sins of omission
stupid, stoopid, stoopit me.
Fohn, Convulsing, Slowhole, Cave Sermon, Rot Coven, [4672], Sleepytime Gorilla Museum… these are artists with full length albums I mistakenly forgot to list for tops of 2024. Yes, I am an idiot. Absolutely, there are more I’ve forgotten, none being Blood Incantation. While returning to this platform I noticed I started drafting something the day Steve Albini died, “atomized. mission abort.” And there I see others I’ve forgotten and one I remembered last week’s post.
Not sure how workhorses over at NCS, the mighty Wolf Rambatz, Brandon Legion, and Tombs’ cult leader Mike Hill do it. I don’t like doing more than waking up and going to sleep in a day.
Speaking of these gentlemen, 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, Dreams of Consciousness, Doktor Dismemberment’s Midnight Murderplex and Crucial Blast’s Warhead…. most of these pages update more frequently than what I provide here.
A pair of preview tracks from Amor Fati Productions related projects. Appears both of these full length physical releases will be collaborations with Extraconcious Records. Different spins on black metal, both effective at what they set out to accomplish.
Osgraef come to thoroughly destroy and employ a more deathly bent of the two. Manic drumming, savage screams bellowing from a cavern that serves as a portal to hell. Looking forward to what comes of this.
Silver Knife is a veritable supergroup of artists forging a post black path. Deha is involved, how does this man do what he does? I think only Nicholas Turner and Jared Moran are more prolific. Let’s not check Metal Archives, shall we. This track continues the melodic, icy style the band has displayed only the production has increased clarity and given it more room in terms of sonic space.
Falsus Evangelium is a new angle from Sprntrl of Sovereign of Conquest. Just what the hell is happening in Indonesia? Everything from film to noise to metal is gold. This project takes liberties with Deathspell Omega circa Kenose-Paracletus by going outside the playbook and incorporating a world flair to the drumming and stronger post guitarwork than DsO would employ after 2010. Moments here and there could be along the lines of The Mars Volta dipping its toes in black metal or DsO taking rhythmic cues from The Mars Volta.
The Ainsoph debut was far and away my favorite EP of 2020. Will this release, come March 14, prove to be as formidable? Preview track has all the ingredients of the debut: post punk drive, black metal fervor, a killer guitar tone that EVH and Dr Know of Bad Brains would approve, Cranes meets Bjork vocals, a dynamic arrangement. All of that what we know from Ω - V yet ramped up where the guitar work is crazier, the drumming more energetic, and furthering the adventuresome vocal display.
Americana and noise rock clash courtesy of Cali’s Knucklebunder lovingkindness. Take the twangy, warped guitar of 16 horsepower/wovenhand and Barkmarket push it far into Distorted Pony, Slughog, Glazed Baby pummel. Truly killer mix on tap with the verging on industrial percussion and drumming, overdriven blower bass and the aforementioned guitar approach. In a weird way this can be likened to mods carve the pig Thought Industry. As Ronald Fisher says about Middlesex school being flooded: “Holy shit, that’s the best news I’ve ever heard.”
Chicago’s FACS may best describe what they do on their bandcamp page: “FACS use minimalism and space to create abstract, modern art rock.” Little bit of Bauhaus, some Scratch Acid, Wire. Huge bass on display, reverb/delay drenched guitar, in the pocket drumming and detached speech singing. Tightly wound arrangements. This trio nails down such great recordings which have superb three dimensional mixes. Sure, the minimalism plays a role here, but, man, this is something else.
Going from spacious to claustrophobic. NJ grinding mayhem from locustfurnace. Layers of raging vocals, Ion D harmonics crossed with early Pig Destroyer riffage, Scrog's druggy psyche pedal damage, dash of ambience, clash of glitchy noise and even guest melodic vocals creeping in and out of a couple songs all to the memory of David Lynch. In a fashion this could be looked at as a deathgrind cousin to Examination of The… Lady in the Radiator.
A pair of Dan Dolby (Mastiff / Catafalque / Trepanation Records) experimental sound projects to wrap this up. Stalker, as I’ve gone on record, comes out of the speakers like an avalanche. 5 long form soundscapes incorporating harsh noise wall and subtle nuances - as in the shape of a swarm of bees augmenting a landslide. Given the emphasis on the hnw side of things one may approach this is a static experience but there are layers of shifting textures and sounds. The initial attack may border on crushing, one note delivery but there are several things churning within the din. Curious how such noise can verge on being meditative.
Been given a sneak listen to the forthcoming The Atrocity Circus album, Malpractice, which Cursed Monk Records should be releasing in the not too distant future. Malpractice is in similar sonic territory as Yellow Crooked Teeth yet bringing bigger production and having a tighter focus of attack. Pure diseased death industrial given additional rhythmic thrust this time out. Vocal attack sounds more caustic across the board. The off chance they aren’t front and center, as the bulk of “Glassy Eyed and Terrified” or “the Perpetual Ruination of Purity,” the craftsmanship of the electronics takes over and layers of sound swirl, pan, and drench ones headspace in atmosphere rivalling that of a horror movie or thriller.
