A long time ago when heavy metal was in its infancy, it seemed like a world where you could let down your inhibitions and get lost in the power and magic for a night. It’s not like that element was completely stamped out, but as the genre has changed and grown, cynicism has festered, and any band that’s trying to put smiles on people’s faces gets ridiculed. Like, who did Ghost ever hurt?

Not to be deterred, Salt Lake City-based force Blood Star feel like a band that originated 40 years ago and has the sense of rebellion over the reaction from the general population pointing their accusing fingers and their desire to unite the music’s followers. Yet, it’s 2023, and what they do on their exuberant, goddamn great debut record “First Sighting” is create something that is worth fighting for, music that lights your heart and soul on fire in the name of metal. The band—vocalist Madeline Smith, guitarist Jamison Palmer (also of like-minded Visigoth), bassist Noah Hardnutt, drummer Al Lester—unloads all of their blood and sweat into these eight tracks, taking you on a ride to the heart of metal over 33 minutes that capture you and deliver endless excitement.

“All for Nothing” is a fiery kickoff that drives with vintage power that gets into your bloodstream. Smith is a killer out front with a great voice and delivery, calling “Was it really worth it in the end?” over the rousing chorus. The guitars breathe fire, the path is jolting and clobbering, and everything ends in a blaze. “Fearless Priestess” delivers mashing riffs and a simple, but effective chorus that sinks in its teeth. Again, the singing is off the charts, and the solo just ignites, sending energy through your veins, putting on a glorious sheen. “No One Wins” is speedy as the singing spits bolts, completely commanding and quaking the earth. The guitar work slathers as things trudge and bruise, turning everything over onto its neck. “The Observers” is a real highlight, Smith’s singing going for a huskier, deeper register, the darkness spreading. “My thoughts are not my own, I know I’m not alone,” she calls as the playing flexes its muscle, belting with passion before the vocals echo out.

“Dawn Phenomenon” is a quick instrumental built on acoustics guitars, synth glaze, and a cosmic chill that washes over you and pushes into “Cold Moon” that opens in a total gallop. Smith once again is a force with which to be reckoned as the guitar work leaves streaks of fire across the sky, the chorus gets your heart rushing, and everything burns off into the light. “Going Home” starts with clean guitars before the energy gets a heavy boost, and another simple chorus proves less can be a lot more as it is sure to be something yelled back live. The guitars explode and then liquify, and a darker edge bleeds through, the chorus hits back again, and everything disappears into the stars. Closer “Wait to Die” blasts off, fast and certain, rampaging through center as the drums pummel. The soloing takes off, Smith’s work is a total blast, and everything ends in flames and excitement.

Yes, there are a ton of bands trying to unearth glory from decades past, but bands such as Blood Star prove that if you have the knack for it, you can hit it out of the park. “First Sighting” is a tremendous, enthusiastic debut record that not only puts them on the metal map but paves the way for them to do some really special things in the future. This is a killer record, one that’s a blast to experience and will remind you that metal can be fun again.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/pre-orders.asp

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

I have no idea if there is any level of existence beyond this plane, and despite being raised in a Catholic environment, my mind never was made up. Having since eschewed all strains of that belief system, the thought of such a thing has taken on a different tone, as I wonder where we could end up if life on earth isn’t truly the end and who might be watching our every step. It’s sometimes chilling to imagine.

Funeral doom dreamers Mesmur were on that line of thinking when creating “Chthonic,” their fourth album to date. Over five tracks and 48 minutes, the internationally based band—vocalist Chris G, guitarist/synth player Jeremy L, bassist Michele M, drummer John D—truly pushed into the beyond to color in this journey. The increased use of cosmic synth and contributions from Brianne Vieira (viola and cello) and Kostas Panagiotou (organs) of fellow funeral doom act Pantheist make this one of the most realized and imaginative of the entire Mesmur catalog. Progressively, this is a mammoth record. Hairs will stand on your neck, strange chills will move up your spine, and the energy of the stars and whatever beings lie beyond fills you with possibilities you perhaps never considered before. 

“Chthonic (Prelude)” jars open, churning with mournful tidings, bubbling into a spacey aura that leads to “Refraction” that greets with chilling synth swirls. Growls mar as the pace burns, feeling burly and hazy, the keys adding a glaze of atmosphere. The playing gets more crushing and imaginative, and the growls wrench as the elements take off, moving into isolated keys that sweep among the planets. The playing tingles as the power increases, striking a murky tone that drains out at the end. “Petroglyph” makes your senses activate, the band slowly trudging as mystical carnage is unleashed, and the melodies dig into deep sorrow. The growls turn cavernous as the music stretches over the cosmos, making your cells react to each movement, the pressure continuing to mount. The growls challenge wills, eerie sounds increase their presence, and the final strains head deep into the universe.

“Passage” is the longest track, running 18:57 as the tendrils begin to branch in calculated fashion, the growls burning, your brain feeling like it’s melting out of your ears before cooler winds blow. The playing bleeds as the vocals sink their teeth deeper, clean guitars arriving and bringing a misleading sense of calm, the playing feeling like it’s dripping in from another dimension. The guitars then add crunch, the melodies soar, and voices warble, adding confusion and strangeness, the steam wilting your flesh. The pace crawls into the void, and a final gust of visceral mashing lands hard, eventually tunneling out into alien terrain. Closer “Chthonic (Coda)” enters liturgically, organs ringing out, the clouds parting to let through beams of light. The atmosphere feels like a soul rising to the heavens, then guitars open and bleed, feeling like a dirge that stings openly and solemnly. Zaps fill the sky as the stratosphere crumbles, leaving hypnotic sounds to make way for disintegration.

Mesmur reaching into the spirit world to color the body and being of “Chthonic” makes absolute sense just from hearing the music, which feels like it reaches far beyond to tell its tales. The deeper immersion into progressive waters and the extraterrestrial elements that smear over these five songs feels like a spiritual journey to touch the face of those existing beyond. It’s a powerful, chilling record, Mesmur’s most imaginative and satisfying creation.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.aestheticdeath.com/releases.php?mode=singleitem&albumid=5799

Or here: https://solitudeproductions.bandcamp.com/

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

And here: https://www.facebook.com/solitudeprod

The pressure surrounding our lives have so many different elements involved, some of them social, others financial, still others existential. We all struggle, we all feel pain coursing through us from time to time, and the battles we face in those periods can help define us. Do we wallow in negativity and anger, or do we use this as self-reflection to increase our levels of compassion toward others?

Pittsburgh-based musician V started his project Vale in 2015, and over the course of his first two records (2018’s “The Folklore of Man” and 2020’s “Our Denouement”), atmospheric, folk-led black metal flowed forth, calling out to nature and aligning with certain seasons. On the latest Vale record “A Senseless Procession,” the waters and winds rush generously, taking on elements of the spring, breathing new life into this band’s power. Along the way, the eroding earth is mourned, searches are made for one’s place in existence, and making sense of one’s emotions blast to the forefront. Musically, these five songs are packed with humanity and chaos, darkness and beauty, and it’s an incredibly rich journey.

“Parturition” enters amid chirping and waters rushing, feeling calm and spacious before the guitars begin flooding. V’s howls tear into your chest, the playing storming hard, adding even more atmospheric pressure. “Mother is in pain, earth whimpers softly, a child cries to leave this world,” V howls, filling your heart with vivid emotion. Percussive strikes get your blood flowing, and the howls stretch, mystical harshness poisoning the waters before dipping into acoustics, a moody gaze returning to nature’s heart. “Monadic” is the longest track, running 13:35 and starting with lush acoustics and drizzling piano. The swirling melodies ease you into the picture before the playing ignites, the vocals crushing and heading into tornadic insanity. The emotions build as shrieks cut under your nails, splattering and rampaging, the playing blasting with life. Echoed calm and trickling guitars emerge, but it can’t calm the black chaos that explodes anew, burning deep into the earth to rest finally.

“Sprigs” is a quick interlude with acoustics, immersive whispering, and a haunting essence, getting into your bones and moving toward “Carnation” that continues the same aura. Acoustics move as piano creates a glaze before animalistic intensity strikes and rains down carnage. The shrieks devastate as doomy mangling lurches, twisting and digging into long-healed wounds. Wild cries ring out as the playing flows and searches, melting away in calm notes. Closer “Mother” begins with reflective clean guitars and elegance unfolding, feeling like a tribute and a dirge all in one. The playing also feels moves through the seasons, beginning with wintry haze, enveloping you before the ice begins to thaw. “I’ve been thinking too much again, I’ve been dreaming too much again, how can I love if I don’t love myself?” V wails, and then the pace intensifies. The transition rips with molten cries and the playing leaves ash behind, churning before things calm, the path comes to a rest, and chirps rise and float off into the distance.

“A Senseless Procession” leaves a lot for one to contemplate from the state of our planet to one’s own position within the human race, to the devastation of simply being. Vale deliver black metal that levels deep gusts of atmosphere, primal rage within the heart, and a titanic display that isn’t afraid to feel and invites you to do the same. This is intense and personal, a record that feels like it leaves you deeply impacted, realizing you have a lot to think about.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://valeband.bandcamp.com/album/a-senseless-procession

Black metal long has been changing despite the kicking and screaming from those who want to keep this savage art form in the dark ages. You still can find plenty of the traditional stuff and bands that remain steadfast in that dingy basement aesthetic, but you have a wealth of artists pushing the boundaries that never should have been there in the first place. Afterall, lawlessness doesn’t thrive under rules.

Icelandic force Altari certainly have black metal as a base, but on their debut offering “Kröflueldar,” they prove their concoction contains so much more than that. Smeary and psychedelic, twisting and disfiguring, these seven songs feel like alien creations in a way. The band—I can’t find a reliable lineup but I do know from the promotional materials that Ó.Þ. Guðjónsson handles vocals and guitars, K.R. Guðmundsson plays guitar and also created the album’s artwork, and their ranks contain members of Sinmara—stretches into punk, noise, atmospherics, and spacey strangeness, drilling your senses without mercy, forcing you to realize the black metal planet has changed forever, and it’s either adapt or perish.

The title track opens in drums sprawling, guitars utterly disorienting, and the howls defacing after seemingly emerging from a fog. The playing dizzies as the roars punish, things spiraling into a vortex and coming out transformed on the other side, washing over with numbing melodies and ending in weirdness. “Djáknahrollur” delivers smearing guitars and howls that stymie, crazed calls barreling uncontrollably toward you. Everything spirals as the storming drubs, bringing spiking electricity that makes your nerve endings ache. “Leðurblökufjandinn” is spindly and atmospheric, the growls lurching as the menacing devastation goes for your skull. The playing suddenly liquifies, turning into alien form, heading into the clouds before dissolving into the stars.

“Sýrulúður” enters amid warped sounds and horrified cries as Gyða Margrét’s singing adds interesting textures to the overall atmosphere. Mysterious and icy, the lush and strange playing mystifies, and everything folds into the clouds and is swallowed whole. “Hin eina sanna” has riffs that engage from the start, warping as the howls echo, the immersive pace leading you into the mist. The playing is entrancing and feels like it infects your mind, the pressure mounts, and then it opens into a vast experience, bleeding into the background. “Vítisvilltur” enters amid trickling guitars and pastoral chants, and then the howls gut, wrenching calls stretching over top. It feels like your body is freezing in place, a strange feeling washes over your mind, and then the guitars melt, creating a glistening metallic river. Closer “Grafarþögn” slowly forms, blackness oozing from its cracks, the leads glistening and mixing with boisterous cries. Gothy tones get heavier as melodic streaks bloody the waters, detached howls making your ears sting as the strangeness plows through and drains into the unknown.

Altari definitely have black metal DNA which is evidently apparent on “Kröflueldar,” but it’s just as clear they did not have desire to do things based on any rules or expectation. The approach and expanded sound make for such a refreshing listen, and the band gets inspiration from so many different sounds and philosophies and works them into their recipe. It’s safe to say you won’t hear another black metal record this year quite like this one, and it’s another example that the best way to create this type of sound is to defy its rulebook.

For more on the band, go here: https://altariiceland.bandcamp.com/album/kr-flueldar

To buy the album, go here: https://www.svartrecords.com/en/product/altari-kroflueldar/11084

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

I don’t know if it’s the overabundance of bands and releases in this era or a lack of creativity, but the album covers for heavy metal bands aren’t what they used to be. It seems like so much art is just kind of there, often seemingly done by the same artist or firm, splashing some random scary image or desolate wasteland and not really engaging the buyer. We need a cover without much thought!

Philly’s Blazon Rite do not have this problem, as their frosty and classical art for their second record “Wild Rites and Ancient Songs” can attest. Maybe it’s because I’m an old and remember the formative years of epic power metal, but for two albums in a row now, this band has come up with a cover that generates emotion and makes it feel like the record you’re about to hear is an actual adventure like they did decades ago. And it is. The band—vocalist Johnny Halladay, guitarists Pierson Roe and James Kirn, bassist Devin Graham, drummer Ryan Haley—waited precious little time after finishing debut “Endless Halls” to get to work on this record, and it’s a confident, swaggering piece of classic heavy metal that’s often tried but rarely made quite this thunderously and faithfully.

“Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom” powers open with a twin guitar assault, driving hard fueled by Halladay’s vocals, which definitely have an epic edge but also some punk bravado. The storming pace brings a great flurry, guitars racing for the sun, group shouts giving back adrenaline. Tension builds as everything in is full command, leaving you in the dust. “Salvage What You Can of the Night” has an energetic pace, and the band makes things simple but effective. The chorus jolts, Halladay howling, “Savage moonlight guides my way, I must run forever free, a new quest every day,” as the soloing ignites, burning everything to the ground and ending in dust. “The Fall of a Once Great House” starts with clean, solemn guitar work, feeling folkish and dark like storm clouds are rolling over the sky. The pace picks up as the vow to stand their ground makes its impact, Halladay calling, “We knew this day would come, but we would never kneel.” The bass charges as the guitars begin to explode, the chorus rushes back, and the final jabs send electricity through your veins.

“Mark of the Stormborn Raiders” starts with a speedy pace galloping, another meaty chorus lays into you, and the vocals flex their muscles. Soloing erupts and keeps the racing going, delivering fire and brimstone before ending in a gut stomp. The title track starts with acoustics blowing through the air, birds chirping, and the playing churning, Halladay’s bellowing singing taking on a heavier presence. The gas pedal is used a little more liberally as the singing gets grittier, and then the guitars open the floodgates, the energy coming on and the spirit slowly fading away. “Troubadours of the Final Quarrel” is quite the song title, and it starts just blazing, the guitars bringing up dust, the vocals pushing into your chest cavity. The tempo goes for broke, the chorus punches back, and the final moments feel like a bomb going off just feet away from you. Closer “The Coming Tide of Yule” (a Christmas song!) brings on tremendous riffs, singing that goes directly to your face, and the agitation ripping for your throat. Things go off the handle, speeding and powdering bone, a steamy haze rising and wilting flesh, and the last blasts get your juices flowing before ending in ceremonial power.

The power and epic metal category has been getting significant contributions from plenty of newer bands over the past few years, and Blazon Rite are right up there along with them. “Wild Rites and Ancient Songs” is a title that kind of lets you know what you’re in before you take on the songs, and they absolutely deliver from the start. This is a charging, classic-style metal record that not only adds weight to their chosen sub-genre, but it significantly makes it world better. And that castle lying in snowy power sure as hell seems ready to storm.

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

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

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

I appreciate when a band can get right to the point, and with German death/doom/black metal machine Kuolevan Rukous (means The Prayer of Death), they’re as blunt as can be. Their lyrical themes are listed as “apparitions, hauntings, dying, funerals,” and honestly what else do you need to know?

OK, sure, how does it sound? Well, the band’s “Demo 2023” is out April 14, but we have an advanced listen for you of one track, that being “Tempelschlaf.” It’s nasty, filthy, and it feels like a harbinger of the worst possible devastation. Sooty and thick, the track slithers through hell, dragging you along with it, absolute morbidity the only thing ahead of you. It’s vile, it’s threatening, and it leaks into your brain turning your blood black. And this is just one track! Check it out below, and bow your head to the void.

As noted, the album is out digitally April 14, and it also will be released on tape through Vita Detestabilis, Reaping Death Records, and Grieve Records.

For more on the band, go here: https://kuolevanrukous.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2023

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

And here: https://reapingdeathrecords.bandcamp.com/

And here: https://www.instagram.com/grieverecords/?hl=en

We’ve repeatedly noted that the bulk of the metal landscape is immersed in darkness, hopelessness, despair, and sadness, and there’s nothing wrong with that, necessarily. Every now and again it would be nice to encounter a different force, something positive that while still battering you about the head and torso, doesn’t leave you wallowing in tears.

Jersey sludge doom pounders Sunrot aren’t following that same script, and the evidence is in their powerful second record “The Unfailing Rope.” Make no mistake: This stuff is as heavy as it comes, and it does have its thickening scar tissue to prove the trials and tribulations its creators—vocalist/noisemaker Lex Santiago, guitarists Christopher Eustaquio and Rob Gonzalez, bassist Ross Bradley, drummer Alex Dobrowolski—have sustained along the way and even while making this record. But locked inside this cacophony are thick strains of hope, healing, and forgiveness, tools we should be more willing to accept and share with one another in order to make life a little more bearable. Sunrot are trying to be a force for good, helping listeners achieve a sense of catharsis that can be achieved by the bloodletting that exists in these eight tracks. To help make this even more immersive, they’re joined by special guests Bryan Funck (Thou), Emily McWilliams, Scot Moriarty (Levels), and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer, Hatebeak) who add even more muscle to these titanic creations.

“Descent” is an intro track that’s built on orchestration that slowly decomposes, warbling voices crumbling, mechanical arms reaching into the cosmos. “Trepanation” follows and glows as it opens before the playing pounds away, Santiago’s howls lurching and driving into your chest. There’s a voice, unsteady but certain, talking about drilling a hole in the skull to achieve a measure of relief, Santiago following by wailing, “Drain me of impurities, equalize my being, resolve this crucible, achieve balance within,” as they are joined by the band unloading impossibly heavy power before melting into the cosmos. “Gutter” brings crunching riffs and wild howls, combining to up the ante of pressure and power. Moodiness hangs in the air before black metal-style playing churns, rampaging playing jolts, and hazy strangeness mixes with the clouds and warps the mind. “The One You Feed Part 2” starts with clean guitars before violent intent tears through flesh, the shrieks mashing massively, the stinging ambiance disappearing into the sky.

“The Cull” is a brief instrumental piece with noise welling and warped voices spiraling through your mind, feeling like an industrial storm raining nails. “Patricide” feels mournful and troubled as it starts, a track that’s flooded in absolute violence but is intended as a hopeful message to those who have suffered from abuse of power from loved ones. It’s sludgy and burly, and Santiago’s vocals feel like they’re disassembling your spinal volume as they howl, “Your virulent disposition, my formative castigation, I’ll kill you and your voice inside my head,” before a final resolution that promises to end the cycle of abuse. “Tower of Silence” is the longest track, running 11:02 and opening in eerie calm that stretches its arms. Howls punish as the track is both jarring and reflective, Santiago calling, “I found a home upon the pyre, a fire still burns but I am smothered, praying with outstretched palms past defleshed, future interred.” The misery thickens as everything is pulled apart limb by limb, serving muddy and intense drubbing, sounds barreling before spiraling into oblivion. “Love” is a perfect closer, feeling majestic as machines tremble, James Baldwin’s incredible speech weaving through the piece as he says, “Love has never been a popular movement, and no one’s ever wanted, really, to be free. The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and the passion of a very few people.” The sounds swirl and sink into you, leaving you with a positive message, a reason to find the means to make someone else’s world a little better.

Sunrot have suffered through making “The Unfailing Rope,” they paid the price and decided it wasn’t going to be something that ended in anything but triumph. Yes, the music is volcanic, mean, volatile, but inside of it is a giant heart, a means to reach out to those who are hurting, have been abused, who were left out to fend for themselves. Heavy music doesn’t have enough positivity or bands willing to offer a hand up, but Sunrot have chosen a different path, and we are all better for that.

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

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

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

You should not throw a match into an open container of gasoline, and I’ll give you a few seconds to write that down so you don’t forget. It’s a bad idea, and nothing good can come from it unless your intent is to destroy everything surrounding said container. But it seems there are some bands that are just on the tip of committing such a dangerous act, and I can’t find the strength to change their minds.

That comes to mind when taking on “Inferno,” the debut full-length album from Thørn that sounds like its intent is to leaves cities in ash. These blackened crust Italians are out of their minds with intensity and chaos, punishing over nine tracks and feeling like everything around you is encased in flames. The band—vocalist A. Mossudu, guitarists L. Laugelli and M. Dia, bassist M. Ferrua, drummer A. Colombo—unleashes hell and leaves you immersed in it, pounding away and exposing your prone body to punishment that won’t soon heal. By the way, the two labels responsible for this insanity—Vita Detestabilis Records and Fiadh Productions—have a slew of new releases out alongside this one, and the stressful month I just had personally made it impossible to write them all up. But there’s some killer stuff there (Stygian Love and Lesath are awesome, and Fiadh has even more stuff such as Haunter, Indrid Cold, Dratna, Lust Hag, and a great split with Crown of Asteria and Canis Dirus among other), so get your money ready. You won’t be sorry.

The title track opens the proceedings with the guitars whipping like a tornado, Mossudu’s wails scraping and dark fury unloading. Dark clouds gather as the intensity gets more insane, battering and letting everything succumb to the fires. “Gallows” explodes with mauling black metal and relentless grind, splattering and treating you viciously. A strange haze suddenly sinks into the soil, but it’s not long until everything explodes, vicious playing turning your ribcage to powder. “Drowning” brings a dark fury, savagely stomping and dicing flesh, guttural howls liquifying your guts. The pace darkens before the playing rushes faster, slicing and dicing before mercifully fading. “Monolith” sludges and trudges before blazing playing stabs, the lead guitar work scorching. Black metal-style melodies lick the shore, crazed howls split eardrums, and the playing whips through and leaves carnage behind. “Flegias” begins with a dreamy haze that is devoured quickly as the growls destroy, and destructive morbidity blacks out the sun. The insanity multiplies, pummeling and plastering, leaving you choking in the exhaust.

“Heretic” explodes with destruction, the vicious, drubbing pace smashing boundaries and faces along the way. The guitars jolt as the playing mashes, and while your mind might float off at the brief moments of levity, it’s violently brought back to reality and driven into the ground. “Seventh” is moody and strange when it starts, and then the hammer drops as the drums rumble, and vicious howls batter you out of your senses. The playing thickens and then brings magnetic heat, the playing sounding like black metal oil drums have been scorched, choking you out with the thick, noxious smoke. “Tongues” is murky and disorienting before the playing comes unglued, the drums destroying minds as the shrieks gets more violent. The playing drills with force, chugging and drubbing, delivering concussive damage. Closer “Traitors” bathes in feedback wail, serving up a deliberate pace that crushes with pressure, vicious howls raining down cinders. There are mesmerizing bends that fall into bludgeoning terror, continuing to destroy until nothing but ash remains.

“Inferno” is the perfect title for Thørn’s debut record, because this entire thing feels like being locked inside a raging fire, the emotion and heaviness eating away at you. Their relentless mix of black metal, hardcore, and crust is a devastating experience, one that will leave bruising all over you mentally and physically. It’s a massive attack, one that explodes to life and refuses to relent until everything in front of it is fully torched.   

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

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

Or here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/inferno

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

And here: https://www.facebook.com/fiadhproductions

We live in a cold, unforgiving world among people who have no empathy and fall victim to stupid conspiracies unleashed on them because they’re gullible. This place can be mean, brutal, downright frustrating to handle on a day-to-day basis, yet what choice do we have? Survival becomes a sort of sinister game we play to prove we won’t fall in front of an inferior foe.

Swiss black metal duo Ernte appear to have harnessed all of that negativity and hate and splattered it into their music, the latest of which is their second full-length album “Albsegen.” Over nine tracks and 50 minutes, the band—vocalist/bassist/violin player Witch N., guitarist/bassist/drummer V. Noir—decimates your nervous system, piling pain and punishment onto you, making you revel in the misery in which we all live. It’s a destructive and punishing display, a steady and virulent follow-up to 2022’s “Geist und Hexerei” that’s smart, fiery, and volcanic, the ideal antidote for dealing with a strained world.

“Albsegen (Intro)” starts feeling like it’s emanating from deep in the universe, illuminating the night sky, bringing doom on the curl of its tail. It feels spooky and unsettling, hissed calls haunting, making your nerves stand on end, paving the way in blackness toward “Phantoms” that burns brightly and carries a channeled pace to start. The shrieks tear open sanity, the stirring playing makes getting your footing impossible, and the jolting just adds to the rockiness. Speed plays a factor as the melodies encircle, the riffs driving hard before the madness fades. “Eye of Oblivion” brings a storming, furious tempo, the shrieks peeling the flesh from your bones. Spacious pockets swallow your psyche, and meaty melodies storm the gates, beastly howls sinking in its teeth and drawing blood. “Vacant Thoughts and Radiant Blackness” churns and bursts, taking its time to do damage, the riffs entangling and piling onto the chaos. The playing trudged and tears apart muscle while the drums decimate, rushing away with power.

“Queen Warrior” drips in before winds sweep up violently, the hellish pace taking its toll. Witch N.’s howls are as beast with which to contend as a mystifying haze covers the sky, continuing toward the worst of fortunes. Shrieks crush as the playing squeezes marrow from bone, its flame slowly extinguished. “Cutting the Stars From the Sky” jars as the shrieks devastate, harsh and numbing playing taking their toll. Somehow things get heavier, the playing leaves blisters, and guitars liquify, illuminating the land before crushing prone bodies. “Chaotic Visions” spirals and drills with power, the playing going cold briefly before the howls rip, and dark melodies pull you under water. The playing ruptures and quakes, mauling as the drums blast and burn off remaining pools of fuel. “Apocalyptical Dissolution” stings right away, the shrieks scraping congealed wounds, stirring and hanging in the air. Guitars wash over and add a meaner attitude, the howls land blows, and moody playing ends the track in desolation. Closer “The Revenge” explodes as Witch N.’s shrieks do ample damage, and the guitar works lathers up into a rage. The leads spindle as the drums crumble with power, the pace hurries, then the heat decimates everything in front of it before fading into time.

There’s an urgency and excitement to Ernte’s style of black metal, and that combines with a nastiness and callousness over the state of the world that makes “Albsegen” such a dangerous listen. Every twist and turn with these nine tracks leaves deep abrasions on your psyche and reminds you of the ugliness lurking outside your door. This isn’t feel-good music, nor should you have expected it to serve that role, and once it’s over, your mental wounds will be throbbing and aching into eternity.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://vendetta-records.com/

People on this earth often wonder if there is intelligent life beyond this planet, a question that reeks of self-importance like in the entire vast universe that this planet would be the only one. Pure silliness. This suddenly has become a pro-alien, metal, and sometimes wrestling site. Of course there are beings elsewhere. We may even have some in our midst.

Black metal dreamers Bacchus claim to be from France, but you know who else did? The Coneheads. If we were to find out the three beings that comprise this band—guitarist/bassist/vocalist Sébastien B, composer/sampler/synth player Moïse Mestriaux, drummer Camille Olivier F.B.—were not from this planet, no one really could be surprised. On their debut full-length effort “II,” the trio uses mind-altering substances and the subsequent mental state to take the listener on a journey into the vastness of space, shaking you to your core. In fact, it’s a great record to listen while also of altered mind, helping stretch your imagination and the possibilities within you to ridiculous lengths. Or you could just indulge in music that may or may not have been made by beings who live elsewhere.  

“II.I” starts with synth unfurling like a strange flag, and then the melodies begin to cut spirals into the cosmos, rushing and spilling into a flood. Melodic pockets push as wordless calls ring in your ears, the pace fires up, and everything fluids pours into a vortex. “II.II” dawns with strange keys and growls engorging, tearing a hole in time. The guitars surge as clean calls beckon, jolting with energy and creating waves of electricity. Wild howls reverberate, the guitars get tornadic, and hearty playing splits your psyche in two. “II.III” feels like it freezes your cells, bringing bizarre twists and detached calls, drilling its way into your midsection. Storming and disorienting, the universe feels like it drags itself over you, cooling your energies and slipping into the night.

“II.IV” washes over you, the stirring melodies combining with devastating cries, the harsh and blistering winds making your face chap. The playing slips into hypnosis, clean singing has its way, and the stimulating pace ends in a calming breeze. “II.V” is the longest track, running 8:12 and delivering an atmospheric charge. The playing turns toward madness as wordless calls penetrate, then growls lace, being joined by dreamy keys that let your guard down. The aura gets more immersive, the playing pounds as growls become a sinister factor, and spacey fire melts into the sky, ending in mesmerizing gaze. Closer “II.VI” brings lush keys and an atmosphere that fills your heart and lungs. Growls lurch as the playing turns fantastical, melodic waves crashing and eating away at the shore, clean calls giving one final lather as everything dissolves into mystery.

Bacchus’ music is less for releasing aggression and more for stargazing, preferably in an altered state of mind as you watch the sky. “II” is impressive and alluring, a record that might take a few visits to truly set in, but once it does, it leaves you tingling and trying to find your bearings. This is a massive adventure that’s sized right and challenges your mind to imagine bigger things from heavy music.

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

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/