they could appeal to fans of plenty of genres of extreme music, including those listed above.

You get a good idea of what’s in store for you on “Turns 13” right away with opener “The Light Took Us (Black Metal for Pussies)” that really isn’t a black metal song at all but sure has elements of gruff death metal and gnarly, nasty sludge. Gobbo is in command and sounds positively brutal barking out his words, while the rest of the band packs mud and muck on top of everything. “Jackson the Pollock” follows with melodic but scuzzy guitar work, with Gobbo slipping into a talky, shouty delivery that reeks of attitude. He loses his mind later in the song, repeatedly shouting “Innocent!” while the rest of the band clubs behind him. “Summer of Lung” begins with a thick bass/drum assault, with screechy vocals to scrape you and more sludge piled on top, as if delivered by a dump truck. “Adult Prom” sounds like a deranged, drunken tirade, and it’s hilarious even though I’m not sure if it should be. The song is grungy and noisy, with Gobbo poking at grown-ups trying to one-up each other, howling, “Dressing up like it’s adult prom!” “Carrion Guy” is a weird one, but also one of my favorite cuts on the record, as Gobbo shouts, “If the coffin fits, I would sleep in it!” while the band layers dark punishment over everything, and Eva joins in on backing vocals, giving the song a Breeders feel. Great stuff.

“Full Body Cast” flips the script a bit, going a swampy Southern rock route, though maintaining the thorniness of the band’s demeanor. The song swaggers nicely, like it’s soaked in whiskey, and Gobbo howls along, giving you the idea he’s getting into the head of someone who’s not all there. Or maybe that’s just him. “Isthmus” also strays from the norm, letting acoustics settle in, almost like those old Alice in Chains EPs, and Gobbo’s shouts drift into the background, like he’s wailing from the next room while the rest of the band soaks in porch rock humidity. The 7:28-long title track brings the noise back around again, the feedback swelling, more mud piles being created, and the guitars chugging and pounding away. There’s a tasty start-stop tempo that dominates much of the track, and toward the end of the madness, the pace drops to a slow burn and let’s things drown into chaos. Closer “The Yarn Store” lets Gobbo go off one more time, shouting, “Here’s the problem, you’re pathetic,” as the band packs a serious punch along with him, piling on heavy, chaotic noise that matches the lyrical tone of the song perfectly and brings the record to a fitting, bleeding end.

So yeah, Jar’d Loose may chew your nerves, but that’s why I love them. They sound like they plug in and look for ways to piss off anyone they find undesirable. Plus, they sound great as a unit, and they fill a spot so few bands are aiming for these days, when things have become so homogenized and predictable. That’ll never be an issue with Jar’d Loose as they prove on “Turns 13,” a record that breathes a disgusting breath of fresh air into an extreme music world that’s gotten too safe.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://tpltr.bigcartel.com/product/jar-d-loose-turns-13

Or here: http://nefariousrealmstore.bigcartel.com/product/jar-d-loose-turns-13

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

And here: http://nefariousrealm.com/

Oh, Sweden, always lambasting us with your death metal bands. Over the years, you have given us merciless killers including Entombed, At the Gates, Carnage, Opeth, Amon Amarth, Tiamat, and so many more, that the world never could thank you enough. We’re even willing to forgive you for the Haunted and the delirious downward spiral they’re on. Can’t get them all right!

The latest monster to rise from that Scandinavian region is Miasmal, a band that specializes in ugly, fast, heavy death metal with one foot in the country’s origins but that also has collected some rock and roll tendencies over tie. They crushed us with their aggressive, ugly self-titled debut record (released by the always reliable Dark Descent), and now they’re bound to get even more exposure as they’ve signed on with heavyweight Century Media for their second offering “Cursed Redeemer.” The record is more of the good stuff, with added dashes of rock filth (putting them on a similar path as aforementioned Entombed), and there’s no reason why these guys can’t turn on fans of the label’s more mainstream-friendly acts and show them what real metallic violence is all about.

The dudes from Miasmal mostly stick to one-moniker names and some have experience in other bands you likely know well and have read about here. On guitars and vocals is Pontus, who also plays in Agrimonia and Martyrdod; also on guitars is Magnus; on bass is Rick Ruben, who also plays in Radiation and has not produced bands such as Metallica and Slayer (that’s a different guy); and on drums is Bjorn, who also plays in Agrimonia and Radiation. The guys bring a lot of fury and dirty intentions to their sound, and for the most part, they’re apt to blow you away with their approach and leave bruises all over your eardrums. You’ve been warned.

The record begins with the steamrolling title cut, as the band clobbers you with thick, mean riffs, grimy, vicious vocals, and some strong melodies to undercut all the insanity. It’s an exciting, punishing song, and it sets you up for what follows, namely “Call of the Revenant.” That cut has a nice thrash base, more chugging guitar work, and direct, in-your-face vocals that sound accusatory. “Whisky Train” is up next, and it brings some doom into the picture, as well as some bluesy guitar work, which seems to fit the theme of the song, as well as some fun-filled punishment that could lift your spirits. Truth be told it’s the one song on here that really doesn’t do a lot for me, but I could see it getting over with other people. It’s just OK. “Excelsior” rights the ship with gruff growls from Pontus warning, “There’s no way back!” along with blistering playing, and a bluesy swagger injected into the piece to give you a dose of bad attitude.

“A Veiled Remembrance” settles into a thick death groove that’s nice and chewy, with vocals that sound sinister and fury-fueled. It’s the track that reminds the most of Entombed of all of the cuts here. “Until the Last” gets off to a really fast, ferocious start, but it also feels approachable, like a gateway for all those listeners used to something a little more polished who might be intrigued by the danger going on here. It’s a smart idea (if that’s indeed the strategy), it won’t alienate long-time fans one bit, and the song hits on a cylinders. “Frozen in Time” starts chilly and eerie, aiming to freeze the blood in your veins, but then it begins clubbing righteously, with the vocals dripping with menace, and the guys go back to the rock and roll muse that seems to inform a lot of this record. “2013” is your closer, and it takes this record out on a raucous note. The guitar work is just on fire, with rock-solid soloing and piercing guitar lines, the vocals are absolutely volcanic, as the words are spat out, and the song’s final moments allow for one last assault that should draw blood and make your ears ring mercilessly.

Miasmal are a strong addition to Century Media’s roster of fresh underground-style death metal band (groups such as Morbus Chron and Vallenfyre) and will roll over you with power and attitude. This second record is a nice step ahead both musically and profile-wise for the band, and it’ll be interesting to see how American audiences react to these guys. This is one devastating effort from a band that has a huge opportunity in front of them and a blazing new record to convert new followers to their punishing campaign.

For more on the band, go here: http://miasmal.net/

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

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

There are those bands you love and follow and when they put out a new record or come to your town, you are excited. Then there are those who, when they release new music, it is an event. When they play your town, it’s a foregone conclusion you will be there to revel in their greatness even if you’re bleeding to death. When you think of their history, it is practically sacred.

Agalloch fall into the category of bands you don’t just pay mere adulation. You genuflect before their presence. They have, over the course of their five incredibly intelligent, thought-provoking records, become one of the most important bands in black metal. It’s not because they outsell all the other bands in their subgenre or have their images plastered over flashy ads in glossy metal magazines. They are the complete opposite. Instead, they make records that are events, documents you must sit down with, close off the rest of the world, and absorb in full so you can feel every bit of their creation. From their amazing 1999 debut “Pale Folklore” through 2010’s modern classic “Marrow of the Spirit” to their brand new opus “The Serpent & the Sphere,” Agalloch are on a legendary roll that shows no signs of stopping and continues to make them one of the benchmarks of all heavy music. Period. No arguments.

Following up “Marrow of the Spirit” their universally lauded 2010 record that topped tons of year-end lists (including mine) could not have been an easy task, but I’m thinking that wasn’t even on their list of goals when it came to creating “The Serpent.” Each of their folk-informed, atmospheric records feels like a self-contained statement, informed by their sound and their spirits, and while each album fits nicely in a catalog together, they are their own things entirely. Led as always by John Haughm, their vocalist, guitarist, and lyrical visionary, along with guitarist Don Anderson, bassist John William Walton, and drummer Aesop Dekker, the band sound as channeled and special as ever, and every note that drips out of this nine-track, hour-long record are full of passion and genuine expression, and if it doesn’t move you, chances are you are dead. In short, they’ve done it again.

The record opens with “The Birth and Death of the Pillars of Creation,” an interesting choice to introduce you to the record, as it’s a 10:30-long track that takes its time setting up a mood and stretching out. There really are no speedy or furious moments on this track, and it settles in a mid-paced tempo for the most part. But it’s a hell of a listen, one that’ll pull you along for its entire run, with Haughm switching back and forth from his low-register growls and whispers as he is wont to do. The melody is rich and nuanced, and it has an ending that feels like it is pulling up to an ancient tree in an isolated section of a forest for offerings. “(serpens caput)” is the first of three acoustic-based interludes (played by Canadian musician Nathanaël Larochette of Musk Ox) that tie the album together nicely, and this cut takes you into “The Astral Dialogue” that immediately begins rumbling and shaking from its opening moments and is one of the heaviest cuts on here. The song erupts with a riff that actually reminds me of their labelmates the Atlas Moth, with Haughm letting loose more vicious growls, going back to whispers at some points, and the band setting into hearty, meaty melodies that are infectious and thrashy, dousing the song in a sense of danger. “Dark Matter Gods” runs 8:38, starting with clean playing as the whisper/growl mix comes into play again. This track feels the most like earlier Agalloch of anything on this record (or anything on “Marrow,” for that matter), but it also has some prog tendencies and, gulp, amazing hooks that’ll set up inside you and never let go. You keep sitting there waiting for them to come back, and when they do, it’s a total rush. This song makes my blood surge, and by the time Haughm howls, “Darkness is the father of all,” you know you’ve been swept away somewhere and experienced something special.

“Celestial Effigy” also begins on a calmer note, with sunburnt guitars spreading out like it’s a warm summer day, but eventually the tempo kicks into gear, and the band drums up more drama, with creaky growls, lead guitars that have a late 1970s spirit to them (which I absolutely love), and some blistering playing, with acoustics coming back into the mix before one final eruption that is taken out with Dekker’s drumming. “Cor Serpentis (The Sphere)” is the next acoustic-rich interlude, feeling rustic and woodsy, with its neo-folk stylings. “Vales Beyond Dimension” is another mind blower, with lead guitars that enrapture you right away, low growls telling the tales, and some doom and gloom to make everything that much darker. Some of the guitar lines again go back to late ’70s and early ’80s classic metal, which is a great touch and works really well here, and some of the music delves into gazey territory. There are plenty of twists and turns, as expected from an Agalloch song, and it all concludes with a dramatic finish where melody swells, the vocals are grisly, and the noise subsides only to spill into the longest cut on the record “Plateau of the Ages.” This 12:28 instrumental track opens with a thick synth fog, a deliberate build, and even some post-rock-style playing before it reaches its mid-point. From there the riffs kick in, gloomy melodies claim the day, and the guitar work begins to rise out of the murk with even more classic tendencies. The spirits rise, the drums begin to tease, and a gushing melody surges, giving the album an incredible finish that’ll have your spirits soaring. The record is capped off by a final acoustic track “(serpens cauda)” that brings the adventure to its rightful ending, like a boat finally finding the shore after a long journey through contentious waters.

Agalloch’s power and majesty cannot be denied, and their fifth record “The Serpent & the Sphere” is another enthralling chapter in their folk-lacked black metal saga. Many bands have tried to ape their sound, but none accomplish matching it simply because those groups are not Agalloch. This was one of my most anticipated records of the year, and it met all expectations. This is one of modern metal’s pillars, a measuring stick for everyone else, and everything they do is crucial to the genre just because they are so good and so true at what they do. They deserve your reverence, so pay it. After all, just look at how much this band has given metal in their nearly two decades together. And who knows how many more vital documents they’ll craft in the future?

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

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

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

One of these guys is not in the band …

There used to be a time when receiving physical copies of promo records in the mail was the norm. Just a couple years ago, each day the mail arrived could contain up to 5-10 packages with a single album or multiple releases, and I know it’s a time my wife doesn’t look back on fondly because the mail piling up drove her insane. Then just about everyone went digital.

It’s totally understandable why just about all promos are digital now, as it saves a ton of money in postage fees alone. But every now and again I’ll get an unexpected packet of records I didn’t expect, which always makes me a little excited. It’s a reminder of the old days of writing, and I have to admit it does get my attention above the virtual sea of digital promos flooding my inbox, so many of which I can’t even get to because there’s only so much memory on my computer. And in my brain.

Recently, French label Les Acteurs l’Ombre Productions sent out a package containing a new record from a band whose new record I was heavily anticipating and one from a group that I was unaware of until that moment when I was looking at the cover of this mysterious things. It was an added bonus that both records were of high quality and have provided quite a bit of dark enjoyment ever since they arrived, and we’ll take a look at both albums today. Each album is housed in a very nicely designed digipak, complete with lyrics in one case, so you’re also going to be getting your money’s worth in that regard. You can’t discount that when you’re asking people to trade money for your products.

Up first is a band that was new to me in Paramnesia, an atmospheric black metal band that sounds like they might as well hail from the Pacific Northwest of the United States or even California, but instead hail from France, a place known for its mind-bending, fresh take on all things metallic. The closest associations I can think to compare the band are Fell Voices, Ash Borer, and Weakling, and their penetrating, crushing sound really hits the spot for listeners like me who indulge in this kind of sound. The two tracks on their first and self-titled full-length release create a mood that sticks around and swelters through most of the 40-minute running time, with some well-placed peaks and valleys here and there to keep you wondering. The members remain shrouded in mystery for the most part, but their sonic mission is obvious and in your face.

The record opens with “IV” that has that Cascadian-style thunder that makes you wonder if this whole thing was dreamt up in the middle of a dark forest, and from there the track begins bleedings its power all over the place. There are plenty of dark melodies that lurk underneath all of the audio violence, and eventually a pocket of clean playing settles in before it all explodes again. Sweeping chaos settles in, like a generous thunderstorm has opened up and began drenching your surroundings, and that chaos remains until the song’s final moments when the energy finally subsides and washes out. Closer “V” begins with an eerie introduction that eventually swells into an assault of guitars that sound like an unforgiving, frosty gust of winds hitting your exposed skin. The song spends a good bit of time drubbing and punishing you, with howled vocals and shrieks, and thunderous playing. The song calms down again and it gets atmospheric and hazy, with melodies ringing out and adding a sense of color to all of the fury, and the final minutes trickle out into the night, finally releasing its grip.

Paramnesia are a welcome addition to the crowded atmospheric black metal cauldron, and right away, they stand up above the pretenders and prove they have a grasp on what makes this style so exhilarating. This self-titled debut is an eye-opener, and hopefully there are more good things to come from this band in the future.

For more on the band, go here: http://paramnesiaxpa.bandcamp.com/

Also coming from France are the Great Old Ones, a Lovecraft-inspired progressive black metal band that impressed the hell out of us on their 2012 debut “Al Azif” and now are back with a second helping of fever-dream-rich stuff with “Tekeli-Li.” The title actually is a cry Lovecraft lifted from an Edgar Allen Poe poem for his “At the Mountains of Madness,” on which this record is based, and this band does a fine job conjuring the cosmic horror writer’s penchant for horror and absolute strangeness. But the band doesn’t just get into weird headspaces; they also are great at putting together metal that is equally earthquaking and compelling, keeping you tuned in all the way on this six-track, 53-minute opus that is one hell of an interesting adventure. The band is comprised of guitarists/vocalists Jeff Grimal and Benjamin Guerry, guitarist Xavier Godart, bassist Sebastian Lalanne, and drummer Leo Isnard, who combine for one dangerous, spectacular assault unit. Cthulhu would be proud in his watery grave. By the way, it might help to read Lovecraft’s novella in advance to full enjoy every nuance.

The record opens with the eerie instrumental “Je ne suis pas fou,” complete with French dialog and sounds that set the stage for what’s to come. Then it’s into the tale’s beginning in “Antarctica,” a muddy, doomy crusher that’s built on sonic violence, vicious howls, and bubbling bass work that makes it seem like water in the freezing region somehow is coming to life. The lead guitar work burns, there are epic melodies that cascade, and the song finally fades out on the wings of sound. That leads into “The Elder Things” that starts with winds whipping up, piano notes dripping, and the track finally fully igniting. From there, we get a steady treatment of vicious shrieks, enrapturing melodies, and some playing that delves deeply into progressive waters. The intensity continues to build, and the final moments slip into a death metal-inspired finish that reminds of Opeth’s earlier work.

“Awakening” is up next, and it begins with more dreamy speaking, then guitars that charge up over it and glimmer like great lights. The song keeps driving hard until it heads right into a doom-infested haze that takes over and adds a sense of ugliness to what’s otherwise a majestic song. The song really hits its stride in the second half, with the music coming to life and carrying you to a next plane of existence. “The Ascend” is a robust instrumental cut that’s one of the more aggressive numbers on here. The band really settles into a groove and comes at you with punishing drums and progressive-minded guitar work, yet in the final moments it achieves calm, with classical-style acoustics leading you to the gates. The mammoth 17:50-long closer “Behind the Mountains” is a perfect summation of everything you’ve heard so far. There is musical thunder and fireworks, passionately growled vocals, valleys that let you have a breath of air while more dialog is spoken, and more ruptures that bring the story to its devastating climax, as all sanity is destroyed by a horror that is utterly unspeakable.

The Great Old Ones are one of the most challenging, bizarre, and inspired bands plying the black metal trade, and they offer something both mysterious and terrifying into this form of music. This second album of theirs is an amazing adventure, one that matches the intensity and horror of Lovecraft’s tale and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Amazing record.

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

To buy either album, go here: http://www.lesacteursdelombre.net/productions/v2/?post_type=product

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

It’s time for everyone’s favorite regular installment of bands that don’t really sound like how they used to anymore, which often are complete with backlash, claims of betrayal, and other silly things. Look, bands change. People change. Influences change. Directions change. It happens all the time, and to expect every group to sound the same their entire career is unfair to the band and selfish of the listener.

That doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to be disappointed. I have zero interest in this new Mastodon record based on their last two albums and what I’ve heard from the new one. But hey, they’re huge stars now, so their formula appeals more to the masses than it does to me. But there are exceptions. Opeth’s total transformation into prog metal on “Heritage” actually did a lot for me, and while I prefer their death metal days to where they’ve gone now, I still enjoy that album. Same goes for Alcest (and more on this band in a minute) and their latest opus “Shelter” that completely abandons black metal altogether and goes for Slowdive-esque shoegaze. Sure, some people felt abandoned by the sound, but really, the new approach should not have been a big surprise if you followed their path.

That takes us to “Melting Sun,” the new record from Germany’s Lantlôs, long a pairing of Markus “Herbst” Siegenhort and Alcest’s Neige up until this record. Neige left to continue concentrate on his own band, leaving Herbst to solely contribute his own vocals (though he did assemble an entire band for the record and going forward). That means the disappearance of harsh vocals and the insertion of Herbst’s clean singing that does take a little of time for adjustment. I don’t man that in a bad way. It’s just that when you get used to Lantlôs sounding a certain way, there’s a bit of a shock the first time you go through “Melting Sun.” This is Herbst’s vision alone, and it does move further away from black metal terrain and more toward the gazey, progressive sounds that always were a part of Lantlôs’ sound anyway. And it’s pretty exhilarating to hear, to be honest and quite an emotional listen that could make your mind soar and your heart go with it. I’m sure there will be some backlash from people because it’s not savage enough for them, and that’s their right to feel that way. But I sure don’t share those feelings and really have enjoyed every visit I’ve had with “Melting Sun.”

Each song on the record is given “Melting Sun” and a Roman numeral before their title, so we’ll omit those references the rest of the way for cleanliness. We open with “Azure Chimes,” a song that begins with clean, spacious playing and some pretty great clean singing from Herbst, immediately letting you know things have changed. There are some sludgy riffs and a bit of a doom kick to it, but it’s also dreamy and lovely in some spots. “Cherry Quartz,” the longest cut on the record at 9:40, begins with a flush of air and gorgeous melodies that sweep over you. It feels like a song that pulls you through the clouds and into sunbursts for the most part, and eventually Herbst realizes, “My journey is so long, and I am so small.” The back end of the song gets a little heavier to cap off this journey. “Aquamarine Towers” is the second longest at 8:08, and it starts with murkier waters wafting fog, and the music settling into a slow-moving pace, with deeper singing, and a bit of a goth feel. The music opens up again, with heavy gushing and dreamier vocals, taking the song to its finish.

“Jade Fields” starts with a low rumble and guitars trickling over top, and once it reaches it emotional peak, it’s pure metalgzae. The lyrics are emotional and could grip your heart, with Herbst singing, “Let me go, don’t feel sorry,” as if he wants you to let him float away to the afterlife without regrets. Toward the end, the music gets more adventurous and prog-fueled, giving this one heck of a surprising conclusion. “Oneironaut” is a frozen, ambient-rich interlude that is full of gentle chimes and the feeling that you’re looking at the world from underneath stream water. Closer “Golden Mind” is gentle and serene throughout, and it kept making me think of flying over a lake, letting the wind whip me as I look out over nature. The song is blissful and full of washed-out vocals, and the whole thing finally drowns out in a haze of noise, like it’s giving you a logical finish to a dream that has gripped you all night long.

Herbst clearly is following his own path on “Melting Sun,” and it’s an adventurous, colorful trip that’s like nothing else in the Lantlôs canon. What he trades in metallic skullduggery, he makes up for in his dream-inducing compositions and heartfelt songs that could grip you and sweep you away. It’s a really strong record that should begin to carve out a future for Lantlôs that appears limitless. That’s a pretty exciting thing to behold.

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

To buy the album, go here: http://www.theconnextion.com/prophecy/prophecy_index.cfm?

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