Nine Circles

Made it out of the mountains and not one Bigfoot to be found. Oh well, guess we’ll have to wait for the next hodgepodge video to surface so we can call bullshit on it. Anyway, I did exactly as I said and had one hell of a soundtrack for the weekend and this week is no different. Why you ask? Well, dear reader, we have treasures for you…

First up is Wisconsin’s Pig’s Blood with their second full length of war tattered death metal, A Flock Slaughtered, and if you thought their self titled debut was good (it was) this is going to blow your ears clean off your cranium. Next is Colombia’s Lucifera who wowed me with Preludio del Mal and its fierce take on blackened death with a slight lean towards thrash but on La Caceria De Brujas, their fourth effort, the band is at their deadliest – the vocals alone are enough to cause bodily harm and add in the d-beat touch? GOLD. Moving along: Fange, France’s answer to a nasty strain of sludge induced doom and death metal, return with Punir and this time they introduce a touch of noise and an industrious feel to the mix – Fange has been a favorite for awhile now and this album seals the deal. Last up top is yet another album, Heretical Sect, full of blackened death / doom from a reclusive bunch called Heretical Sect and again, go now and get it – multiple formats on multiple labels so do that and stop making excuses.

Much more below so don’t delay.

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Pig’s Blood – A Flock Slaughtered (Godz Ov War) – death metal

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Lucifera – La Caceria De Brujas (Dunkelheit) – black / death

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Fange – Punir (Throatruiner) – sludge / death / noise

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Heretical Sect – S/T (Redefining Darkness / Caligari / Vendetta) – black / death / doom

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Also on tap:

Basalt – O Coração Negro da Terra, Re-release (Ritual Productions) – metal

Bastard Noise / Xiphoid Dementia – Human Extinction Engine, Split (Scry / Existence Establishment / Phage Tapes) – death industrial / ambient

Bullseye – Until We Die (Dedication Records) – hardcore

Bus – Never Decide (RidingEasy) – stoner / psych

Chrome Waves – A Grief Observed (Disorder Recordings) – post/alt-metal

Climate of Fear – The Onset of Eternal Darkness (Demons Run Amok) – melodic death

Death Is Death – Death Wears Suit (Concorde Music Company) – thrash

Degraey – Reveries (Independent) – post-metal

Demon Hunter – Peace (Solid State) – metalcore

Demon Hunter – War (Solid State) – metalcore

Der Weg Einer Freiheit – Live In Berlin (Season of Mist) – black metal

Drawn Into Descent – The Endless Endeavor (Avantgarde Music) – black metal

DunkelNacht – Empires of Mediocrity (Non Serviam) – black / death

Eremit – Carrier of Weight (Transcending Obscurity) – sludge / doom

Gruzja – I Iść Dalej (Godz Ov War) – black metal

HateviruS – Hateful Mind (Independent) – metal

Heaume Mortal – Solstices (Ladlo) – black / doom

In Flames – I, The Mask (Nuclear Blast / Eleven Seven) – melodic metal

Jussi Lehtisalo – Dead (Ruton / Ektro) – synth

Katechon – Sanger Fra Auschwitz (Saturnal Records) – black/death metal

Lönndom – Hågkomster Från Nordliga Nejder & Norrskenritual, Reissue (Nordvis) – black metal

Malevolent Creation – The 13th Beast (M-Theory Audio) – death metal

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Yn OI I Annwn (New Heavy Sounds) – doom

Marsh Dweller – Wanderer (Tridroid Records) – black metal

Oro – Djupets Kall (Endless Winter) – doom / sludge

Outright Resistance – Cargo Cult (Independent) – modern metal

Pissgrave – Posthumous Humiliation (Profound Lore) – death metal

Popiół – Zabobony (Godz Ov War) – black metal

Queensryche – The Verdict (Century Media) – metal

Red Cain – Kindred: Act I (Independent) – modern melodic metal

Riparian – S/T, EP (Grimoire) – death metal

Romasa – Cheering Death (Independent) – sludge / crust

Sacred Monster – Worship the Weird (Independent) – doom

Sisters of Suffocation – Humans Are Broken (Napalm) – death metal

Statement – Force of Life (Mighty Music) – hard rock

Steelwings – Back (Sliptrick) – hard rock

The Riven – S/T (The Sign Records) – rock

Ungraven – Language of Longing, EP (Black Bow) – black / industrial / hardcore

Vimur – Triumphant Master of Fates (Boris Records) – black metal

Warfist – Grünberger (Godz Ov War) – black / thrash

Warish – S/T (RidingEasy Records) – grunge

– Josh