Nine Circles

Mid December and everyone is smack dab in the center of the end of year festivities. We’ve begun and will continue, as will many others so be sure to stick around for all the party favors and maybe even an album or two you missed. But wait! We still have a couple weeks of new releases to go and the quality just won’t quit. What’s up this week? Read on…

Germany’s Sulphur Aeon are back with their third full length The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos and I don’t disagree with what a good friend of mine had to say about it: “they’re dropping that killer The Satanist follow up Behemoth forgot to do.” Next up is the Greek technical death metal phenoms, Cerebrum, with Iridium and this is one full of complexities designed to make you beg for more and then there’s the brutish vocals, just sayin’. Last up top this week (yea, I did go with three this week and glad you noticed) is the HM2 infused death / black / melodic powerhouse In Shadows and Dust with Enlightened By Darkness — this thing smokes, so hop to it.

The quantity wanes but, like I said, the quality remains. Just be sure to keep exploring in the midst of all the EOY shindigs.

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Sulphur Aeon – The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos (Ván Records) – death metal

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Cerebrum – Iridium (Transcending Obscurity) – technical death metal

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In Shadows and Dust – Enlightened By Darkness (Redefining Darkness) – death metal

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Also on tap:

Bless The Dead – The Boars Nest (Sliptrick) – metal / thrash / punk

Blood Feast – Chopped, Diced, and Sliced (Hells Headbangers) – thrash

Blood Region – Tales of the Backwoods (Inverse) – metal

Create A Kill – Summoned To Rise (Redefining Darkness / Raw Skullz) – thrash

CNTMPT – Towards Neglect (Into Endless Chaos Records) – black metal

Croc Noir – Mort (Wolfspell Records) – black metal

Embra – Abjection (Casus Belli Musica / Beverina) – atmospheric black metal

Evangelist – Deus Vult (Nine Records) – doom metal

Fall – The Dreamer of Tragedy (Independent) – melodic metal

Great Falls – A Sense of Rest (Corpse Flower Records) – hardcore / noise

Lucifer’s Fall – Tales From the Crypt (Sun & Moon) – doom

Menschenfresser – Sterben (Boersma Records) – horror metal

Mourning Sign – Contra Mundum (Orchestrated Misery Recordings) – death metal

Nachteule – Bergdorf (Wolfspell Records) – black metal

Nychtophilia – Ad Mortem Et Tenebrae (Wolfspell Records) – black metal

Nazrak – Cantiques Funebres (Wolfspell Records) – black metal

Odious Devotion – S/T (Wolfspell Records) – black metal

Of Hatred Spawn – S/T (Boonsdale Records) – death metal

Open Surgery – After Birth Abortion, EP (BVR) – death metal

Sönambula – Bicéfalo (Xtreem) – death / doom

Unclouded Perception – Districts (Wormholedeath / The Orchard) – modern metal

Wan – Gammal är äldst (Carnal Records) – black metal

Witching Hour – …And Silent Grief Shadows the Passing Moon (Hells Headbangers) – black metal

– Josh