Not even two weeks into the year and our cup runneth over with cool new music. I’m stoked that from the ashes of Sons of Apollo comes Whom Gods Destroy, and from the ashes of inactivity rise some righteous new Exhorder. And Jim Matheos and Ray Alder are back as North Sea Echoes? Truly, I do not deserve this.

The 9C staff continues to spout forth a great river of sublime tunes to make your week one for the books. We’ve got new tunes from Exocrine, Merrimack and Chainsaw Torture; Enslaved whetting our appetites for the deluxe edition of Heimdal; the return of The Wraith and ALREADY new music from Big|Brave; kicking hard rock from Sprints and a reminder that Acid King continues to be one of the best when it comes to the slow and low. I am reminded that the new Esquela Grind EP is ripping, and we even have some synthwave if you need a few minutes of chill scattered among the usual surprises. Oh, and for some reason there’s a lot of In Flames…I don’t know why.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next year.

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– Chris