Not on track.

five from last friday and then some for this friday.

Not quite going to be in gear for the incoming Bandcamp Friday: February 3, 2023.

Doktor Dismemberment and fellow PHD in unease unleash Sun Wound. A star in its death throes emanating bass undulations sounding not unlike Fields of the Nephilim merging with ambient cavernous waves of Sephiroth and Raison d’etre. Wait, we didn’t yet hit upon the guitar squall and skronk or acid solos channeling the goth post punk vampirism of Mighty Sphincter’s Doug Clark. All disparate ephemera coalesce into the sheer brilliance that is “I Am A Ghost In This World.” Consider this a Transitional soundtrack to Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kairo.

LA HESS… former Overmars members doing hardcore things. Pure, unadulterated hardcore. Short, sharp bursts. In and out like a robbery while Discharge and Negative Approach mix it up in the alley. Of course my favorite tracks are “Deliquescence” for its neanderthal trudge misanthropy and the side 2 my war inspired gnarled mess of “Dans la Merde.”

Generally speaking, if it’s a metallic infused hardcore adjacent act from Utah you can bet it’ll be a bit more forward thinking than most. I missed out on Threar’s You Live With What You Create upon initial release; but, having recently checked it out along with recent stand alone single, “I No Longer Wish to Try,” both prove to be well worth an investment if you’re into Envy, Shai Halud, Death Will Tremble, and ilk. Unlike a lot of acts that focus first on guitar, here the backline commands a lot of attention as they are providing most of the weight and drive in a sense the way many post punk and noise rock acts tend to operate. It also allows the guitarist to be more exploratory and free lance mixing deliberately loose, jangly guitar work with tightly harnessed playing.

From Portugal comes THÖRNE. Musically this is in step with Gaza and Lesser Glow given a dab of blackened glory. Guitar front and foremost in the mix, a tumble of drums and bass cable clank and thud form the foundation for the hoarse, strangled vocals to spit venom and bile. While the second and third tracks share similar traits, the longer track, “(The Way We Were) Raised” may be the most interesting. With these final two tracks the guitar work is a mix of eerie chords and picked notes and less overt syncopation with the riffing and drums. The open space makes everything sound larger and when things lock together it becomes suffocating in its heaviness.

I believe DÏATRÏBE, like LA HESS, is an act out of Lyon, France. At least that’s what Metal Archives bears out. Earliest incarnation, Odite Sermonis, leans into black metal territory whereas this latest track, “Beyond Compassion” is death metal thunder that comes spilling out of the gates in a whirlwind of sound before easing on the throttle for the first verse. Mechanized death and churning crush that compares favorably to Morgue and Napalm Death - diatribes. Naturally.

All Out War will see the release of their latest, Celestial Rot, via Translation Loss Records. Revolver has a short article on the album, but, I get it, you only want to listen. A bit more raw than what’s come before, an infusion of black metal tremelo riffs in a few places to offset some of their more death thrash Kreator, Slayer tendencies. These dudes are as consistent as Overkill. If you dig what All Out War do - pulverizing short NYHC styled arrangements laden with Germanic thrash aggro, Slayer tritones and dive bombs, and raging hellmouth vocals - this won’t disappoint and it’ll offer up a couple surprises here and there such as the intro on “Hideous Disdain” and the creepy melodic riffing of “Revel in Misery.” To celebrate Celestial Rot All Out War will be on a run of shows with Disassociate in the North East corridor shortly before hitting the Decibel fest here in Philly.

Bitter Loss Records presents the next album from Vahrzaw In the Shallows of a Starlit Lake which pivots slightly from 2019’s more deathly black The Trembling Voices of Conquered Men. This album embraces a heightened black metal aesthetic. Recording has colder, more brittle guitar tones, thicker atmospheric layers. I’m not into the keys used here. Not that they sound out of place, but extremely dated. Maybe I’m missing the point? Sure this can be a throw back to their Midgard or Shadows of the Forest black roots circa 1994-95. Testament to dedication and commitment that the trio has held it together since the early 90s. Although they were competent musicians at their inception, now they are high level operators on a decidedly different tier in terms of technical proficiency. Of course, as I started this drivel: “It’s a full return to our black metal roots.” I need write no more.

Antihuman Productions presents a new EP from Indonesia’s death machine Sereignos. Decisivicious Annihilation comes in under 15 minutes and applies Morbid Angel meets Sodom riffing gone hyperspeed and hyperviolent bordering on war metal terrorism. 4 breakneck songs and a pair of ambient textures (intro and outro, naturally).

Oh Canada. Why is it you provide some of the best metal on the planet? Nephilim’s Noose from the wilds of Medicine Neck, Alberta give you death doom with the finesse of battering ram wielded by a neanderthal. Not saying these guys are technically inept. Far from it. Completely atavistic in nature. Primitive Man by way of Demonic Possessor or Asphyx by way of Incantation? Either way you’ll love the barbaric attack and caveman grunts that range from blitz attacks to tar pit sludge doom. More than a handful of killer riffs, clever twists and massive tones over these 4 songs.

Supposedly a 35 hour trip from Medicine Hat via Trans-Canada Hwy E to Montreal where Profane Order reign. This duo is a weapon crafted in a war metal mold. Grinding speeds are the (Profane) order of the day. View them as the more misanthropic cousin to fellow Montreal denizens Skumstrike. Whereas Skumstrike have a punked up death bent, Profane Order are decidedly full on metal. All of it hell bent on destruction with no time for Poison Idea. Blasphemy, Slayer, Hellhammer are the launching station. Most of the material on One Nightmare Unto Another is a runaway locomotive yet there are songs deeper into the album that introduce additional wrinkles into the arrangements without dulling the hostility and aggression. Album closer is the only track that isn’t all out aggro as it holds a very mid tempo Celtic Frost churn until one final volley of blasts and maniacal screams.

UK’s Grief Symposium with their dark metal entry ...In the Absence of Light display a confident mix of styles and atmospheres ranging from classic era Paradise Lost death doom, burly old school death metal to atmospheric territories inhabited by Fields of the Nephilim and Mass. Distinctly UK derived sounds - although there is some Crowbar stomp and swagger here and there, but, who are we kidding, Crowbar (Slugs) were always a metalmorphology off Sabbath. Sure, you can parry that back to the U.S. as Sabbath being a left hand take on the blues given uber distortion and feel. My favorite riffs on display here are decidedly in the doomier and atmospheric sections and I feel therein is where the strength of Grief Symposium lies.

Slowing things down farther is Neka. One man gloom and doom from Samara, Russia. Opening track with strains of folk inspired instrumentation and sinking into Jesu layers of melodic haze. Just what are these textures at play? Guitars and effects, maybe mellotron? Doesn’t matter - sink into it but before too long the sorrowful strains plummet into oppressive funeral doom before climbing back into the light and sliding back again. So it goes, a sisyphean journey of melodic despair.

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In case you’re living under a rock, Metal Injection has the full stream of the debut from Mithridatum. Feast thine ears yonder: https://metalinjection.net/av/full-album-stream/mithridatum-ex-the-faceless-abhorrent-streams-debut-album-harrowing In play is an unhealthy heaping of Ved Buens Ende, Ulsect and Dodecahedron, not the deliberately glitched up swan song, but the sense shattering debut. Though not deviating from the well they are influenced this is expertly executed, flawlessly captured, and worthy of your time and attention.

Another Youtube premiere ahead of the album drop: CRAWL - Damned. Damned if it doesn’t do evil the way Gnaw Their Tongues does. Slow motion horror of synthetic textures, low end crush, clank and clatter, hellish vocals. Would sound right at home on Cold Meat Industry next to In Slaughter Natives and Aghast as it does on Profound Lore beside Locrian and Fuoco Fatuo.

Hold Sacred is the forthcoming album from Esben and the Witch. First teaser is as sparse and bare as they come. Rachel Davies crooning to a languid bass line and delicate guitar thread that is accompanied by electronic textures. No true build or resolution. Straight line, adding and subtracting texture. All left hanging in the cosmos. Interesting to notice on the album credits there is no mention of drums. What does the trio do this time around? They’ve always been masters of minimalism and wringing tension with as little as possible. “The Well” is even a departure for them. All the lyrics are here for you to learn beforehand.