AGRICULTURE, “Living Is Easy” (The Flenser): Bay Area black metal band Agriculture describe their music as ecstatic, and it’s impossible to hear their work and not feel something different and meaningful brewing inside of you. The band follows up their debut self-titled full-length with a new EP “Living Is Easy,” a title that is not dripping with sarcasm like you might expect from metal. This four-track burst hits you hard and delves into subjects including community, sacrifice, and finding the positive and good aspects of life, a heavy turn that makes this band stand apart from everyone else. The title track has blinding riffs that lather with chaos, shrieks raining down, the pressure rampaging easily; “In The House of Angel Flesh” is fiery and destructive, incredible energy rippling through your body, the bass driving as the metallic stabs increase. “When You Were Born” is a short closer that’s a poem about finding people along your life journey who help redefine what makes up your support system. Agriculture’s power is something you might not fully understand until their music is within your grasp and you absorb their work, and “Living Is Easy” is a quick dose of what they do best. (May 3)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/flenser-releases

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

BODY VOID/SUNROT, split (Riff Merchant): This split was released Nov. 20, Trans Day of Remembrance, in order to pay homage to those who have fallen for a cause that remains a fire starter to this day. The coming administration won’t make the cause for these people any easier, but they do have some solace knowing they have supporters from Sunrot and Body Void who are here to light the torches in their honor. “Still Burning” is the Sunrot opener and is a bath in pure noise, having it swim in the air around your head and into your senses, heading into “Shapeshifter” where an industrial poisoning greets you right away. Screams punish as the fuzzy doom batters your psyche, molten and sludgy madness forming a sort of black goo that bubbles toward you, spirited speed bursting from corners. Closer “Kill the Cop” is drenched in noise, a warped voice continuing to call the command that’s in the title. Body Void enters with “Assimilation System” that crumbles into a sound cloud, the playing pounding away, the shrieks scraping at the inside of your skull. “Crown of Fire” has energy vibes hovering and pulsating. The frozen gasp of cosmic isolation grips tight, the dark crunch spreading as all sound falls victim to a black hole. All digital proceeds benefit Black Trans Liberation. (Nov. 20)

For more on Sunrot, go here: https://www.facebook.com/sunrotmusic/

For more on Body Void, go here: https://www.facebook.com/bodyvoid/

To buy the album, go here: https://riffmerchant.bandcamp.com/album/sunrot-body-void-split

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

FORLESEN/LOTUS THIEF, split (I, Voidhanger): We’ve written before about both Lotus Thief and Forlesen for their fuller works, but this split effort shows each beast has expanded musically and philosophically and still can leave your brain spinning in your skull over what you just heard. Lotus Thief’s track “In Perdition” is inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron that is a work of stories about people dealing with life during the Black Death. It starts off breezy for a track that centers on the goddamn plague, but here we are. Lush singing and immersive melodies combine before the first heavy blows land, and then the leads take off for the sky. Shrieks gut as steamy cleansing turns your emotions inside out, hurtling through dreamy terrain and then taking a hard turn into madness. Forlesen’s “Black Is the Color” is both a romantic and dark take on a traditional folk ballad that sounds perfectly reimagined in their hands. The track slinks into darkness and reverie, emotions picking up as the guitars catch fire. The soaring scorches as the drumming paces, the singing reaches out and grasps hearts, and the guitars envelop, sending blood through veins. A magnificent piece by two bands that share members. (Jan. 26)

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

For more on Forlesen, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Forlesen

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/

Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records/

GUILTLESS, “Thorns” (Neurot): Guiltless is a new project that brings together members of bands such as A Storm of Light, Battle of Mice, Generation Vipers, and Intronaut, and their debut EP “Thorns” imagines a world that follows a society that follows a mass extinction event and what follows. Yeah, it’s bleak, and if you look at that list of other bands in which its members are involved, you have a good idea of what to expect here sonically. The playing immerses you in darkness and chaos, bringing along with them a doom-infested, post-metal assault that isn’t run of the mill and feels like a gathering of subgenre powers looking for new ways to expand this sound into a world on the brink of collapse. “Devour Collide” dawns amid thick fog and sludge, gruff howls turning into full-throated cries, the heaviness rumbling the Earth beneath you. “Dead-Eye” is punishing, slowly crushing with enormous gravity, a doomy cloud cover blanketing everything with darkness. Closer “In Radiant Glow” is immersed in noise buzz, moody playing stretching, growls dragging you over hot coals. Hoping for more from this band soon.  (Feb. 23)

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

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

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

PELICAN, “Adrift / Tending the Embers” (self-released): “Adrift / Tending the Embers” is a two-track EP from the reunited Pelican that’s their first new music in five years. Yes, I know Pelican never went away, but it hasn’t operated under its original lineup since 2012, that being guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec (who has returned to the fold), bassist Bryan Herweg, and drummer Larry Herweg. Yet that configuration returns here, and they also have a full record in their future that also gives us reason to be excited. These two tracks from this session provide but a small sip, but it’s a flavorful, exciting one that feels like slipping back into a familiar place, excited to see these surroundings once again. “Adrift” starts with guitars slurring, the leads bathing in light as the bass begins to chug. Melodies glimmer as the playing goes from soaring to meatier, pummeling as the tempo sinks into your blood, settling in the atmosphere, basking in the clouds. “Tending the Embers” is the final track, trudging as the guitars slide, the playing tangling and then burning brightly. Guitars thicken as the melodies slink, the energy pulsating as the skies grow darker and more foreboding. Excited for what comes next! (March 1)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://pelican.bandcamp.com/album/adrift-tending-the-embers

For the entire year, we write about some of the heaviest, most insane music on the planet. But that’s not all we listen to, because who can listen to the same style of music all the time? Here are 10 of our favorite non-metal releases from 2024, presented alphabetically.

THE CURE, “Songs of a Lost World” (Fiction): It’s not just in metal where older bands are finding the fire and inspiration to make great music again. Goth legends the Cure dropped “Songs of a Lost World,” their 14th record, right on the cusp of what became a dark autumn in America. It’s slower, mournful, and channeled, one of their best albums in a long, long time, and one I’d put in the top half of their catalog. Opening the record and first song “Alone” with, “This is the end of every song that we sing,” felt like a final curtain, but luckily it’s not. The record also peaks on “A Fragile Thing”; the more up-tempo “Drone:Nodrone”; and epic closer “Endsong” that parts the waves of gloom into a fiery burst of emotion. Just hearing how great the band sounds almost is worth the admission price alone, but the great songwriting really pulls everything together. (Nov. 1)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://thecure.lnk.to/SongsOfALostWorld

For more on the band, go here: https://www.fictionrecords.co.uk/

IDLES, “Tangk” (Partisan): First, the Pitchfork review for this record is a disgrace. Talk about missing the point entirely. Here on “Tangk” the Brit rock band gets into softer sounds and more experimentation, with the theme of letting love permeate our surroundings standing out. But the barbs are here too, and if anything this record expands their palette and makes the future limitless. Plus, vocalist Joe Talbot remains a firebreather, even if he weaves in a little more sentimentality. “Gift Horse” is a jolt of electricity; “POP POP POP” leans more toward nighttime numbness; “Roy” chimes and echoes while giving static electricity; and highlight “Hall & Oates” celebrates love and friendship among male friends in as exuberant and celebratory manner possible. The chorus of, “I love my man! I love! My man! I love my man,” is the statement we need more of in a toxic society. (Feb. 16)

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://shopus.idlesband.com/

Or here (UK): https://shop.idlesband.com/

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

MERCE LEMON, “Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild” (Darling): Pittsburgh’s Merce Lemon is a bit of a throwback, in that her music situates into Midwestern dust, country twang (not the stadium-ruining kind), and blunt emotion. “Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild” shows Lemon’s growth as an artist has hit an early apex, and I have to admit the strains of Magnolia Electric Co.-style stomp in some of the songs made this an easy one for me to love. “Backyard Lover” shows vulnerability and mourning and ends in scorn with her cries of, “You fucking liar”; “”Foolish and Fast” is one of the biggest ear worms of the year (it was my top song on Spotify); “Crow” is a an acoustic folk track that dig into your heart; and the title track shows some experimentation and dreamy waves amid her raw playing. My favorite non-metal record of the year. (Sept. 27)

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

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

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

MANNEQUIN PUSSY, “I Got Heaven”: Taking on a Mannequin Pussy album is almost like hearing an record completed by three different bands all working toward the same cause. There’s so much variety in what they do, and they can go from getting your blood flowing with an edgy pop rock gem (“Loud Bark”) to peeling your flesh off with a spoon (“OK? OK! OK? OK!”). Vocalist/guitarist Marisa “Missy” Dabice is one of the most enigmatic people to front a band in a long time. She could spark a revolution if she so cared to do so. The rest of the band knocks it out of the park with her on the great title track that has some of the more memorable lyrics this year; the more gentle but rousing “Nothing Like”; the ’90s alternative rock push of “Softly”; and body-bruising punk of “Aching.” Glad to see this band blowing up.  (March 1)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://epitaph.store/?ffm=FFM_90212db9f5ebd842463c7b229b6e4daf

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

MIDWIFE, “No Depression in Heaven” (The Flenser): Madeline Johnston is the sole creator behind Midwife, the mostly guitar-and-vocals-driven music she has created over three full-length records, her latest being “No Depression in Heaven.” If you’re familiar with her music, there won’t be much of a musical adjustment to make here, so there’s a bit of comfort. Her soft, vocals-into-telephone-receiver approach is just as haunting as ever on tracks including immersive opener “Rock n Roll Never Forgets” that is prime dreamgaze; “Autoluminescent” that has guitars lapping, dark words raining down, melodies and emotions gliding into the shadows; “Better off Alone” that breezes but also gives an uneasy feeling in the gut; while  and the title track that brings the record to a close, the guitars shimmering lullaby style, hushed singing and looped calls of, “Crying,” getting into your psyche. (Sept. 6)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/midwife

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

THE SMILE, “Wall of Eyes” (XL): A band containing the formative tissue of Radiohead (Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood) along with an accomplished drummer in his own right (Tom Skinner) never was here to fill the shoes of one of the world’s largest rock bands. Sure, there are some hints of Radiohead here, but what you get from this band and their second album “Wall of Eyes” (their third “Cutouts” arrived in October!) is jazzier, easier, breezier, but just as dark and foreboding. Admittedly, the opening title track does wash in some of the same terrain as Radiohead’s last few records, as does “Teleharmonic,” but in more of a parallel universe kind of way. “Read the Room” can sound borderline threatening, what with its jangly guitar lines; “I Quit” quivers in a medicine head kind of way; and “Bending Hectic” runs the experimental gamut, making your aching brain see stars before the spirited gusts at the end. (Jan. 26)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.thesmiletheband.com/music

To buy the album, go here: https://shopusa.xlrecordings.com/wall-of-eyes

For more on the band, go here: https://shopusa.xlrecordings.com/

ST VINCENT, “All Born Screaming” (Total Pleasure): I was a little worried about where Annie Clark was going after 2021’s “Daddy’s Home,” a record that sunk like an anchor for me. “Masseduction” before that was … fine. But “All Born Screaming” is a sort of rebirth. I have no qualms over Clark’s sonic exploration, and this hardly is a back-to-basics record for her, but it feels more at home. Clark sounds revitalized here, holding on to the new colors she applied the past half decade and spinning that into a sound more like her first few records. Lots of highlights here from opener: “Hell Is Near” is soft but direct; “Broken Man” is a little jerkier and stranger, but it works; “Violent Times” is the standout to me, a noiry puncher with horns and her sweltering voice melting metal over bone; and “So Many Planets” is reggae-influenced but also cosmic, a playful track that suits Clark’s personality ideally. Oh, and she shreds a little more. (April 26)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://ilovestvincent.com/collections/all-born-screaming

ULVER, “Liminal Animals” (House of Mythology): Ulver initially cast a large shadow over the black metal world, but that was forever ago, and their electronics and synth rock nearly has eclipsed their original work. “Liminal Animals” is a late-year release, and a vital one as the world seems to have lost all sense, and the idea of not repeating history has become laughable. On this record, you can dance in the darkness to your own demise on grimy “Ghost Entry”; lament our crumbling world on “A City in the Skies,” especially with the refrain of, “What are they thinking? What is going on?” a simple yet razor-sharp warning; “Hollywood Babylon” that’s as pointed a rebuke of American gun culture as one is to find; and the epic closer “Helian,” with a recitation of the Georg Trakl poem of the same name that is a dirge for fallen friend and former member Tore Ylvisaker . (Nov. 29)

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://houseofmythology.indiemerch.com/pre-orders

Or here (U.K.): https://store.houseofmythology.com/

Or here (E.U.): https://en.houseofmythology.spkr.media/

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

CHELSEA WOLFE, “She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She” (Loma Vista): We’ve long loved Chelsea Wolfe at this site, and if she releases new music, there’s a really good chance it’s going to end up on this annual feature. Her seventh record “She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She” is another bold reinvention, one that was formed on the basis of her present self reaching out to her past version and what she envisions for future in order to grow, change, and attain guidance. Hence the title. “Whispers in the Echo Chamber” and “House of Self-Undoing” make the optimal opening one-two punch for the record and sets the murky stage; “Tunnel Lights” feels like traveling at night, in the cold, your mind wandering and contemplating; “Unseen World” pulses and spits rhythmic codes; and closer “Dusk” is gothic heat bathed in noise as Wolfe calls, “Angels, vampires, one breathes life unto the other, branded, baptized by your love and by your hunger.” (Feb. 9)

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

For more on the label, go here: https://i.chelseawolfe.com/SROTSROTS

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

ZOMBI, “Direct Inject” (Relapse): Zombi’s synth rock always delves deep into the cosmic and returns with chilling sci-fi wonders that should be staples of B movie culture everywhere. Here on their seventh record “Direct Inject,” they move even deeper into the clouds as the duo of Steve Moore and Anthony Paterra continue to add more rock attitude into their fascinating dreamscape. The opening title track sounds like it could have emerged from Rush’s laboratories in the early 80s. But it’s more sinister. “So Mote It Be” has a similar vibe, leaving bruising as the keys jettison you into alien dreams; “Kamichi & Sandy” easily could have rolled out four decades ago and not been out of place, and it still sounds vital now; while “Insurmountable Odds” adds a chilling element, making it feel like a UFO is hovering overhead, ready to take you aboard. Relish the journey into new galaxies. (March 22)

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/pages/zombi-direct-inject

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

You would think we, as humankind, would have learned something over the years about demonizing people based on whatever criteria on which the bullshit is based. We used to burn women suspected as witches and, big surprise here, one of the leading forces behind such barbarism was the Catholic church. Who could have guessed?

Mysterious new black metal force Beneath Moonlight create a story based on those hellish times on their debut self-titled EP. The first part of what they call “Henricus Institor” saga, this is a six-track collection of piano-rich, gothically theatrical demons that target the German churchman who wrote Malleus Maleficarum which basically was the handbook for attacking witchcraft by the Catholic church. Here, the band—vocalist The Inquisitor, pianist The Sanguinarian, guitarist The Ghastly Vrykolak, guitarist/bassist The Haunted Strigoi, drummer The Impaler—tells of the Institor’s growing influence and ego, where a plot is undertaken to turn the church figure into a beast. The band itself is part of the Ordo Vampyr Orientis banner that also contains Bad Manor, Bat Magic, and Bestial Majesty, and if you’re at all familiar with that group’s bizarre take on the most extreme forms of metal, you know that this will be a journey you need to repeat for it to truly sink in.

“Intro – Malleus Maleficarum” opens in pure eeriness, noises clanging, whispers clouding your mind, the strangeness echoing out into “None Before God” where guitars and keys gather to sprawl. The Inquisitor’s inhuman shrieks are hard to take at first, though as the EP progresses, it makes more sense. Repeated visits help too. A horrific elegance is afoot, colorful leads flooding, keys splashing, and the pace spiraling, the electricity vibrating from within. “Reckoning of the Inquisitor” blasts, banshee wails overwhelming, the speed getting into higher gear as a dash of frigidity sets in. Keys glimmer as screams sicken, the energy grows dangerously tornadic, and sounds drizzle, leaving a mist behind. “Versipellis” ravages, the playing drilling holes in your skull, keys slathering and vibrating, letting the drama hit a high point. The playing gets back into punishing mode, the pace feeling like a relentless storm on a freezing autumn night, shrieks coming unhinged. The title track, which also happens to be the name of the band, lights up with guitars, heat, and 1980s bombast, the attitude dripping like blood. Anguished cries ravage as spirited leads crash the gates, keys sweep in and add to the madness, emotions caterwauling and fading. “Vals – Malleus Lycanthroporum” is an instrumental outro, keys trickling, feeling both playful and rich in shadows, the life draining away ever so slowly.

I mean, we aren’t quite back to burning witches, but if you follow the political happenings in the U.S., is it that far-fetched an idea? Beneath Moonlight might be drawing from an ancient text and twisting the story to make the perpetrator face the flames, but there could be a nod to modern times where these horrors threaten to return. Definitely not an EP or band that will speak to all metal fans, but the ones who do hear the calling will be enchanted and haunted, hopefully enough to turn the axe on the alleged masters. 

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

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

It’s been a pretty dark year. The ones following this one don’t promise to be a whole lot better unless you’re swimming in goddamn money. As the year reaches its final month, a lot of people are suffering amid the onslaught of manufactured joy as the holidays approach, deepening the hurt in so many hearts. Yet, we push into the future.

“Liminal Animals” is the 13^th album from the legendary Ulver, a band that began creating three timeless black metal classics before transforming over the years into an electronics-driven, synth rock band, creating music just as compelling as their original material. Over the years, the band hasn’t shied away from exploring the darkest, seamiest aspects of our world, and they have the same bile in their mouths over our thorny present as our potentially stormy future. But there’s more at stake here as the band also mourns longtime member Tore Ylvisaker, who passed in August. His death haunted Ulver’s members, quite understandably, and this record is dedicated to him. The band’s main triumvirate remains vocalist/lyricist Kristoffer Rygg, multi-instrumentalist/electronics Ole Alexander Halstensgård, and lyricist Jørn H. Sværen, and they are joined by Stian Westerhus (guitar, bass, strings and backing vocals), Ivar Thormodsæter (drums), and Anders Møller (percussion and choir) to flesh out these songs that burst with murk and danger, the music creating visions in your mind.

“Ghost Entry” enters amid keys glowing, the feel of urban grime at your fingertips, Rygg calling, “Our days are numbered, and so are words.” The fog picks up as the track manages to get catchier and more foreboding, heading out into the dark. “A City in the Skies” glides in on slick synth, pulsing playing, and a gloomy jolt that parts clouds. The chorus stands out here, Rygg singing, “What are they thinking of? What is going on?” a sentiment that can applied to so many parts of the world right now. Later, Rygg warns, “Icons will fall once and for all,” itself a weirdly prophetic line, and the sentiments finally burn off. “Forgive Us” features Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet, his presence an even darker line in the blackout. Cold keys flow as moodiness thickens, Rygg summoning, “Spirit of the sky, spirit of the earth.” The brass adds jazzy steam as the heat spreads quickly, weird, warped calls wrap themselves around you, and the exhaust finally subsides. “Nocturne #1” is the first of two instrumentals, this dawning with whirring keys, a thickening cloud coverage, and gray skies turning black. Cosmic blips leave ice on your appendages, the playing feeling alien and isolated, the strangeness fading into oblivion. “Locusts” brings percussive rhythm, driving keys, and deeper singing. “There’s something in the air,” Rygg warns, later wondering, “Can you feel it?” over the chorus. Keys pump and the light is removed, ending in solemnity.

“Hollywood Babylon” is particularly pointed and sobering, something aimed directly at America, a country due some comeuppance. The keys taunt as Rygg’s voice takes on the proper sinister tone, calling, “Protect yourself, don’t fuck with America.” That’s not a line that should bring pride, the cocking gun sounds making that more apparent. The guitars heat up and pick at fresh scabs, everything ending in a fitting confrontational note. “The Red Light” has beats charging, keys buzzing, and unsettling tones taking shape. Danger lurks as Rygg urges, “Just try to stay alive,” as guitars churn, the mood darkens, and keys glaze before a final numbing. “Nocturne #2” is the second of the instrumental tracks, building into something a little pricklier, synth taking on spacious cosmic vibes, percussive quaking making the ground move. Sounds rattle in your ears and mind, immersive keys bring a post-apocalyptic sci-fi tone, and everything turns to a shade of red similar to what’s on the cover. Closer “Helian” is the final eulogy for their fallen friend, featuring Sværen reciting the Georg Trakl poem of the same name. The track starts as a strange symphony of synth, loops, and beats, an immersive and vulnerable piece that honors Ylvisaker and develops a mysterious ambiance for us all to consider our place in the universe. As the track nears its end, horns call out, nighttime chills work down your spine, and a smattering of beats close this dark chapter of Ulver lore.

“Liminal Animals” is another logical progression for Ulver but also a reaches a hand back in time for sounds and colors that formed their past. Mourning a friend and lamenting a world that seems to fall deeper into madness with each passing year, Ulver connect with loss, fear, anger, and vulnerability in such an elegant manner, it’s hard to find ways to fully summarize everything into words. This is music for late at night, contemplating our lives, paying tribute to those who have passed, and hardening our shells for our futures.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://houseofmythology.indiemerch.com/pre-orders

Or here (U.K.): https://store.houseofmythology.com/

Or here (E.U.): https://en.houseofmythology.spkr.media/

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

It’s the final week for reviews here at the site before we recap the year, so it only makes sense to get into some death metal first. It feels like that sub-genre was the dominant one this year, though that just might be the memory of a man a little freaked out that he isn’t burned out yet.

We last talked about Wretched Fate with last year’s “Carnal Heresy,” but now the Swedish crushers are back with a quick-and-gory EP “Incineration of the Pious,” a title that’s nicely pointed right about now. On this six-track collection, you get two halves: three new originals and three covers of classic cuts by legendary bands. This is a way for the band—vocalist Adrian Selmani, guitarists Fredrik Wikberg and Mats Andersson, bassist Robin Magnusson, drummer Samuel Karlstrand—to drop some bloody carnage of their own while also pay homage to those who came before them and blazed a fiery path.

“With Ashen Breath” is maniacal but also a little fantastical when it starts, the latter detail due to strange synth that washes through, absolute carnage meeting you on the other end. The guitar work is scathing and reeks of Scandinavian death, the daring pace and the dramatics multiplying, unloading as keys swirl again, stabbing home a final violent point. The title track dawns amid melodic leads and coarse growls, mangling and pounding with a force looking to exact pain and torment. The vocals smear as the guitars catch fire more forcefully, a fast and fluid dash taking off, clobbering as the intent makes it perfectly clear that bloodshed is the only acceptable outcome. “Callous Mutilation Grandeur” trudges before speeding up dangerously, howls spitting nails, the steam rising and making breathing difficult. The pace then smashes harder, beastly growls digging under flesh for prone muscle, crushing in a display of ugliness you cannot soon shake off. The EP concludes with their takes on three classic death metal gems, all intertwined to form one large piece. They do honorable, scuzzy takes on Morbid Angel’s “Dominate” from 1995’s “Domination”; “Like Fire” from Bloodbath’s 2002 debut “Resurrection Through Carnage”; and “Abnormally Deceased” from Entombed’s classic 1990 debut “Left Hand Path,” providing listeners with a template as to where their vicious take on death originated.

“Incineration of the Pious” is a nice bite-sized serving showing where Wretched Fate are now in their death metal psychosis and potentially where they’re going with a second full-length. The added covers are nice, but the meat here is found in the three new tracks that feel like they’re mangling your brain wiring. This is a nice quick burst to make late 2004 a little bloodier.  

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

To buy the album, go here: https://redefiningdarkness.8merch.us/product/wretched-fate-incineration-of-the-pious-mc/

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

Where I grew, there was a thick, yet totally walkable section of woods that became a haven during the summer time when we could find solace among the greenery. But the first snowfall (they were much thicker in these parts at that time) always sparked excitement to walk amid the inches of white, dead leaves, and branches, creating a greater connection to and admiration for nature.

Minnesota-based black metal power Canis Dirus return with a late-year gem on their fourth record “By the Grace of Death,” a force that feels like it was written expressly for chilling trips out into the wilderness. But that’s not all they have here. Their brand of black metal also breathes fire, adding a molten element to their sound that pays destructive dividends on these six cuts. That adds a monstrous new element to the band—vocalist Rob Hames, guitarist/bassist/keyboard/piano player/vocalist Todd Paulson, drummer CJ Yacoub—that already was a beast with which to be reckoned and now is operating with newfound blood thirst. On the record, they are joined by several guests including guitarist Carl Skildum (Inexorum, Majesties); vocalist Meghan Wood (Crown of Asteria); bassist/classic guitarist Mick Rotella; vocalist Damian Winter (Robes of Snow); cellist Kakophonix (Osi and the Jupiter, Hvile I Khaos); and choir singing by Gaelic Voices traditional Gaelic choir.

“Once Cursed Path Glistens in the Sun” gusts in, a black metal storm that warps and ravages, shrieks tearing into sanity as synth glistens. Sootiness becomes a factor as wild yells and screams unite, and then calm arrives, letting a hazy cloud coverage thicken. The band ravages anew, cymbals crushing, guitars gathering, and the keys blending in to create mystical carnage. “Tongues That Speak Ill” is ominous with burly howls, speedy guitars, and a rumbling that moves the earth. The playing takes on a hurricane force, the growls gutting as the guitars melt rock, igniting as everything defaces all of humanity, a synth glow providing the first layer of healing. “A Forlorn Hymn to Absolution” feels folkish as guitars are plucked, strings layer, and an elegant glaze stretches. Wordless calls chill as acoustics push through lushly, a rustic spirit chased into the night.

“Vultures Whisper” is fiery, leads adding to the steaming front, howls scraping as ice collecting on the wings. The crunching continues as things get even more sweltering, the vocals devastating as strings glide, and wordless, wild cries calling, the playing fully sending seismic waves. The emotions hit a high point, slashing and dashing, simmering to a bone-shaking close. “Cast My Heart in Stone” is a quick instrumental, strings and lush melodies melding, swimming into the darkness at the horizon. Closer “The Mind Sees What the Eyes Cannot” fully comes unglued, howls destroying as the metallic energy jolts with electricity. The ferocity settles as eerie tones give a pause to the madness, the moodiness spreading as guitars spill richer tones, key lathering, and last of the fires fading.

Canis Dirus’ atmospheric black metal can run hot and cold, meaning at one moment your flesh is being torched mercilessly, and in the next, you’re fighting hypothermia with their wintry force. “By the Grace of Death” is the year’s final must-hear record, one that sadly falls under the radar for so many people who have closed the book on 2024. This one comes knocking with a force and tenacity you cannot ignore, and it is sure to breathe its fullest life during the upcoming winter months.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563458381306

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

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

I believe a lot of us like to think of space as a majestic black ocean of stars where we can let our imaginations soar in order to soothe our mental wounds. But it might be violent. Have you seen “Alien” lately? You have to think that somewhere, horrors unimaginable might be happening, still intoxicating you with galaxies and terrifying you with blood.

Cincinnati death metal power Nogothula have a firm grasp on the fantastical and the frightening when it comes to the contents of the universe, and their debut full-length “Telluric Sepsis” is chock full of savagery that freezes every cell in your body. Taking a noticeable step up from their solid “Gore Vortex Ascension” EP, the band—vocalist/bassist  Eric Payne, guitarist/vocalist Colton Deem, guitarist Nick Moeller, drummer Alex Hooper—mutates and warps their version of death, weaving in progressive patterns and vile wreckage into a record that is challenge worth taking over and over again.

“Awakening” is a strange, short opener, growls boiling in mud, and then everything is sucked into the iciness of space. “Chaospore” ignites, guitars chugging with fervor, howls sickening as the bruising force increases. Things turn more beastly, devastating as drums crush wills and bones. “Catacomb Cauldron” stirs with guttural growls, the guitars getting trickier as a battering force is unleashed. The playing stays molten until bursting at the seams, ripping flesh along the way. “Lacerating Vibrations” is weighty and sooty as growls engorge, the melodies temporarily delving into mystical territory. Hazy guitars thicken the air as the howls melt, and cosmic keys return to the skies. “Observers of Perpetual Rot” tears in, speedy destruction having its way, pulverizing with total ugliness. The splattering playing gets in your mouth and hair, spiraling and defacing before zapping out.

“Labyrinthian Sunken Spires” dashes and encircles, deathly hell oozing through the cracks, dizzying heat slowing down a bit, heated gurgles chugging acid. Blinding, burning tension builds, leading to bizarre, sinewy guitars, the final moments gasping. “Morbid Seas of Stygian Blood” pounds as savage growls tear flesh, the bass recoiling, the tempo slashing at guts. Growls corrode as the fumes rise toward the sky, unsettling and whirring sounds lashing back tornadically. The title track ignites, blades whipping at you maniacally, driving death ramming you square in the ribs. Leads zap as the mashing lays waste, growls coat, and penetrating carnage powders bones. Closer “Meandering Comatose Twilight…The Carrion Viaduct” dawns in eerie synth, a slower, sinister pace taking hold, growls scraping congealing wounds from flesh. The playing then gets more destructive, vicious violence spilling blood, the punishment then meted out in more calculated fashion. Growls maul as the elements stir, sounds blipping and disappearing into stars.

Nogothula journey deep into the stranger elements of space on “Telluric Sepsis,” a record that is perfect for late-night sojourns when the dark sky is filled with stars and mystery. It’s normal to feel like your flesh is crawling as your brains are beaten in by the band’s forward-thinking, poisonous death metal. This is morbidly heavy, sci-fi-leaning madness that spews forth from this album and is perfect fodder for when you’re mentally strained, could use a good physical shaking, and want to disappear into the darkest regions of your mind.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bloodharvest.se/?s=Nogothula&post_type=product

For more on the label, go here: https://shop.bloodharvest.se/

I was out driving this afternoon between record stores trying to find something, and I was travelling in snow for the first time since summer mercilessly ended like two weeks ago. It struck me that it is the perfect time for black metal again, hardly a novel idea but one that still plays out for me every year when the temperatures drop.

Black metal vets Mörk Gryning know how to strike when the iron is … hot? Hey, an iron can get hot in winter! The band storms back with “Fasornas Tid,” their thunderous, infectious seventh record that is perfect partner for battling the elements. Over 12 tracks and 44  minutes, the band—vocalist/guitarist Draakh Kimera, guitarist/vocalist S-L, bassist/vocalist
Goth Gorgon (drummer C-G and keyboardist/vocalist Aeon round out the live version of the band)—lathers you with massive riffs, a total gallop of adventure, and black metal power that drives back to the subgenre’s formative years with an unstoppable spirit.

“Intro” opens in acoustics before the power kicks in, the metallic wave on the rise, washing into “The Seer” that’s gnarly right as it starts. Howls sicken as riffs burst, animalistic power rampaging, clean singing pushing in and adding a different texture. Grimness returns as the growls intensify, amplifying its catchiness before spiraling out. ”Tornet” opens with guitar smoke, vicious snarls angling into black metal heat. The drama continues to storm harder, spirits flooding as guitars soar, coming to a crashing end. The title track has guitars lighting up, growls stretching as spirited darkness rolls in like clouds. The pace races as the tempo presses with force, the explosions making the ground quake. “Before the Crows Have Their Feast” attacks with the bass driving, singing bellowing, the growls reverberating through your skeleton. The pace halts as keys plink, the pace pummeling as blood races through your veins, guitars catching fire, energetic gusts lapping like lava. “Savage Messiah” opens with the drums rousing, darkness thickening, creaky howls leading into a sung chorus, giving it a power metal feel. Synth spills as things get monstrous and colorful, the chorus sweeping back as the remnants burn away.

“An Ancient Ancestor Of The Autumn Moon” begins with riffs spilling, the synth melting, and the screams surging, crunching bone that lies underneath. The playing spirals as speaking sits underneath the chaos, blending into a generous fog and deteriorating slowly. “Black Angel” has charred guitars and howls buckling. A pathway burns and leads into harmonized singing, not exactly a primary black metal trait, as the emotional rust blows off, leads flooding as the power continues to mount. “Barren Paths” is a quick, ominous instrumental where shadows fall slowly, darkening the roads for “The Serpent’s Kiss” that has driving momentum right off the bat. Speed gasps as fiery howls snarl, guitars igniting before the chorus infects. Keys rain down as the guitars bleed, howls savaging before a final tornadic thrust. “Det Svarta” is raw and gutting, spirited singing storming, guitars stinging over a galloping pace. The chorus runs back, the rest of the band responds with “woah-oh” calls, and the final punches blacken eyes. Closer “Age of Fire” splatters, shrieks crushing, a punchy tempo blasting into a numbing pace, the explosions gnawing on bones. A brief calm leads into murmuring guitars as melodies unload, and a majestic adventure lands in a mountain of ash.

Mörk Gryning sound as alive and colorful as ever on “Fasornas Tid,” a blast of alluring black metal that electrifies your brain in the best way possible. After more than 30 years as a devastating force and seven records now, the band still has fire in their bellies and a thirst for making imaginations soar. This is blistering and fun, an energetic surge into the most immersive sections of black metal that keeps hearts ablaze.

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

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here (International): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/

The night sky here has been revealing more stars than I’m normally used to seeing the past few years. I doubt the layers of pollution have decreased, and it’s definitely not my eyesight improving, so it’s made me wonder why so much more of the universe has reached out for me. Whatever it is, taking the dog outside at night has been more cinematic.

Australian duo Mesarthim has been fascinated by what’s beyond over numerous releases (six full-lengths and several smaller releases) even since they surfaced nearly a decade ago. Taking on their music is like going for a journey into what humankind has yet to discover, and their latest release is a compilation of two of their singles into one package that is album length. “Anthropic Bias/Departure” pairs single tracks from 2022 and 2024 respectively that originate from the same source but come at it from different directions. The first track weighs the enormity of the universe and the tininess of humanity in scope and importance, while the second deals more with taking mental adventures through the stars to discover new things. Both tracks worked just fine on their own, but put together, they make a lot of sense as they have similar vibes and characters.

“Anthropic Bias” runs 17:22, opening in cosmic synth blips, and then everything tears open, keys warping and screams slashing. The fantasy spreads as the harsh cries decimate and torment, jostling through a storm into a spatter of blips and beats before guitars heat and explode. The synth continues to become a mental and physical force, blurring colors as the pressure builds, shrieks storming into a fog. A synth wall rebuilds itself as your brain turns into a strip of dreams, freezing and fading before disintegrating.

“Departure” is the 19:35-long other side, guitars lighting up and gushing, the keys dizzying and expanding the void. The emotion explodes as the howls maul, immersive guitars that spurt blood, the tempo halting slightly only to drain back in with trickling keys, a catchy, even dancey section changing your mental state. Beats ricochet as the screams bleeds, synth pulses, and sounds crash through clouds, the outer edges glistening. A space transmission chills as the synth softens, as does the atmosphere, fading into space.

Compiling these two Mesarthim tracks makes for a convenient way to have a copy of both singles that are separate pieces but complement each other nicely. “Anthropic Bias/Departure” is valuable not only because this band’s music is fascinating and devastating in the same breath, but also because it continues to increase their profile in the cosmic black metal corner. These nearly 40 minutes are the perfect escape past this chaotic planet, at least in your mind, as you can dream about worlds not yet sullied.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.sound-cave.com/

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

I am not exactly the most adventurous person of all time, and my participation in events that could be termed dangerous is almost, but not quite, zero. I went white water rating once. Hated it. Never doing it again. So, when I hear about people mountain climbing, it baffles me that someone would try something so ridiculous. I’m fine with cowardice.

“Eiger” is the new record from Swiss black metal force Aara, who recently completed a trilogy of albums based on Charles Robert Maturin’s Melmoth. Here, the band—vocalist Fluss, multi-instrumentalist Berg, drummer J.—turns toward the mountain of the same name as the record in the Bernese Alps that has an ice-covered North side called “Mordwand” or MURDER WALL(!). In July 1936, four climbers tried to conquer said murder wall, and guess how that ended? It’s highly unlikely a melodic black metal band that often sounds like a phantom shriek come to life would dedicate an entire record to something that ended happily, so you should know you’re in for utter peril.

“Die das wilde Wetter fängt” opens with frigidity filling your bones, moodiness spreading as a melodic gush takes over, shrieks peeling flesh from bone. The playing remains raucous for the most part, sometimes pulling back on the reins to let the gravity set in. The vibe gets a little filthier as the screams mangle, your blood rushing as we mix into acoustics, the volcanic elements cooling ever so slightly. “Senkrechte Welten” gusts, fires crying, fluid guitars working into a lather, the vocals pulling at the tension. Quiet guitars layer as steps crunch, and then the playing gets delirious again, flowing gloriously to its resting point. “Felsensang” has guitars chiming before the pace takes off, the vocals crushing while riffs dive into embankments. Once again, there is a push and pull of heaviness and delicacy, the calmer strains allowing breathing room before the next attack of ferocity, shrieks raining down into a hypnotic dirge. “Todesbiwak” enters in a halo of riffs, acoustics dripping as the power surges. Guitars divebomb as screams blister, sweeping through the thickening air, working into another gust of calm that is a bridge for the next wave of effusive fire that burns off into ash.

“Der Wahnsinn dort im Abgrund” is like an avalanche, screams mauling as the playing gets more volatile, burly abandon heading full force until a quick pause that resets the emotion. Out of that comes a rush, tornadic power that aims to consume fully, power blasting through your chest and leaving you heaving. “Zurück zur roten Fluh” batters right away, the screams rippling, the tempo rampaging colors and warped reality, daring speed threatening to burst at the seams. The playing is drubbing and dark, brief respites for acoustic winds giving hints of solace, a melodic crush bringing tumult to a temporary end. “Grausig ist der Blick” brings howling winds and guitars that aim to create a signal in flames, the pace bludgeoning, shrieks killing amid a panicked attack. A new eruption compromises your footing as the assault spirals and blurs, ending in a blast of charred remnants. Closer “Alptraum” opens with acoustics and winds whipping, the playing growing more volatile, a melodic charge loosening rock beneath it. Guitars coat with a metallic surface, the pace injecting more energy into the journey, stretching before the playing combusts. Screams plaster as guitars rampage, the finality settling into your bones as the cold winds squeeze tight, blackening forever.

“Eiger” shows its force once again, though this time in a metallic ode to trying to conquer nature by Aara that at least leaves you breathing at the end. The pain and trauma of the adventure contained within were real, a peril that ultimately proved insurmountable and deadly. This record pays that off with every freezing step, your body and mind pushed to their limits, the music acting as a harbinger to an early grave. 

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051054499947

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

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