Too many albums, too few reviewers…that’s the problem with all the metal blogs, not just this one. What do you do? How do you get a sense of what’s out there if you’re only listening to a fraction of what’s getting released? How do you open yourself up to new music? I’ll tell you how: you jump into all the unpicked promos each month and devote a sentence or two giving a sense of what you gleaned from it.

That’s right: we’re back for another round of “The Month That Was…” (a week late…I know) so enough preambling…let’s dive into this edition of Nine Circles ov… and see what’s been crunching the fallen leaves in September 2024.

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One of the first discoveries I made when coming aboard the 9C train was Voix, the 2016 release from French instrumental trio Aluk Todolo. Their signature twisting and labyrinth riffing sounds like black metal channeled via Lovecraft, hinting at larger, leviathan Elder Ones just beyond the pale. It’s been eight longs years since then, but Lux picks right back up, opting for a harsher, keening sound that still manages to wind its way through some very complex musical ideas. I love a band that can find ways to be deep, dark, and evil without having to resort to massive amounts of noise that hide lackluster ideas in the name of what’s cool. I never hear about Aluk Todolo in the community, and that needs to change.

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Surprise: another trio. I can’t help that my favorite band configuration keeps p[umping out massive, meaty metal that sinks in and doesn’t let go, and such is the case with Spell Shock, the latest from Portland’s Bewitcher. To say the band traffics in blackened thrash does a disservice to them; unlike so many other bands that take this route don’t inject the same amount of classic and hard rock Bewitcher do, and it pays off in spades on opening track “Starfire Maelstrom” and the massive drum kickoff of “Dystopic Demonalatry”. I think more than a little of the success of Spell Shock has to be given to their inspired choice of producer, none other than Lars Frederiksen of Rancid to help bring this to life. The hooks are razor sharp and lose no bite as Bewitcher crafts one of my favorite hand bangers this year.

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I wrote about the latest album from NWOBHM titans Satan and how vocalist Brian Ross continues to rule more than 40 years on from their debut. Well, he does double duty fronting Blitzkrieg for almost the same amount of time, and if I’m being honest? The eponymous Blitzkrieg might best the latest from his more well-known band. This is Grade-A, prime heavy metal, and tracks like “You Won’t Take Me Alive” rock like a band 40 years younger. “Dragon’s Eye” sounds like the best song from 1987 you never heard, and the production is robust and crystal clear, letting every solo and kick punch you right in the gut. God keep Brian Ross safe; he voice is one for the ages.

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We’re so used to metal bands taking their inspiration from the 80s it’s refreshing when the first thing I hear on Mesh, the fifth full length form French trio (yes, another trio!) Lizzard is the 90s. And not the usual second wave Norwegian cold chilly vibe, but the gritty warmth and fuzz of 90s grunge and alternative rock. This was another great discovery, something heavy and catchy and with a sound that hasn’t been completely beat to death in the year of our preferred deity 2024. Opening track “Unity” is one of the best noise rock tracks I’ve heard all year, but then the band turns on a dime with the alternative and sweeping lushness of “New Page” before settling into that mode for most of the album. It’s an abrupt yet refreshing change, and one I’ve rep coming back to again and again this month.

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You all may have had a different experience, but for the longest time Oceans of Slumber completely lost me after 2016’s fantastic Winter. I kept waiting for the promise that came with that album and walked away more disappointed with every release. So I don’t know what made me give Where Gods Fear To Tread a chance…maybe the album title was enough to make me think the band was striving for something heavier, better….and holy shit did they deliver. This is an album that refuses to cater to whatever ideas a label (thank you SOM) might have for what’s “popular” and the 1-2 punch of the opening title track and “Run From The Light” might be the best things the Houston, TX band have ever done. Hell, I even really dig the cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” at the end.

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I wish I could claim credit for discovering Papangu, the Brazilian progressive/avant-garde metal (kinda?) outfit on my own, but I have to thank your own Zyklonius for that with 2021’s fantastic Holoceno. The band stretch even further from their metal roots with Lampião Rei, which is tickling my prog nerd brain more than any “progressive” metal band in recent memory. The organ and keyboards scream the 70s in a way many modern bands could only dream of, and the guitars syncopate with the rhythm and percussion that recalls bands like Gentle Giant and Genesis and the whole jazz/rock fusion movement more than any bands with “metal” in their description. And yet, the metal is there, in the vocals and the way some of the arrangements drive very, very hard. If after the three-part “Acende a Luz” suite you’re not convinced there’s probably no hope for you. Not to fear, though…I’ll be playing this enough for everyone.

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Maybe this is the year bands I wrote off continue to surprise me? Ripped To Shreds is a band that was never, ever bad…just never anything more than a killer pulverizing death metal band. Problem is, there are literally hundreds of bands doing this exact same thing with the same level of quality. So what is it about Sanshi that hits differently? I get the whole rarity of the Asian-American perceptive, but that only works if you’re following along closely to the lyrics and, let’s face it: death metal has never been the most clear and understandable genre in the metal world. But there is something about the riffing that’s more catchy than before. And the solos are great, really melodic and striving to be more than just a momentary break before the next riff (hello literally every solo from Slayer). I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m still listening, which is more than I can say for a lot of good death metal I checked out and then discarded within a week or two when the next set of releases rolled through.

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Is Belgium a hotbed for metal? I have no idea, but with the delay of Opeth’s latest observation at least we have Ubiquity to pick up the pieces. The Ascendant Travels Among the Stars is the band’s full length debut, having released an EP back in 2017. Musically this hearkens to the work Opeth has done, but unlike say, Piah Mater, this is much more than simple imitation. You could go so far as to say this is an example of the kind of blending of death metal and prog listeners WISH Opeth were doing. I’m not one of those people, but I have to admit I love the way the keyboards work in the context of the super heavy songs. Vocally there are big differences in the clean deliveries, and musically this thing gets heavy in a way Akerfeldt and the gang haven’t done since My Arms Your Hearse. If that sounds like your thing you owe it to yourself to check out Ubiquity ASAP.

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It’s no secret that Anathema was a favorite around these parts, and while it took forever for something to come out of the ashes of their dissolution, we finally have Daniel Cavanaugh back with the appropriately named Weather Systems. Ocean Without a Shore could easily sit right in the cadence of albums that started with the sublime We’re Here Because We’re Here – in fact there are “sequel” songs here, following up on “Untouchable” from the album Cavanugh took the new band name from and “Are You There?” which was one of my favorite tracks off of A Natural Disaster. A lot of the electronic flourishes from the last album are gone (seemingly with brother Vincent and his project The Radicant), replaced with everything you – and I – loved about this sorely missed band.

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Autumn seems to really have kicked off the next onslaught of great albums! Lots of releases worth your time covering all corners of the metal spectrum. As always the surprises and discoveries continue to pile up, so let me know what we missed and what we should be on the lookout for.

Until next month, keep it heavy…keep it safe.

— Chris