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…” so enough preambling…let’s dive into this edition of Nine Circles ov… and see what’s been scaring the rats out of the walls in October 2024.

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Man, I really hate it when the hype is real. And let me tell you: the hype is REAL for Absolute Elsewhere, the latest full-length from Blood Incantation. I really wanted this to be ho-hum and have all the frankly petulant worship for this band fade back to normal levels. But then they go and incorporate massive doses of Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream, two of my favorite progressive/psychedelic bands (please someone talk to me about how great TD’s score for Thief is, and Sorcerer, and the double whammy of Phaedra and Rubycon, and, and…). Oh, and on top of that, craft some of the most hook-laden death metal riffing I’ve heard all year. Damn you, Blood Incantation. You got me again…

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I guess I am Dog, now? I was largely noncommittal when Chat Pile released their debut LP God’s Country back in 2022, so wasn’t expecting much to change with the release of Cool World. Shame on me. I can’t quite put my finger on what changed: their bludgeoning, dissonant hardcore pulse remains intact, but there are subtle nuances and a gradual expansion of scope on songs like the punishing opener and leadoff single “I Am Dog Now” and the gargled opening of “Tape,” not to mention the progressive, 80s King Crimson elements that adorn late album highlight “Masc.” Lyrically the band is just as angry and socially conscious as ever, but this time they’re matching their rage with some truly ear-opening music to match it. I went back and guess what? God’s Country is also great – I was just not Dog enough to hear it yet.

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Right away you hear that classic HM-2 and those biting riffs and you know nothing’s changed with The Crown. The Swedish death metal junkies craving another fix of that tried and true formula will definitely find it again on Crown Of Thorns, album #12 from the titans of the scene. The consistency from 2000’s immortal Deathrace King remains intact; if anything the elapsed 24 years have made the riffs bite harder and the upgrades in production allow enough punch to not make everything sound like it sits solely in the upper frequencies of the mix. Come for “I Hunt With The Devil” and stay for the harmonized leads that close “The Storm That Comes” – I guarantee you everything in between is just as heavy and righteous.

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What? An Italian progressive metal band that channels Symphony X with shades of Dream Theater? You had me at “an Italian progressive metal band that channels Symphony X with shades of Dream Theater.” DGM is, uh…well, they’re an Italian progressive metal band that channels Symphony X with shades of Dream Theater. New album Endless is my first exposure to the band, and certainly not my last; I’m already digging through their back catalog based on tracks like heavily melodic “The Great Unknown” and epic closer “…Of Endless Echoes.” You know this is geared toward you if you count off odd time signatures in your car and already pre-ordered the box set for DT’s Parasomnium. Get on this; the guitar solos are super sweet, the riffs rock, and the vocals soar.

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You know we’ve entered into the experimental phase of the column when the Sax Alert™ starts blaring from the onset of the opening title track from Five The Hierophant. I remember the unease that permeated every second of 2017’s Over Phlegethon (I missed out on 2021’s Through Aureate Void) and that queasy, roiling sense of the avant-garde remains on Aperion. But it’s now accompanied by small pockets of air that allow the tracks to breathe and not completely suffocate the listener. Exotic melodies and an explosive sense of swing on mammoth tracks like “Initiatory Sickness” make this an essential late-year listen for me; if you’re up for the challenge I invite you to do the same.

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Checking out the fury and punishment of opening track “Corruption On Earth” I would hesitate to call this progressive doom, but whatever you call what Lowen is putting out, somewhere there has to be adjectives like “massive” and “exotic” and simply “whoa!” Once you’ve worn out your vocabulary, simply marvel at what vocalist Nina Saeidi and multi-instrumentalist Shem Lucas are putting out there on their sophomore full length Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran. For a real treat of what the band can do, check out second track “Najang Bah Divhayeh Mazandaran” which has both my and Zyklonius’s 9C Seal of Approval™ this month.

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Maybe you like your progressive metal with more sumptuous layers? Perhaps some incredible clean vocals backed by serious post-metal chugging and soaring choruses? May I introduce you to Mother Of Millions, a Greek progressive metal outfit new to me but soon to be devoured after having been blown away by their latest Magna Mater? There are moments on the album like “Feral” that remind of what I wanted Leprous to be before they became…whatever it is they are now. Beautiful and melodic without sacrificing any of the metal or heaviness, there are a myriad of musical moments that stick in my brain, and the dynamics within the songs are fantastic – take a listen to the a cappella moment in the title track and tell me I’m wrong.

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I lost track of Finnish death/doom/melancholy merchants Swallow The Sun after the massive triple-disc ambition of 2015’s Songs From The North I, II & III. Since then the band have been steadily accentuating their dark melodic tendencies, hewing closer to a sort of dark, gothic rock and metal, and Shining confirms the band are maintaining that particular course. I can’t help but think of Björk when I look at the cover art, but the music is still heavy and capable of making your head move up and down (check out “What I Have Become” for evidence) with some proper growling. Like so many others, Swallow The Sun are content to follow their own muse, and whether you agree with it or not is besides the point. This sounds genuine, and I can dig it.

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I think the debut from Greek epic metal band Triumpher was a surprise to everyone when Storming The Walls came out last March; it was an even bigger surprise to me to see Spirit Invictus come out this year, and that it betters an already stellar sound in every single way. The tightness of the guitars on “Arrival Of The Avenger” snapped my neck the first time I heard them, and the galloping speed/thrash attack of every tune is exactly what I want from this genre at this time. In a year that already saw superb releases from the likes of Midnight, Ironflame and Challenger, Triumpher might just take the crown for ferocity and attack. Those vocals are straight fire, y’all.

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Autumn continues to impress with killer releases. 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