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 hiding under the shamrock in March 2025.

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Maybe I’m crazy and you’ll say they’ve been doing this all along, but 20 Buck Spin is on a huge roll expanding their very identifiable death metal blueprint, and the latest self-titled debut from Corpus Offal is another great example. I say “debut” but really this is essentially the reincarnation of Cerebral Rot. Which truth be told I thought was…fine? Corpus Offal is much more to my liking: the riffs are tighter and more winding, the production is clearer, and Ian Schwab’s vocals don’t sound like they’re dissolving into a bubbling swamp. About to, but not quite. “Spinal Forms of Mortal Abhorrence” sets the stage for some truly churning death metal, culminating in the epic 12-minute “Secreted Effluence (Spilling)”. Wear your hip waders for this one…

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For a decade The Death Wheelers have been mashing together a stew of hillbilly punk and rock swagger that serves as the soundtrack to the gruesome zombified b-movie exploitation you wish was running across drive-ins. You all remember drive-ins, right? Anyway, The Ecstasy of Möld injects a little NWOBHM into the Quebec group’s instrumental sound, and it pays off in (Ace Of) spades with galloping tracks like “Hella Hammered” and the more psychedelic-tinged “The Heretic Rites of Count Choppula”. If I was going to see a movie with that album’s artwork as the poster, this is exactly the kind of soundtrack I would want it to have.

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You only need about 15 seconds of Wolves Of The Underworld to know exactly what you’re getting with Helvitnir: Norwegian black metal, specifically that melodic, big sound version that’s been around for at least 20 years. Makes sense when you consider the band is pretty much ex-members of the most recent incarnation of Ragnarok hooked up with Hellhammer – yeah, that Hellhammer – on drums. Sonically there’s nothing here you wouldn’t expect, and tracks like “Black Flame Triad” and “Odinsbane” lay down tremolo riffs, furious blasts and ominous keyboards for those few, slower moments. It’s a solid production that lets everything fit in a crowded mix, including some noticeable bass. Shocking, I know, so if this kind of black metal is your bag, chances are you’ll dig it.

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Look. You know how we here in the 9C offices feel about Nite. I was over the moon (ha) for Voices of the Kronian Moon, and enough of us loved it to make it the #2 album of the year for our combined lists. So safe to say Cult of the Serpent Sun was arriving with some pretty high expectations, and it absolutely delivers. The opening title track might be my favorite song they’ve put out to date, and they follow it with “Skull” and “Crow (Fear The Nite)” which might be my second and third favorite tracks they’ve ever put out. See a trend here? Yeah, this thing is a killer and I fully expect to see it adorn the all-in list this year as well. But if that’s the case, where the hell is the full review, you ask? No fears, as I reviewed it for reasons I honestly can’t remember over on my personal website here.

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Speaking of albums I think will be making their way to both my personal as well as the all-in end of year list, holy Jesus the new Rwake album, y’all. I forgot how much I needed some slide guitar in my sludge doom metal. Thank the metal gods The Return Of Magik is here to remind me. I shamefully haven’t been paying much attention to the band since 2011’s Rest, but that’s about to change. “You Swore We’d Always Be Together” is a monstrous opener, dynamic and exploratory without ever losing sight of its sludge and doom foundations. Progressive in the way more bands need to be, each song feels like you’ve traversed a continent of emotional pain in the best possible way. I am honestly stunned at how good the first quarter of the year has been for metal, and Rwake’s latest is straddling the pinnacle of the mountain.

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Let’s hear it for the old guys! I can’t believe Sadist have been around for 30 years now and are still putting out music that is this technical, brutal, and engaging. Something To Pierce continues the band’s signature technical death metal attack, but there are new quirks in the mix, like the electronic pulse that adorns the opening of “Deprived” and immediately leads into some incredible Latin percussion that I wish more bands would take a chance on. Those electronic flourishes rear their head throughout like on the exquisite “The Best Part is the Brain” providing more than enough evidence that you should not be sleeping on this album.

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Look at that logo. I know it might be hard when there’s a goth lady holding a wicked dagger and black roses, but look at that logo. That logo was all I needed to know I was down for Dark & Dangerous, the fifth full-length from Kentucky’s Savage Master. 70s inspired rock with a gothic edge, the draw here is for those who like a little occult with their rock and roll. Think Coven but actually accomplished? Stacey Savage has a great voice for this kind of rock (and it is rock, the metal sits way out on the periphery) and if you wanna just nod your head and let the vibes flow over you, this is the album to do it.

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One of my favorite progressive stoner rock DIY guys Humanotone takes a stab at melodic (very melodic) black metal in his side project Sunvher. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: I prefer the vibes and styles meshed together on Arovmia better than anything Alcest has done in the past few years. There, I can’t take it back now. Tracks like “Digital Madness” takes the blackgaze elements but injects pop and more romantic overtones in a way that doesn’t feel like a retread, and I’m continuing to be surprised by Harakiri for the Sky who make a guest appearance on this song. So I guess if you like Alcest check this out; it’s different but won’t disappoint you with the same old thing.

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I have not had nearly enough time with the new Tower record, but that’s going to change because just based off the kickoff track “Under The Chapel” it sounds like Let There Be Blood is going to be a monster. I’d say the album treads similar ground as the Savage Master in that this is traditional metal with a dark glint, but there’s more of a street toughness to the songs on first listen, and the fact they’re a NYC-based band fills me with hometown pride. Damn…I just got to “Holy Water” and yeah…this thing has hooks for MILES….

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The first quarter of 2025 was positively STACKED with killer metal. I could make an EOY list now and be perfectly happy. 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