Nine Circles

Another week, in the middle of winter, has passed. It’s cold. It’s raining, again. Lots of stuff broke this week. I am not amused.

Thankfully WOORMS was there to spice it up a bit with Slake, aka: a twisted journey through nervous wrecks of unhinged sludge and doom with an enormous amount of originality and personality – YES. A self titled album generally signifies some sort of statement or change and in Barshasketh’s case it’s simple: between the drumming and atmosphere, Barshasketh is the most fully realized their second waveish black metal has ever sounded. Musmahhu’s Reign of the Odious was designed and built to pummel, and it does that very well with gnarly but cleanly produced death metal. So, if nothing else, gnarly and cleanly exist, together, in the same sentence. Last up top is Green Elder and Horse Cult with an AMAZING Split of some of the most beautiful Appalachian folk you’ve ever heard, highly recommended for listening and just life in general.

Curious as to what else is incoming? If not, you should be. Read on…

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WOORMS – Slake (Hospital Records / Sludgelord Records) – sludge / doom [feature review]

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Barshasketh – S/T (W.T.C. Productions) – black metal

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Musmahhu – Reign of the Odious (Iron Bonehead) – black / death

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Green Elder / Horse Cult – Split (Independent) – appalachian folk

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Also on tap:

Aver – Orbis Majora (Ripple Music) – prog-rock

Astrophobos – Malice of Antiquity (Triumvirate Records) – black metal

Blurr Thrower – Les avatars du vide (Les Acteurs de l’ombre Productions) – black metal

Carrion Mother – Nothing Remains (Ordo MCM) – doom

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – Black Axis, Reissue (Southern Lord) – guitar rock

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker – The Tribe, Reissue (Southern Lord) – guitar rock

Dawn of Ashes – The Crypt Injection II: Non Serviam (Metropolis Records) – industrial metal

Defecal of Gerbe – Mothershit (Xenocorp) – goregrind

Dust Bolt – Trapped In Chaos (Napalm) – thrash

Ectovoid – Inner Death, 7” EP (Blood Harvest) – death metal

Flotsam and Jetsam – The End of Chaos (AFM) – heavy metal

Furor Gallico – Dusk of the Ages (Scarlet Records) – death metal

Graves – Ascensão do Impiedoso (War Arts Productions) – black metal

Lahmia – Resilience (Scarlet Records) – melodic death metal

Leach – Hymns For The Hollow (Independent) – thrash

Marc Durkee – Remain In Stasis (Independent) – progressive doom

Malum Sky – Diatribe, EP (Sliptrick) – progressive metal

OOMPH! – Ritual (Napalm Records) – hard rock

Phlebotomized – Deformation of Humanity (Hammerheart) – death / doom

Rifftera – Across the Acheron (Inverse) – melodic death / thrash

Saiva – Finnmarkens folk, Reissue (Nordvis) – folk

Spektator – 1 (Ritun Music / Ektro) – electronic

The Mound Builders – S/T (Failure Records and Tapes) – sludge / doom

The Three Tremors – S/T (Still Cartel) – doom

Through the Canopy – Descension, EP (Independent) – post-metal

Wristmeetrazor – Misery Never Forgets (Prosthetic Records) – screamo

Zed – Desperation Blues, Reissue (Ripple Music) – heavy rock

– Josh