Does it seem like the cultural and political divide that’s wrecked this country is terminally diseased? There doesn’t seem to be a potential watershed event out there that can bring some connectivity, and if a global disease can’t cure it, the close of the next election cycle doesn’t have a prayer. But that’s what you get when fascism becomes a cancerous fad, and meaningful healing is way on the backburner.

“Ascension,” the third full-length from Pittsburgh’s Unfurl, puts focus on the deterioration of our society, namely the stripping away of rights from marginalized people, inequality, and mental health struggles, topics that have only gotten more aggravated the last few years. These volcanic eight songs wreak havoc and recreate the societal tear in which we’re trapped, pounding away mentally and physically. The band—vocalist Nicholas Nemetz, guitarist/vocalist/keyboard player/Didgeridoo master, bassist Ricky Petticord, drummer/vocalist Josh Thieler (also of Úzkost)—employs fiery metallic hardcore, noise, and doom to hammer away and churn flesh, firing back at the forces of injustice.

“Coiled Serpent” begins with noises swirling and then the dagger is jammed into the ribs, shrieks raining down as the chaos builds. Guitars smear as the playing pounds away with force, smashing and disorienting, piledriving and engorging before disappearing into madness. “Gossamer Ladder” brings melting fury as the shrieks deface, the guitars trampling as the heat intensifies. The drums massacre as vicious howls blister, and the relentless terror bows to a synth haze. “Trembling in the Threshold” unearths deep, lurching growls and a drilling pace, tearing into your brain. Total obliteration strikes as your senses melt, and the path of destruction is agitated and left to consume everything in its path. “Burning Question” enters in numbing combustion, stabbing with emotion, leading into muddy clubbing. The playing is blinding and disorienting, smashing with an unforgiving violence that only has intertest in complete obliteration.

“This Empty Planet” is bled into as corrosive hell slowly is unleashed, the shrieks mangling your veins. Things gets more calculated but remain dangerously heavy, the heat begins to rise and encircle, and feedback storms and heads into “Hyperviolet Estuary” that responds with razor-sharp riffs. Clean calls slip behind the pummeling shrieks, and then guitars sprawl, leading to a more progressive tone. Growls are encased in filth as inventive and staggering battering leaves anyone with a nervous system reeling. “Entity Reunion in the Sky” is the longest track, running 8:37 and instantly running headlong into jarring growls and a suddenly increasing blanket of smoke. Vile shrieks meet with thick growls as some calm adds a cooler breeze, but it’s only leading you back into the furnace, snarling and slipping into jagged terrain. Speedy riffs splatter, and playing trucks viciously, and then we’re into closer “Longitudes & Leylines” that eases its way in. It’s not long until the band is crushing skulls, allowing hazier playing to cause confusion, sounds increasing the disorientation, screams stripping flesh from bone. The molten flow continues as the singing melts, sounds combust, and the torment fades into oblivion.

Unfurl are stitching together mental journeys we’ve all taken as we’ve watched our world get battered, our society on the verge of being hijacked by forces who mean us harm. “Ascension” certainly helps the listener get into that mind frame, and the playing and utter intensity pays off the anger, disillusionment, and frustration so many of us have felt fighting these battles. Unfurl isn’t giving in, and this music is testament to the fire in their bellies, and they will have no hesitation taking to the streets.

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

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

A few weeks ago, a friend messaged me to ask if I heard there was a new Immortal record about to be released. Yes, I knew. Wasn’t terribly interested since only Demonaz remained, and this seemed like a very bad idea that could put a sour taste in people’s mouths. I hadn’t heard a single track when I made this declaration, and it turns out I’m a fucking dipshit because Demonaz knows what he’s doing.

Yes, “War Against All” finds us with just founding member Demonaz at the helm of this ship (Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal of Enslaved provides bass while Kevin Kvåle of Gaahls Wyrd is on drums for the recording), things pick up where “Northern Chaos Gods” left off and even visits more of the rawer moments from the band’s vast discography. Over eight tracks, Demonaz spins more harrowing tales from Blashyrkh, the fictional world that drives all of Immortal’s songs and records and leaves goddamn tire marks all over the faces of those who didn’t think this was possible. I’m a fool but a happy one, because I’ve long loved Immortal, and having yet another ripping serving is perfect timing for a mental escape.

“War Against All” rips open with a blizzard of riffs, a storm that doesn’t subside very often on this record. Demonaz’s creaky shrieks plaster as the speed tramples and the soloing boils, bringing some uncharacteristic heat to Blashyrkh. The playing drives and gets more aggressive, heading into “Thunders of Darkness” that gets off to a devastating start, slashing its way through the ice. The scene is chaotic as the guitars increase the intensity, the vocals spat out at a rapid clip, the tempo raging with energy and swallowing you whole. “Wargod” brings channeled guitars and a thrashy pace, the growls corroding before the darkness fully envelopes, hammering with full-throttled punishment. Guitars freeze as the playing guts, Demonaz howls a very telling, “I am immortal!” and then everything blasts to a blunt finish. “No Sun” launches with more great guitar work that makes blood rush, the best of it coming over the bridge. The chorus jolts as melodic fire explodes, power washing over everything, the energy expanding and suddenly disappearing.

“Return to Cold” arises amid a glorious haze of guitars as the shrieks crush, and airy melodies sweep aggressively. Strong, frosty thrashing drives through, guitars trickle and then are ripped apart, and the tempo continuously surges and mashes, fading into the heart of the storm. “Nordlandihr” is an instrumental track and an interesting one, opening clean and then pushing into jarring guitars, a moody surge running into to spiraling energies. The track then hits high gear as the temps rise, the leads get more oppressive, and then we’re back into a deep freeze that ends in darkness. “Immortal,” yes, we finally have a band anthem, is striking and urgent, the drums rumbling viciously, Demonaz wailing, “My blood is frozen, I dwell in the cold.” The playing continues at a rampaging pace, the chorus tearing back in, the piece ending viciously. Closer “Blashyrkh My Throne” drips in before raspy howls jolt, riffs dominating with ease. The chorus is simple but effective, the playing continually dragging you to the most frigid terrain, leading to last metallic burst that drives an ice dagger into its chest.

Yes, Demonaz once again has defied the doubters with “War Against All,” a sinewy, devastating record that stands as one of their most sonically violent. The goings on in Blashyrkh will remain relevant and crushing as long as its creator is at the helm, and that’s a lesson that’s learned in full on this record. Immortal stand the test of time, and it’s clear more chapters may remain based on the power of this stunning, forceful collection.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://immortal.bfan.link/waalp.fpo

For more on the label, go here: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/shop/index.html

Mental battles are some of the most difficult to fight because, despite the turmoil happening in our own minds, finding the tools to bring the pain under control is not a slam dunk. There’s a rope pull going on between facing what it is that afflicts us and trying to mentally get a modicum of comfort and safety in order to bring the boil under control. It takes work some aren’t willing or able to do.  

It’s the best way I could think to introduce “To Be Cruel,” the first record from Khanate in almost 15 years, music that arrived under a shroud of secrecy last Friday morning. Its very existence was a shock to the parts of the world that had been impacted by their doom-defacing first three records that sounded like nothing else ever made and whose psychotic treatment hasn’t been matched. Not even fucking close. The band—vocalist Alan Dubin, guitarist Stephen O’Malley, bassist/synthesis creator James Plotkin, drummer/percussionist Tim Wyskida—crawls back in a wounded world that bears no resemblance to what it looked like when 2009’s “Clean Hands Go Foul” scarred the earth. This time around, the band focuses on those on a path of self-destruction, blaming outside entities for their issues but who are unable to exact revenge. The manic, sprawling, mentally damaged music that accompanies Dubin’s mad man shrieks pays off that struggle, making the panic come to the surface, causing one’s brain and nervous system to be the worst enemy ever faced.   

“Like a Poisoned Dog” immediately feels like it’s trying to drown you, the energy starting and stopping, everything in your guts vibrating recklessly. Dubin maniacally shrieks, “I feel dead, take a swim in gasoline, throw a match, might as well cremate my vision of you,” as the playing trudges and stomps, ripping through with the guitars lacing. The unease finds a new way to drum up the stomach acid as the tension wraps like a cord around the neck, Dubin almost taunting, “The horror of a smile, a glance or a voice, throw that match, I beg you.” Guitars scald as percussive crashes unhinge psyches, guitars grind into the dirt, and the madness suddenly fades.

“It Wants to Fly” just thickens the tension, doom and noise clashing, Dubin howling, “I can see the skin crawl, look if you want to, you can look if you want, I’m going to rip.” The vocals goes from acidic to deranged minister delivering a soot-caked eulogy, the doom rumbling hard and threatening, the drone thickening and letting the smoke pour from the open, yawning orifices. The track melts into scaling guitars and percussive echoes, the playing digging under fingernails, pouring infection. “Look at the spark,” Dubin basically strangles, “It’s the very last, your soul is here but cannot fly, we’re too far down,” as the energy plummets, pushing faces into the dirt, the carnage stretching. “There never was a soul, we’re going down,” Dubin stabs as the vicious rattling suddenly comes to an end.

The title track ends this exercise, easing in and slowly forming, whispers fleeting through the air, the knife about to come down on your trembling amygdala. “Look in the closet, the things in the wall, they’d speak of revulsion, they’d tell you all, all about pain,” Dubin howls, sorrowful guitars adding blood and blackness to the torture, a sudden calm passing by that the vocals do not honor. Elegance basks amid apocalypse, the fires ease only briefly, Dubin leveling with, “I’m at an all-time low,” following later with, “The thing, it spins a web of lies until a thing twice its size decides to be cruel, dare I be cruel?” Sounds sizzle, a door opens into the furnace of hell, minds melt, and the agony finally bows, souls left scorched.

It’s been a decade and a half since Khanate bathed us in the mental acid of their warping doom, the band rampaging through the dark unannounced with “To Be Cruel.” Even after all the turmoil of the last few years, the psychological torment we all have faced, this band finds a way to amplify that grief and make it almost into human form, able to be embraced. We all have mental wounds, and this record not only points those out to us, but also reminds us there’s no force we can defeat, no monster we can overcome, and we must live with that dirt until the end of our days.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/collections/frontpage/products/sbr321-to-be-cruel-khanate

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

It’s not really a secret that the fabric of our society and the well-being of our world has been put to the test. That’s kind of understating when you look around and watch political gaslighting poisoning minds, wars destroying communities and harming innocent victims, and people who wish to live their lives based on who they truly are facing discriminatory legislation. Everything feels more fucked than ever.

It almost seems like a different planet the last time we heard from Usnea, the Pacific Northwest doom quartet that finally has found their way back to us on the thunderous “Bathed in Light.” The band members themselves—vocalist/guitarist/synth player Justin Cory, guitarist Johnny Lovingood, vocalist/bassist Joel Williams, drummer Zeke Rogers—faced their share of hardships since 2017’s “Portals Into Futility” including illness and injury, and that’s not to mention the stress we all felt dealing with a pandemic. Six years feels like a lifetime, but Usnea haven’t lost a bit of their fire and, if anything, their focus never has been sharper as they pour vitriol and passion into these awesome six tracks.

The title track dawns in static before the playing flows amid a staticy transmission, the growls engorging. The track becomes both grim and spacey as the pace begins to pummel, and the ground quakes, the massive shouts penetrating the senses. The combustion spreads colors, and a slow, thunderous move drags the track to its finish. “The Compleated Sage” ruptures into a crazed pace, blazing through destruction as deep growls sink into the mud. The leads swell as the pressure mounts, the guitars fully immerse, and a sweltering rampage takes a violent turn toward the skies. “To The Deathless” brings murky synth that creates a thick fog, zaps making brain impulses fire as mournful leads spread their morbid wings. The playing brings heat as things slow down but remain massively heavy, the intensity slowly building, washing through cold, misty strangeness that disappears in scratchy noise.

“From Soot and Pyre” lets the shrieks land hard as the pace drubs, then the vocals turn more toward forceful yells. Guitars wash over and soothe briefly, and then the tempo starts to rush gradually, howls encircle, and cosmic synth gives the track a galactic glaze. “Premeditatio Malorum” begins clean and drips, and then everything comes to raging life, growls and shrieks trading off and slashing. The pressure builds as the playing gets more cavernous, detached wails feel like disassociation, and the increased lurching leaves bruising. The playing slowly crumbles as the exhaust builds, then corrodes, the final bursts fading in heat. Closer “Uncanny Valley” trickles amid ghostly singing and a nighttime swim in murky waters, explosions ripping sides off buildings. Wild shrieks penetrate as daring playing takes to the skies, the gargantuan pace feeling like it carries the weight of the universe, stomping through heavy emotions. Deep growls register as the playing smothers, eventually fading into chaos.

Usnea’s return not only is a massive shot in the arm to the heavy music world, but it also stands as a testament to the four individuals’ strength and commitment to this awesome band. “Bathed in Light” packs so much weight, both musically and psychologically, and you can’t help but feel like you’re in the middle of a glorious blaze that’s generating new life and strength. This is an awesome record, and welcome renewal of Usnea’s energy, and something to reignite our heats as we battle against misery.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/collections/usnea-collection

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

Heavy metal is increasingly getting more influenced by what’s going on beyond our planet, and why not as there’s a vast universe from which to discover ideas and inspiration. The more spacey styles of metal have clicked with me for sure, as I’m willing to give anyone taking such sonic sojourns a try because I’ve always been fascinated by the galaxy.

Australian duo Mesarthim has been at the forefront of the movement the past decade, and they return with “Arrival,” their seventh full-length album. The band—each member simply goes by . —has been averaging about a record a year since their 2015 debut “Isolate,” and they’ve kept things mysterious and heavily flowing into worlds unknown and unexplored. Here, we get a seven-track installment of the “Arrival” adventure as well as the sequel to a track from one of their earlier EPs. The playing floods with imagination and carnage, electronic impulses glowing, your nerve endings challenged along the way.

“Arrival Pt 1” is a cosmic awakening, synth glowing like golden edges around gray clouds, fizzling into the dark and into “Arrival Pt 2” that bursts open with life. They keys remain thick and mesmerizing, the shrieks opening cauldrons of lava and pouring it generously. Keys trickle as the pace leans into calmer winds, and then a sweep back into fire heats the environment and surges past the stars. “Arrival Pt 3” blisters as a synth gaze collects, and fiery shrieks send daggers flying. Glorious keys and strange beats combine, gusting into a speedy pace, notes pulsing as energy crests and crashes, bursting with strong energies that envelope your mind. “Arrival Pt 4” is a quick instrumental piece with pulsating keys and a true sci-fi vibe, blurring through the skies and coming to a spacious end. “Arrival Pt 5” launches synth gusts and crunching shrieks, the melodic rush making blood surge and hearts race, jolting into melting power. Synth strings add to the swoon and turn neon, fading into a maw of blackness.

“Arrival Pt 6” runs a healthy 10:02 and explodes on sight, morse code blipping in the night, shrieks storming behind that mysterious messaging. The playing liquifies and feels unsettlingly isolated, eventually trudging through glimmering keys as the tempo jars the gas pedal, beats hammer, and the body races for dissolution in the clouds. “Arrival Pt 7” brings in synth sprawl and soothing space clouds full of alien materials and a shift into the unknown. Closer “Type IV” is the longest track at 16:58, and it sonically stands apart some from the seven “Arrival” cuts. It’s a sequel to “Type III” that is on 2016’s EP of the same name. A regal open slides into synth storming that sends gentle precipitation, and then the fury arrives as shrieks tear open the serenity. The playing drills into the universe, a full gush slips into strange worlds, and the transmissions fire away, jarring your comfort loose. Keys dazzle as we head into downtuned guitars and boiling aggression that sinks in its teeth, serenity gets clobbered by panic, and the final lightning bolts burn holes and leave smoke behind.

The mysterious duo behind Mesarthim continue to mesmerize on “Arrival,” a further exploration into the heart of cosmic black metal and that can let you have a mental adventure of your own. Just like the rest of their catalog, you can get lost in this stuff, especially while enjoying some choice mind-altering substances, and every visit with this music unfurls something different. This is another inventive chapter for this band that has an entire universe to mine for inspiration, bringing to our human ears a sojourn we could not have imagined without Mesarthim’s music.  

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/

It’s probably not true to say nothing great ever was created in a rush, but more often than not, it takes time to make something that will stand the test of time. So, we and the creator must practice patience so that the thing we want isn’t hastily assembled, resulting in disappointment for the audience and the artist since something wasn’t baked long enough.

Yes, I want a new Mournful Congregation full-length pretty desperately as the last one we got was back in 2018 with the “The Incubus of Karma,” which ended a seven-year period after 2011’s “The Book of Kings.” This mostly Aussie unit isn’t in a hurry, and why should they be as the time it takes to make their epic records certainly takes a while. But the band has treated us kindly with a pair of EPs to bridge that gap, the latest being “The Exuviae of Gods – Pt II,” which follows the first installment last year. Again, the band—vocalist/guitarist Damon Good, guitarists Justin Hartwig and Ben Petch, bassist Ben Newsome, drummer Tim Call—delivers two tracks never heard before and one reworked cut, again from their “Epic Dream of Desire” demo from 1995, and it serves to fill in that gaping hole between proper records. And because it’s Mournful Congregation, it’s still 40 minutes long.

The updated and re-recorded “Heads Bowed” enters in solemn acoustics, washing over until the growls enter, the doom crushing into a sorrowful gaze. The guitars melt and unite as whispers swirl in the air, cosmic heat increases, and the guitars cascade as voices swirl. Lava slowly wells as acoustics return, an elegant haze bubbles to the surface, and some final crushing gusts land with atomic force. “The Forbidden Asylum” delivers heated guitars and detached growls, the melodies gliding as the sadness spreads. Elegant guitars spread their wings as the drums begin to punish, growls swelling as the playing glimmers. Guttural howls bathe in echoes, trudging through each meaty layer, scraping at your psyche as the devastation explodes with fire. Closer “The Paling Crest” is the longest track, running 18:39 and starting with acoustics and pastoral calls, moving glacially as the bass recoils. Growls wrench as moody guitars set in, leads begin to burn, and the growls gut as everything turns ice cold. Gentle breezes whip through as the bass gets jazzier, cold trickling making your flesh crawl as the trudging increases. The playing swells as the moodiness eclipses, chimes and rumbles set off the senses, and the guitars catch fire once more, slowly fading toward a sunburnt horizon.

The second installment of “The Exuviae of Gods” EP series is another mammoth effort that would be a full-on full-length record for almost every other band on the planet, a mere appetizer in Mournful Congregation’s orbit. These new tracks and the reworked version of an old gem make for a powerful, effective collection that makes a blistering whole with the first part of the series. Bridging the gap to a new album is an exciting prospect, and this great offering makes that journey more rewarding.

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

To buy the album or for more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

It’s the middle of May, and the warm times are back. Don’t yell at me over that term. That’s what people are calling it. It’s not terribly hot here on the East Coast of the U.S., but it’s been warm and mostly comfortable. I cut the grass two goddamn times this week. The days of frigid temperature and ice (you know, the cold times) seem far in the rearview, but shockingly that’s not the case. Temps are dropping.

That’s because we have the second full-length record from Dallas death metal crushers Frozen Soul at hand, which makes me want to call for a warm sweater and a hot beverage. “Glacial Domination” is an 11-track, 42-minute successor to the band’s killer debut “Crypt of Ice,” and if you were worried about the band losing momentum or falling victim to their sudden success, stop worrying already. They knock it out of the park here as the band—vocalist Chad Green, guitarists Michael Munday and Chris Bonner, bassist Samantha Mobley, drummer Matt Dennard—sounds channeled and well oiled, lashing back with a record that’s heavier, meaner, and even more frigid, destroying everything in their path with death metal that’s catchy as it is brutal. This album should only serve to swell their followers in even larger numbers and help them jam ice daggers in death metal’s throne.

“Invisible Tormentor” begins with strange synth clouding before the pace begins to trudge, vicious howls from Green rampaging alongside the dust. “Cowards blood, it runs through your veins,” Green wails as the track sludges and bruises. “Arsenal of War” unloads battle sounds as barked vocals lace into muscle, jarring loose your teeth. The track then begins to clobber slowly, grinding into the earth, the guitars chugging, and Green calling to a fallen friend, “Righteous soul to which I owe, I’ll carry your light
through dark and snow.” “Death and Glory” tears open, turning salty in a hurry, smoldering as the guts begin to get mixed with a rusty spoon. A hammering breakdown peels back eyelids, the leads stagger, and some final blasts dump bone dust into a pile. “Morbid Effigy” dawns amid strange noises before the earth quakes, muddy stampeding twisting the roots. The playing takes its time leaving bruising, deep growls amplify the brutality, and the heavy blows rob you of breath. “Annihilation” is a moody interlude with icy, sci-fi keys enveloping in a fog, leaving the surface coated in frost. “Glacial Domination” enters with the guitars directing and the melodies increasing, turning thrashy in a hurry. “You will feel my hate,” Green wails as the soloing surges, blistering and turning bodies inside out.

Band anthem “Frozen Soul” opens in cold synth and grim howls, guitars drilling their way through the earth to its core. The riffs encircle as the playing gets slower and morbid, the guitars then cutting in and spiraling recklessly, hammering until the chaos ends abruptly. “Assimilator” delivers storming guitars, snarling growls, and a chorus that rampages thoroughly, it’s one-word strike surely something that will be impactful live. The soloing goes off as meaty trudging works toward the center point, smearing to a synthy conclusion. “Best Served Cold” is a massive and nasty one centered on revenge, hence the title, and the raw growls amplify and chew through rock. The playing takes its time removing guts, and everything ends in suffocation. “Abominable” enters amid monster screams and terrifying carnage, a battering chorus turning up the heat in an otherwise frigid assault. The soloing mangles before the tempo squeezes marrow from bones, blasting until the final blood drops hit the ground. Closer “Atomic Winter” begins in Armageddon, punishing as the remains of the carnage “coats the earth.” The playing is calculating and numbing, the chorus tearing flesh from bone, disappearing into a synth fog.

After the huge success of “Crypt of Ice,” there was pressure on Frozen Soul when it came to the follow-up, and they melt expectations with “Glacial Domination.” These 11 tracks are massive, devastating pieces of work that maintain the band’s trademark catchiness and continues to increase the heaviness that even goes above their debut. This band keeps moving with impressive and violent momentum, and things won’t end until the band achieves said domination over all of death metal.  

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

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

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

Black metal in this day and age largely is unrecognizable from its roots, which is actually a good thing since there’s so much variety in this form. Not that all bands today sound completely alien to what was going on three decades ago, but times have changed, influences have blossomed, and the boundaries stretched permanently. Chaos finally has been achieved.

Relatively new black metal force Nattehimmel reach way back into the past for their inspiration, but there certainly is plenty in their formula to prove they’ve picked up a lot of colors along the way. The members of this band are not new to metal or the subgenre as brothers Christian “X.” Botteri (guitars) and Christopher “C.M.” Botteri (bass) helped form the legendary In the Woods… together, and vocalist/keyboard player James “Mr. Fog” Fogarty fronted that band from 2015-2021. Drummer Sven Rothe played with the brothers in Strange New Dawn, and all of the members bring their shared experiences to this blossoming project. Their debut album “Mourningstar” is here, and it’s nine tracks and 45 minutes of classic black metal filtered through the cosmos and adding modern touches that complete the sound. It makes for an exciting, promising first record from these tried-and-true veterans.

“Mourningstar (Intro)” begins in a strange aura, guitars gently strummed, voices echoing as we rocket into “Astrologer” that’s majestic and powerful. Clean calls and shrieks encircle (and anyone who has heard Fogarty’s work with In the Woods… knows his power), and the playing stomps and causes blood to spill. “I sail into the skies above,” Fogarty calls as immersive keys flood, and the storm heads into the stars. “Each Man a Constellation” brings bellowing singing that trades off with grim screams, infernal majesty spreading its wings and gaining momentum. The playing splatters as the keys glaze, a cloudy haze beckoning, and then the track reopens, pouring down and then exiting into the clouds. “Armies of Tiamat” drops guitars that buzz saw and swelling singing, making for an imaginative journey that eventually runs into congestion. The guitar phrasing feels inspired by Maiden, “woah-oh” calls make your adrenaline spike, and shrieks rain down and leave the ground flattened.

“Slay the Shepherd” opens in glistening keys before the atmosphere thickens, the clouds bursting open and soaking the ground. Shrieks maim as a tornadic pace takes over and leads to a speedy adventure that jolts and then fades. “Mountain of the Northern Kings” unfurls a synth blanket and sinister guitars, the driving pace taking on a folkish flavor. The playing trudges, and the keys bleeding in gives this an Amorphis feel, turning hypnotic and heavy, the track icing over your brain. “Realm of Hades” is dark and foreboding, the singing and shrieks teaming to make a united front, the coldness making your nerve endings tingle. A giant gust pushes the ground beneath you, soulful singing gets into your chest, and the melodic storm breaks your will. “Tales of the Immortals” bludgeons amid a synth streak, the singing making a push to spike your emotions. The leads take off as shrieks welt flesh, guitars flood, and the tidal wave of fury takes you under. Closer “The Night Sky Beckons” opens in high drama, which is only fitting, and darker guitars thicken shadows before the melodies break out of that. Guitars spiral through the air, a gothy gush blackens your blood, and the power explodes and zaps to a finish.

Nattehimmel’s debut “Mourningstar” surely will be right up the alley for anyone still pining for In the Woods… of old or just anyone who wants to bask in dreamy yet blasting black metal. Each step of this record is exciting, and after 45 minutes, you’re full of stardust, contemplating the journey you just took. It’s pretty enthralling stuff, the work of forces who have lived this stuff and remain brimming with creativity and electricity.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://hammerheartstore.com/collections/vendors?q=Nattehimmel

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

Here on the East Coast of the United States, we are in full bloom, spring exploding with fresh leaves on trees, flowers and plants beginning to take over again, and cross-pollination adding to nature raging with life. Yeah, my allergies are attacking me pretty aggressively as a result, but it’s a small price to pay for the damage humanity has done to our surroundings.

That’s something sure to grab the attention of the Botanist, the central figure in the Verdant Realm created by the band Botanist whose story has been told over 11 full-length releases and a slew of smaller ones. The latest is “VIII: Selenotrope,” an eight-track, 56-minute adventure that is one of the most full-bodied creations under this banner, which has grown in scope over the years. Helmed solely by Otrebor (hammered dulcimer, drums, vocals, bass) for this album—the collective group for other recordings and live are Daturus (drums), Tony Thomas (bass), Mar (vocals, keyboards), and Krieger (dulcimer)—the music swells with life and the narrative based on plants that flower in moonlight continues the struggle of the main character and the words whispered to him by the inhabitants of the Realm. They know the harm that’s been done by humanity, and they lie in wait for their revenge.  

“Against the Selenic Light” starts vibrantly, shrieks and whispers mixing as the Botanist character and the plants who speak in his ear interact. Melodies crash and rupture as the madness swirls, the dulcimer hammers into echoes, and the wonders drain away. “Risen from the Rain” is practically jubilant when it arrives, whispers rushing, the drums pulsating as the track tears open. The playing trudges as shrieks rain down, melodies swell, and the drumming rattles into the air. “Epidendrum Nocturnum” brings a huge rush, raining down with emotion, a full chorus rattling your senses and making the adventure even richer. Angelic haze hypnotizes as clean calls chill, and breezy playing makes the hairs stand on your arms. “Mirabilis” jolts as the whispers and singing intertwine, crumbling and gusting as the dulcimer rings on your ears. The drums pace as the choral sections pump, coating the senses and transforming into a laser beam that cuts into the atmosphere.

“Angel’s Trumpet” gets off to a proggy start, whispers and lush singing dancing, drums pounding as the dust rises into the clouds. The playing gets breezier as the track tears open its mid-section, glorious singing stirring the stratosphere, everything blending into mystery. The title track starts with gentle strums, a gently flowing pace, and the chiming melodies making your senses come to life. Noises scrape, pushing you into a deep dream state, cold isolation ending this instrumental in the darkness. “Sword of the Night” has the drums kicking in and driving the pace, the whispers working down your spine. The playing goes a more haunting route, the hushed words taunt, and everything ends in a sci-fi aura. Closer “The Flowering Dragon” runs a massive 14:54 and immediately haunts, the choral portions creating steam, the energy melting bones. The playing gets more immersive as the singing glazes into a New Age feel, organs smoking as the energy bursts. Dulcimer chimes as the singing soars, the shrieks spread danger, and the fog envelopes as the playing ruptures. Immersion pulls you into the center as the final notes prick prone flesh before returning to the realm where it originated.

It’s been a wonder and a pleasure hearing Botanist’s music go from its raw, primitive roots to where it is now, a flourishing creature whose kingdom grows richer by the year. “VIII: Selenotrope” continues to open the narrative and the possibilities of this band that is anything but conventional and refuses to conform to expectations. The story continues, the lush green forest blossoms, and the terror at the heart of the music swells until humanity pays its deserved price.   

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Verdant.Realm.Botanist/

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/botanist-selenotrope

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

There are not many bands these days that are instantly identifiable right away as the saturation of every music scene has gotten to a point where individuality has become scarce. Metal is no different, and trust me, with all of the promos I get on a daily basis, there’s so little to differentiate bands from each other that it gets kind of comical. Ones that have a true identity must be protected.

I say that because we have “Sutra,” the latest release from long-running progressive metal band Yakuza, a band that truly stands on its own. It’s not just the element of sax in their music that makes them so easy to pick out of a crowd; it’s the way they play, construct, and unfurl their creations that it cannot possibly have been made by anyone else. It’s been almost 11 years since we heard from the band—vocalist/saxophone player Bruce Lamont, guitarist/backing vocalist Matt McClelland, bassist Jerome Marshall, drummer/percussionist James Staffel—which was on “Beyul” way back in 2012, and although the metal landscape has shifted significantly, Yakuza remain a strange beast all their own that is untouched by time and trend, creating another labyrinth work that challenges and mystifies.

“2Is1” opens in a cacophony of sound, cutting in and launching as Lamont’s unmistakable singing knifes into your chest. Leads recoil as things get weird, sweltering as the force picks up and melts in corrosion.  “Alice” chugs and jars, the singing coming for you directly, the haze adding a level of mental confusion that dips into the tale. A tornadic gust explodes as the playing blisters, strange transmissions confound, and everything ends in a sludge pit. “Echoes from the Sky” brings a guitar attack that goes for the ribs, jolting and zapping, crunching the bones in your chest. The leads explore the atmosphere as Lamont’s sax finally enters the picture, adding steam to the mix, combusting and disappearing into a vortex. Exhaust thickens as the sax calls, vibrating to the end. “Embers” is dark and alluring, pulling back and going trancey, hand drumming pacing the trip. Detached singing adds purposeful confusion as the pace toughens, the power crumbles, and the thrashy fury loosens your teeth. “Capricorn Rising” is a centerpiece, the sax wafting in, the pace slowly developing as it stretches its wings. The intensity spikes as Lamont’s voice bends time, the sax breezes in, and then things get more volatile, unleashing a proggy assault. Guitars spiral and smear, the speed increases and leaves blisters on the flesh, and Lamont repeatedly howls the title as the track comes to its end.

“Burn Before Reading” digs in and blows up, going ferocious quickly, vicious yelps helping liquify flesh. Sax calls as the temperature gets cooler, dark, and infectious, ending in a pile of dust. “Walking God” is brighter and more playful, Lamont calling, “We walk alone,” as the guitar work surges. The pace smashes through the gates, the vocals blister, and the guitar work snakes through dark waters, disappearing into strange tributaries. “Into Forever” heats up in a hurry, running roughshod with speed and trampling fury, the psychedelic curls jostling. “Falling forever!” Lamont wails as the sax mixes into the clouds, ending abruptly. “Psychic Malaise” squalls and mashes, Lamont’s singing going deeper and more sinister. Shrieks rip as the sax is injected into the track’s veins, the mud factor clogging pathways. The fiery gusts take you under with it, bringing heated bursts that leave behind ash. Closer “Never the Less” drains in, the sax elevating the temperature, the leads letting waters bubble. Things get more aggressive and burlier, the power destroys, and the vocals strike. The singing soars as hypnosis combusts, the humid gusts swallowing you whole and digesting your essence.

Yakuza remain one of the most interesting and genre-warping bands in metal, and “Sutra” is another powerful building block on their foundation of ingenuity. A decade is a long time to wait for new music from a band this special, but you can’t rush experiments like these, and surely that stretch made what we hear here so intoxicating. This is a record that likely won’t dissolve in your blood on an initial listen and will require many journeys deep into its core for its power to truly be understood.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/yakuzadojo666/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.svartrecords.com/en/product/yakuza-sutra/11163

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