aggro tech disso mess
only a pinch of consonance
Pittsburgh’s Ritual Mass and 20 Buck Spin announce Cascading Misery for September. A step up in sonic affairs for this death metal squad. “Immeasurable Hell” is an avalanche of drums, cavernous vocals, dual guitar churning, gurgling and squealing. This would make Immolation and Purulence proud and it will appeal to those into Infernal Coil and Hissing.
The first assault from Acephalic Void combines a wide array of weaponry in the arsenal. What begins as a dissonant black metal attack starts to fray at the seams and incorporates harsh electronics, fried vocals, off kilter melodic breaks that are a nod to DsO, Blut Aus Nord and Dodecahedron. Some uptempo runs are frantic and furious as a disturbed hornet’s nest. The moments that are dialed back are eggshells and handrails with disjointed, stabbing guitar work while the drumming opens up and cycles around the wreckage of notes. Looking forward to hearing how this project develops.
Did you know there’s a Dark Citadel in Peoria, Illinois? One man’s monolithic tower blotting out the sun. At different times of the year keening sounds emanate from the structure. Some are dissonant and disjointed others unnerving drones. All of it horrific. Mount Massive Asylum is a spiral of knotty riffs, wave-like textures, deconstructing programmed drums that reconstitute to form vague decipherable patterns. Death metal psychedelia for silent hill, dead space, outlast, resident evil.
New Abhorrent Expanse rears it’s ugly head in response to Scarcity and Imperial Triumphant. Has a Weasel Walter, John Zorn everything and the kitchen sink art jazz metal freak out aesthetic which may or may not be your bag. I get it either way. It’s an acquired taste. It requires a certain headspace and attention span. Some days I can deal, others I can only think SSD “How Much Art”
Are lowheaven the Canadian answer to glassjaw? You decide. Trace elements detected in “Chemical Pattern” and “Mercy Death.” I particularly like their noise textures which are guitar pedal generated. So, in a fashion, one can think of Holy Fawn, but the song writing here is more immediate and direct to the point. A couple heavier breaks point to Zao and Will Haven. Currently on the road. Catch them if you can.
Good fucking lord, Ben Vanweelden. This madman has a new endeavor called Lowered Head. Perhaps of a similar disposition as Wallow where the modus operandi is funeral doom with a sludge bent. Initial dose has a guitar tone on the SAMO path of low end crush. Pair that tone with Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean, Buzzov-en crawl and uptempo outbursts with uber savage fried vocals and call it the sound of victory.
German improv doom jazz metallurgists Anchor and Burden have an underwater exploration in the wings. Probably best summed themselves with the description being Sunken Fleet is “an underwater odyssey through drowned wreckage, bioluminescent lifeforms, and spectral echoes of the past.” “Sunken Caravan” certainly feels as if it is submerged with its shimmering textural sounds, washy reverb and touch guitars navigating around island tribal percussion. Board the listening party for August 6 at 2:30 EDT. I’m certain more aqueous adventures abound.
Continuing this year of the Pelagic Records monopoly of the best in show of the post metal/hardcore community comes an ep from Leonov. Shape of Ash is somewhere between the 3rd and the Mortal, Helium Horse Fly and earlier Madder Mortem - which is a wonderful place to be. Expansive, ethereal, emotive, dynamic and atmospheric all at once.
Sludgetastic NJ doom from Gorthon. Runs the gamut of 90s noisy sludge punk a la Buzzov-en and Eye Hate God to Neurosis crawlers infused with skitterish electronic textures full on Primitive Man caveman doom and spaces where the Godflesh industrial trudge and churn is strong. Might be too schizoid for some given it jumps styles from track to track but what always remains constant is the approach to the vocals.
A dissonant black metal angle from Justin Volus with his latest project Aendreth. The recording is very organic, almost having an in the room with the band feel in places, similar to many Nothing Is Real recordings. Musically this has an atmosphere likened to Reverence Chamber of Divine Elaboration crossed with Celtic Frost Monotheist stripped of the big studio production. It’s down and dirty and benefits given its raw urgency.
New Proscription track unloads in a 2012-17 Svart Crown demeanor. Choppy riffing, battering ram drumming, dual vocal onslaught, big, majestic builds and heroic charges that would make Bolzer and Behemoth blush. Going to be interesting to hear how this stacks up against the debut.
Trypanon hits like Somniate crossed with remission era Mastodon. When you hear the riffing and the song structure you’ll immediately catch it before the first minute passes.
Italy’s Hornwood Fell have dropped a couple singles over the past few months. Dare I say a bit more of a post lean than what they typically muster up being variations of death and black metal and hybrid iterations.
Since nothing in this post reminds me of this unsung beauty, I’m hitting the rewind button and going back to 2018’s Eulogy Into the Heart of Light. Scintillating metalmorphing project that culls from a wide swath of sounds and styles to bend them to its will. A vast breadth of instrumental space, electronic textural washes, heavy dynamic thrust to the compositions, quirky melodic sensibility, an active mix shifting the foundation amplifying disorientation. Drive Like Jehu, Jute Gyte, Bhavachakra, Sonic Youth meet The Mars Volta on Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain.
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