Premiere: High Reeper – “Die Slow”

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High Reeper - High Reeper

Staking claim to the Philly/Delaware corner of stoner rock is the five piece known as High Reeper and they have set November 3 for their independently released self titled debut. It’s an album full of Sabbathian riff worship mixed with the kind of DIY ethos St. Vitus was known so well for in their early days (think Born Too Late). The power of the riff definitely compels this band as they bend and mold each one with an unfettered ease generally reserved for the more seasoned vets. But on top of that they keep a mean groove throughout and the vocals remind of early Ozzy so there’s that, and it doesn’t hurt a bit. Today we have a premiere of lead off track “Die Slow” and it’s all of the above and much more so dive in to take a listen. Continue reading →

Profile: Max Lindstrom of God Mother

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God Mother
God Mother – pic courtesy of Stephen Odom

Sweden has produced many of metal’s outstanding acts over the years and this tradition continues with God Mother who will be releasing their second full length, Vilseledd, on October 20 via Party Smasher Inc. The band’s combination of grind, sludge and hardcore defies easy one word genre classification and is as much at home during spastic flurries of angular dissonance as it is with noisy experimentation. If the band’s debut Maktbehov impressed with its no-holds barred approach, Vilseledd ups the ante with a matured fury that said debut only dreamed of. Ahead of the album’s release we got the chance to ask guitarist Max Lindstrom our set of Profile questions so head inside to see what he had to say and by all means, take a listen while you’re at it.

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Album Review: Wolves in the Throne Room – “Thrice Woven”

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WITTR - Thrice Woven

The whole concept of returning to your roots is a dicey proposition, one whose underlying reasons can obfuscate intent and mar as much as elevate the final product.  I’ve heard the term used a lot when discussing Wolves in the Throne Room and their roots returning (or reclamation, if you’re NPR) new record, Thrice Woven.  After the atmospheric tone poems that made up previous album Celestite, anticipation for a move back to more of the traditional folk-laden USBM the band help push forward was high, and the result is solid, if somewhat unremarkable slab of metal that may please fans wanting more roar in the music but also feels like a band running in place.   Continue reading →

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 9 (9.18.2017)

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NINE-CIRCLES_LOGO-Light Background_SQUARE

Good morning! Back on the Monday routine with this thing… Let’s see how long that lasts. This week’s sampling is a bit all over the map (nothing new there) and I personally included a couple of gems that filled my ears during this past weekend’s Reach the Beach relay. There’s just something amazing about blasting In The Woods… while you’re running along a painfully hilly stretch of road in New Hampshire’s mountains in the middle of the night… Anyway, I digress. Dive in there and have some fun. If you want to take the ol’ time machine back a few weeks, previous playlists can be found on our YouTube channel.

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Blood Red: Hoop-Tober Marathon Kickoff

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Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre-blood red header

It’s been a while since we’ve talked horror on this site, but that’s about to change in a big way.  In our inaugural post I talked about the annual horror marathon I participate in each year over at Letterboxd.  Founded and organized by Cinemonster, each year the challenge is to watch and review 31 horror films between September 15th and Halloween.  Easy so far, but there’s a catch: each year there are different rules and restrictions that must be met in order to successfully complete the marathon.    Continue reading →