Life Returns...

Huh, who'da thunk it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah… been a while. So much that this little Dr Know ditty is appropriate. And, fun fact, Dr Know’s Kyle Toucher, among other things, is an author. The more you know…

As threatened Somniate premiere “Black Soundless Sugar” off We Have Proved Death So, what’s in a title? Czech black metal mavens are mining author Richard G. Brautigan’s In Watermelon Sugar for nefarious sonic ends. What sounds they have to share…. from an intro that would be suitable for King Diamond to creepy crawl harmonics and beyond. High calibre technique and technicality without losing song craft. Mid July release on the expertly curated Lavadome Productions label.

In the need for Aztec Vampyrism? I know, I didn’t know it was a thing either. Let the Mexican/Russian cabal Serpens Lvx sort you out. This track kills. Looking forward to more “Orthodox Chaos-Gnostic Satanic Metal.” More you shall receive with “Qayin Rex Mortis Coronatus” which isn’t on the upcoming Hendecagramicon full length.

Seventh release from the ever mutating A Constant Knowledge of Death. Runs the gamut of eerie dissonances, crushing lows, electronic treatments, djenty chugging, brass and violin in a spot as well as composing songs that abandon traditional structure and can move in brief or longform. With this album in particular one could make a threadline to the metalmorph black, death, sludge of Fell Ruin given additional death industrial heft and chunkier guitar tone. A Constant Knowledge of Death work wonders with their incorporation of industrial and noise design as it is synthesized more intelligently and naturally than most.

Full length from Portland, Oregon’s Disimperium coming via Sentient Ruin Laboratories. We’ll get to more from the lab next. This Disimperium track coming two years after Malefic Obliteration is picking up the guttural war metal cavernous death gauntlet and taking umbrage with all life and salting the earth.

One man’s Vile Ritual and another cavernous death discharge from Sentient Ruin. This one has more conventional death metal leanings and vocal vomit on par with Altarage and GISM.

Wrapping up the Sentient Ruin Laboratories shill for this installment is Scottish death doom dealers Order of Decay. Take snippets of Esoteric, Qrixkuor and Bolt Thrower. Only thing I can complain about is the keyboards. In this instance do they really add anything additional guitar textures wouldn’t? Here it is almost a Hammer Horror feel. Not to end on a negative nelly note, the drums on Mortification Rites sound tremendous in spots: rolling thunder on the toms and downright lively.

Brought them up a little earlier, there is a new Altarage EP bringing 2 absolute crushers and one that meanders for too long. These guys left to ambient and drone devices leave a lot to be desired, but, when the timer is on speed and they are utilizing a brevity kills aesthetic they become a rome plow designed for maximum devastation. Portal meets Napalm Death given the gnarliest vocal attack. This is but a warning for the Worst Case Scenario full length in September. You ever see Pestilength and Altarage together? No, neither have I.

Saint Petersburg, Russia’s Teodolit return with a new EP. 16 minutes of rugged death metal that mixes its tech riffs with more than a couple thrash nods a la Idolatry era Devastation. Great bass playing throughout, too. More than once this reminded me of early Acrostichon.

New Misotheist track. Terratur and Van Records threaten Winter 2023. Considering the ash blanketing the region are we are in throes of a nuclear winter? Oh Canada, thank you for Voivod, Rush, Gorguts, Obliveon, Intonate, Ignominy , Thantifaxath, et al… you can have your ash back. Back to this Norwegian black metal assault, it’s a race toward hell with a witchy interlude that builds back to furious peak before an abrupt, perfect end.

Suicidal sludge doom from, of all places, Hartford, Connecticut. Exit Bag are the goods. This new track brings the misanthropic trod and plod with wet vocals. In a weird way Exit Bag remind me of an old Poughkeepsie, NY crew Withdrawn. I love their demo from 1994. If someone would be so kind, send me a digital copy. Thanks. Until then, pop pills, play with sharp objects, or wear an Exit Bag… they have a great collection of hateful hymns on their bandcamp page. Get busy. Go die.

please support: Everything Went Black, The Metal Dad and his fiendish five podcast, No Clean Singing, Stereogum: The Black Market, The Devil’s Mouth, Aversionline, Invisible Oranges, Horror Wolf 666, Into the Necrosphere, Sol Nox Podcast, The Book of Very Very Bad Things, Plague Rages, Thrown to the Abyss Podcast, Freedom Has No Bounds, Machine Music and Doktor Dismemberment’s Midnight Murderplex…. most of these sites update daily and weekly, probably more frequently than what I do here.

Are you still fucking here? Well, meet up at Necromaniacs Podcast for episode 177 where I substitute for Jeff Caxide, who was on the mend and Mike Scondotto was at the NYC Dark Angel and Prong event. Mike Hill and I talk the inaugural Cadabra Records / Chiroptera Press Nightlands Festival with asides to JT Petty's Mimic 3 and interviews with the festival's strongman Chris Bozzone and mastermind Jonathan Dennison.

And, while I’m still droning on and on and on… this is for you, Darla… it’s going to continue. Suffer. but why?

It is only just that televangelist Pat Robertson cast off the mortal coil while Twisted Horn release There Is Only Gasoline in Heaven. Primo raw post black metal with a screamo twist from Down Under.

Into the Necrosphere and Damim: perfect together.

Oh, sorry, KENmode. I nearly forgot you in my haste about Canadian wildfires and bands from the great white north. You’re safe and sound way yonder to the north west, but, nonetheless causing chaos and distress. Of course Void would follow Null. Get crushed. This is the 9th release and they are constantly upping the ante and building a dynasty of demolition and derangement.

A little while back I caught Mico and Vientre at a basement gig at Philly’s Haus of Yarga. One day all will surface as Hate5Six’s Sunny Singh was on hand and making people’s lives while collecting footage. Until that is available for all, one may view this footage from Chicago.

New SWANS is impending impact. I’ve heard the whole thing. You’ll like it more than I do. With a few exceptions it sounds and feels more Angels of Light than Swans. A couple tracks have that Phil Spector touch of love of life, burning world style - the huge song is a collage that recalls Soundtracks for the Blind.

Fates Warning frontman Ray Alder’s second solo album drops today. Here are three songs off II.