In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.
For this edition of Second Circle we are taking a look at Leng Tche‘s Razorgrind and a Split between BLK OPS and Cave Bastard. A perfect fit for a Monday so follow me to get your grind on. Continue reading →
Not sure about you but all this solar eclipse talk is getting old. For the past two to three weeks it’s been all the rage. So, solar eclipse Monday, check it or not. I’ve heard not to look at it unless you want your eyes to pull a Scanners and explode. Ah yes, plenty of new metal to be heard and we have a full plate for you here on Initial Descent. Leading us off this week is our very own Chris Voss and his multi-faceted black metal project Necrolytic Goat Converter with the insanely good and extremely robust Isolated Evolution. Be sure to head inside, listen and SUPPORT! Next up is another wicked good black metal album, Heretical Wisdom, from Void Ritual — Dan Jackson has done a hell of a job on this album so be sure to check it out, you’ll be glad you did. Next up is the debut, Sinister Totem, from Finland’s Shaman Ritual and their combination of tribalistic death metal and jarring black metal will be a long standing favorite here. Closing out the opening spots is Khazzadum with their Tolkien inspired death metal on Plagues Upon Arda — whether you’re into Tolkien or not this is a great album. We’re only four albums in and the end of year contenders are strong but, as always, we have so much more waiting for you inside so go and explore… Continue reading →
Receiving the Evcharist is our weekly feature where we pair choice albums with our favorite libations. Drink from the cup of heresy. This week’s offering: Moray’s Temporal Majesty and Double Mountain Brewing Company’s Carrie Ladd Steamship Porter. Continue reading →
And we’ve reached the final end of our three part concert review. As fun as it has been sharing this show with you all over the course of the week, it’s time to wrap things up because there are plenty more adventures on the immediate horizon. If you missed Part I or Part II hit those links to catch up. For this, the final part, we focus on the show’s closer, Neurosis. Continue reading →
Ambience isn’t just slathering keyboards or reverb on something. We use it as a shortcut, but really ambience is the evocation of mood, of climate and atmosphere. Mastering a particular ambience in music is hard: “heavy” isn’t a mood, though millions of headbangers wish it were so. Throughout his myriad of projects, Dan Jackson has certainly mastered the “heavy” aspects of metal, but with Heretical Wisdom, the debut full length from his black metal hurricane Void Ritual, he also masters evoking the harsh winds and frozen landscapes of winter through a blizzard of classic and true black metal. Continue reading →
