Nine Circles

All of a sudden it’s July. Half the year gone and I don’t know where it went but alas we have a full plate of metal for you this week here on Initial Descent. And I offer you a challenge: pick one or two of these and really give them a listen, I mean REALLY concentrate and not only hear it but feel it. No better place to start than with the jaw dropping black metal/atmospheric doom debut, The Maw of Time, from Skyeater. Next up is NZ’s Heresiarch with their war torn blackened death metal on Death Ordinance, Invocation Spells return with their third full length, The Flame of Hate, which finds them further refining their black metal/thrash attack and it’s a barnburner, closing out the top slots is the part cinematic score and part new album from Melvins, A Walk With Love & Death, and while it’s true their discography is deep there’s no better time to climb onboard than now — so do that. Read beyond these four to find much more to sink your teeth into and don’t forget about the challenge, feel free to report back on your findings.

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Skyeater – The Maw of Time (Baneful Genesis) – blackened doom metal [full review]

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Heresiarch – Death Ordinance (Dark Descent Records) – death metal [full review]

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Invocation Spells – The Flame of Hate (Hells Headbangers) – black metal/thrash

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Melvins – A Walk With Love and Death (Ipecac) – experimental, doom, sludge

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Also on tap:

Aborted – Bathos, EP (Century Media) – death metal

Apothesary – Accept Loss Forever (M-Theory Audio) – death metal/metalcore

Beyond Grace – Seekers (Independent) – death metal

Bison – You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient (Pelagic Records) – heavy metal

Cave of Swimmers – The Sun, Single (Southern Druid Records) – doom/hard rock

Contaminated – Final Man (Blood Harvest) – death metal

Demon Head – Thunder On the Fields, NA Release (The Sign Records) – death metal

Discipline – Captives of the Wine Dark Sea (Laser’s Edge) – prog-rock

Earthgrave – The Verge of Human Abyss (WOOAAARGH) – sludge/doom metal

Ecnephias – The Sad Wonder of the Sun (My Kingdom Music) – dark metal

el Camino – Cursed Congregation (To The Death/Night Tripper) – black metal

Ether – There is Nothing Left for Me Here (Dead Truth Recordings) – sludge metal

Excalion – Dream Alive (Scarlet Records) – melodic metal

Exmordium – Into the Sepulchral Spectrum (Tridroid Records) – melodic black metal

Fvneral Fvck – The Lecherous Liturgies, EP (Solitude Productions) – doom metal

Hands of Thieves – Feasting On Dark Intentions, EP, CD (Hellthrasher Productions) – blackened death/doom

Heaven In Her Arms – White Halo (Translation Loss) – post-rock, hardcore, screamo

Kabbalah – Spectral Ascent (Twin Earth Records) – psychedelic doom metal

Kassad – Faces Turn Away (Hypnotic Dirge) – black metal

Loyal Until Death – Remain Defiant (1732 Records) – metallic hardcore

Märvel – The Hills Have Eyes, Reissue (The Sign Records) – hard rock

Moon Haven – Monochrome Reflections (Independent) – alt-rock

Nadimac – Besnilo (Xtreem Music) – death metal

Nekrokraft – Will o’ Wisp (The Sign Records) – blackened thrash metal

Nibiru – Coasgon, Remastered (Argonauta Records) – sludge

Nicumo – Storms Arise (Inverse Records) – melancholic metal

Seer – Vol. III & IV: Cult of the Void (Art of Propaganda) – doom, sludge

Suicide Forest – Descend into Despair (Folkvangr Records) – black metal

Tid – Bortom Inom (The Sign Records) – ambient

Tid – Fix Idé (The Sign Records) –  ambient

Tid – Giv Akt (The Sign Records) – ambient

– Josh