20 buck spin has come out swinging in 2023 will ill intent. Tribunal, Ulthar, Kommand, Majesties and, now, new VoidCeremony. Atheist, Death informed progressive death metal. Guitar and bass fretboard gymnastics that don’t lose sight of riffs amidst a tumble of drums, guttural Disincarnate vocals that are lowered in the mix to allow the music to be the focal point. A throwback style done with precision - even if I gotta pull the synth/keys out of metal card with the outro on this track.
Mommy’s alright, daddy’s alright… Dekadens just seem a little weird on Surrender. Being this depressive post black metal act is out of Poland being weird is almost a given. Not as out there as Gruzja or Biesy (transsatanizm, anyone) or some other Devoted Art Propaganda acts go, but, you get an atmosphere that can turn on a dime from dour Katatonia mope rock to black metal ferocity and post punk and back again.
One member of Scratch Acid, guitarist Brett Bradford, a pair of White Powder members, Ezra Reynolds - Vocals/Organ/Piano/Cello, Win Wallace on Bass and drummer John Paul Keenon are the key players of Suckling. What they conjure here is guitar and moog driven psyche rock that has more than a couple passing nods to Captain Beefheart and early Alice Cooper. Nice rhythmic drive, fuzzed out buzzing guitars, a lot of moog and an almost stream of conscious rambling croon.
With the name Noční Můra you would think this would be a Czech production, but, no, this is a solo French doomy atmospheric black metal project. Sorrowful out of the gate and full on gloom for the duration, as one would expect given the band name translates to nightmare. The sound of this takes me back to the late 90s and Wounded Love / Avantgarde acts like Dolorian and Unholy with its bleak, oppressive atmosphere and that is a wonderful thing.
I have the Deathseeker DCLXVI youtube channel to thank for this Peruvian black death gem Ashram. Primitive evil. Given the lyrical bent being of Hinduism / Jainism one would think this would be a shoe in for the Kolkata Inner Order. Looking forward to hearing more.
“This Wrought Creation” from Sarcophagum dropped this week. Spinning hypnotic Ulcerate DsO cycling riffs before launching into death metal orbit with shards of those intro riffs weaving in and around as textural color. This project has members of Golgothan Remains and while there are some similarities in terms of arrangements the guitar tone here this isn’t a dark as it works with more dissonant, atonal chords and note choices. Compared to the debut ep from last year this track has additional emphasis on dissonance and it is composed in a more sprawling fashion.
From Canada comes Pestis with a rampaging style that could be considered Immolation gone war metal. Three songs each under 3 minutes and utilizing bending and trilled Vigna-informed riffs to Bolt Thrower mechanized efficiency. First song almost war metal intensity, second track a mid tempo stomp of Bolt Thrower/Asphyx proportions and the third a mix of the first two to clean your clock.
Necrovation return from their slumber and offer a double shot of death metal that sounds nothing like they are from Sweden (no HM-2, DS-1 cement mixer tone) - although there is more than a little Breach lean to the intro of “Starving Grave” before flipping the switch to warp speed. If you dug Siderean - Lost on Void’s Horizon this EP will be in your wheelhouse.
Here I thought Italy’s The Turin Horse called it a day. The duo went in hiding and have reappeared with Unsavory Impurities. Noise rock damage that is high on the Scratch Acid and ready to rip your throat out with their bare teeth.
Grimoire Records team up with Mast Year to release Knife in April. The departure from this release and the debut demo from 2021 is the addition of a singer into the fold. Not sure if the instrumental tracks make their way on this full length with different titles, but, the title track is full on Season to Risk and Johnboy. If you dig KENmode, Colonial Wound and Chat Pile records from last year you (and I) are the marks they are targeting.
Formless Mass, I’ve got one of those, too, but I’ve no information on the actual band outside of what is provided on the bandcamp page. The beauty of this is in the fact this noise is created conventionally using guitars, bass, drums and “noise.” Whether that is by digital or analog means or a combination is to be determined, but, who really cares? There are rhythmic pulses here and there that are obviously bass and drum driven - some tracks moreso than others. Edgewood Arsenal is the label responsible and I commend them for this no wave ball of destruction that sounds like a cross between Sightings, White Sun and Sutcliffe Jugend/Sutcliffe No More. Only unfortunate thing is it doesn’t have the production of something like Sightings - Through the Panama. Then again, how many noise records do?
Spiraling further into the noisesphere with Sensor The main reason I know of this outfit is due to following Sektor 304’s André Coelho from project to project. On this recording Sensor is less full on noise than Formless Mass as it delves into free jazz and contemporary classical schools.
Triple guitar post metal threat Ikarie have a new album due mid March. First song, “Santa Sangre” is up and trudging and weaving melodic webs of guitar to encroach upon Raum Kingdom for the 2023 sludge crown. Another point of reference would be Portugal’s Process of Guilt: “A crushing wall of sound made of doom, industrial and sludge harshness.” Though, if you’re already familiar with Ikarie from their previous releases, you know what you’re getting into and this recording sounds better than before.
So, yeah, there’s a new Scream album in the wings. You’ve all seen the pics with Don Zientara at the board, Ian McKaye in the background and Stahl. Supposedly a 2023 release and this is the 40th anniversary of Still Screaming? Take this unearthed gem filmed here in Philly at the long since gone Love Hall. A killer performance on tap.
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Lustmordian sound design on this animated short, Upheaval. ZephidRealm ties in to tech death metal act Zephid. If one song of VoidCeremony wasn’t enough, Zephid could sate your hunger for dissonant tech death with a sci-fi twist. I wish the entire record’s lyrical content would’ve followed the Upheaval story rather than Die Hard and some of the other detours, but, they don’t so for full length cosmic death metal drama Embrace the Maddness. Otherwise if it isn’t death metal cosmic drama you want you roll with Voivod, naturally.
fwiw: dig that twisty dekadens track. suckling sounds better as you’ve described them than to my ears. dig sarcophagum. dig pestis and their BT gallop. ikarie track is rad. so.... yeah.