Nine Circles

Not much small talk to be found. It’s early. And, I’m only on my second pot of coffee. So, let’s skip it. Now, if you’re an Enslaved fan, this is the week you’ve (we’ve) been waiting for as their fifteenth full length lands on Friday. It’s epic but that’s a surprise to literally no one. Anaal Nathrakh return with their most varied output to date and dare I say their most…progressive? On first blush it seems that way but you’ll have to decide for yourself—you know, your own opinion. Gorephilia nail the 90s death metal aesthetic and Fate plug into some seriously high voltage metal and punk to close out the top slots with a BANG. You know the drill by now but just in case, there’s a ton more to dig into below so go shuck cash at these artists and support them.

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Enslaved – Utgard (Nuclear Blast) – black metal

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Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment (Metal Blade) – extreme

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Gorephilia – In the Eye of Nothing (Dark Descent / Me Saco Un Ojo) – death metal 

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Fate – II (Caligari) – metal / punk

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Also on tap:

Agathocles / Grog – Smashed Hammer Feast (Murder) – deathgrind

All Are To Return – S/T, Cassette Issue (Tartarus) – doom

All Souls – Songs for the End of the World (Independent) – rock

Amiensus – Abreaction (Transcending Records) – progressive black metal

Among Phantoms – Memories/Catastrophes (DiGiDi) – metalcore

Ardormort – The Desolation Letters (Pacific Threnodies) – dungeon synth

Arroganz – Morsus (Supreme Chaos) – death metal 

Ashlands – Ashlands II (Independent) – atmospheric black metal 

Blasphemous Putrefaction – Prelude to Perversion (Dunkelheit Produktionen) – death metal

Briqueville – Quelle (Pelagic) – atmospheric metal 

Catalan! – Veritas (Independent) – post-rock

Cosmic Reef Temple / Shrinkwrap Killers – Split (Wave Guardian) – space surf / punk

DevilDriver – Dealing with Demons I (Napalm Records) – groove / thrash

Dialogia – Nostrum (Independent) – dark metal

Eerie – End of an Era (Necromance / Base / Negra Hit) – black metal

Elder Spell – They Live In the Trees (Independent) – synthwave

Hadewych – Welving, Remastered Vinyl (Tartarus) – experimental 

Harmonize – Warrior In the Night (Independent) – power metal

Hath – Hive, Reissue (Willowtip) – death metal

Häxenzijrkell – Die Nachtseite (Amor Fati) – black metal

Herbstschatten – Abschaum (Boersma) – post-black metal

Horde of Hel – Döden Nalkas (Blooddawn Productions / Regain) – black metal

I Am Waiting For You Last Summer – Self – Defence (Thou Blanc) – instrumetal

Iron Angel – Emerald Eyes (Mighty Music) – thrash

Kilter – Axiom, Vinyl Issue (ALTER-NATIV) – experimental

Monsterworks – Malignment (Eat Lead and Die Music) – metal

Nachtblut – Vanitas (Napalm Records) – dark metal

Nehoda – But Anyways… (Independent) – rock

Nightmare – Aeternam (AFM Records) – heavy metal

Nubivagant – Roaring Eye (Amor Fati) – black metal

Protokult – Transcending the Ruins (Independent) – heavy metal

Red Spektor – Heart of the Renewed Sun (Kozmik Artifactz) – stoner

Sammas’ Equinox – Tulikehrät (Signal Rex) – black metal

Sander Cohen – Channeling Hank, EP (HalfMeltedBrain) – alt-metal / post-hardcore

Sarcoptes – Plague Hymns (Transcending Obscurity) – black metal

Second To Sun – Leviathan (Independent) – black metal

Six Feet Under – Nightmares of the Decomposed (Metal Blade) – death metal

Skyless Aeons – Drain the Sun (Independent) – melodic death metal

Tallah – Matriphagy (Earache) – alt metal

The Mercy Kills – X (Golden Robot) – post-punk / metal

The Pilgrim – …From the Earth to the Sky and Back (Heavy Psych Sounds) – rock

Trident – North (Non Serviam) – black / death

Vaginal Anomalies  – Violent Devotion to Kill (Necromance / Base Record Production) – brutal slam

Various Artists – A Tribute to Tiamat (Antichrist Magazine/Grand Sounds PR) – gothic/death/doom

– Josh