You know fun when you see it. Sometimes it’s a massive water slide on a hot summer’s day. Sometimes it’s a tapped keg in a bucket of ice with your best friends in the backyard, burgers on the grill and a hammock no one’s laying in yet. And sometimes it’s a vicious mix of blackened thrash from Australia, emphasis on the thrash (for once), a logo with not one but TWO inverted crosses with pentagrams etched in, and a picture of Old Scratch himself on the cover.
Sometimes, just sometimes, it’s At the Devil’s Left Hand, the second album from Bloodlust. Continue reading →
Happy Tuesday, Metal Internet World. Yes, I realize this most recent edition of The Nine Circles Playlist is coming at you a day late and a dollar short, but there’s a very good reason for that. Well, actually, I guess not really. I was camping all weekend and Sunday night found me preparing for a 19 mile day of hiking and climbing in the White Mountains. So yeah, this fell down the pecking order. Regardless! We have 17 delicious tracks from all over the map for you to enjoy on this fine morning. If you want to check out our old playlists, I encourage you jump on our YouTube channel here. Otherwise, do that thing where you press play after the jump. Continue reading →
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 →
