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 correct the second (and hopefully final now that I’m wrapped up with my other project) egregious error of missing a month and dive into this edition of Nine Circles ov… and catch up on the loud and heavy from September AND October 2025.

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There’s a reason I featured The Sleeping City, the latest from Sweden’s An Abstract Illusion when I took the reins for Initial Descent the week Josh was out: this is progressive death metal done right, with a newly expansive sound that shies further away from the Opeth worship of 2022’s Woe to something warmer and more unique. The two opening epics of “Blackmurmur” and “No Dreams Beyond Empty Horizons” give all the other stellar progressive metal gems that came out this year a run for their money, and the remaining tracks (including the superb closing title track) only serve to bolster its current standing in my EOY list.

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There are so many ways to do traditional metal nowadays that it takes something special to really stand out in the crowd. Like, I don’t know…going over the top and committing to the sword and sorcery bit in your live shows. And with that you become a sensation in this small niche we call the metal community. A lot of bands would be content there, but the good thing about Castle Rat is they more than deliver the sonic goods on The Bestiary. I love the hook in the chorus to “WIZARD” so much I’ll forgive the all cap spelling of the song titles, and the clipped fuzz on “DRAGON” gives me a contact high.

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Speaking of EOY lists, with the release of the new Der Weg Einer Freheit I’m guessing Corey’s #1 is baked in. Innern continues the band’s suffocating brand of atmospheric black metal, and embodies a grandiosity right off the bat with opener “Marter.” Guitarist/vocalist Nikita Kamprad handles the production, mixing, and mastering himself, making this perhaps the most representative authorial work from the band to date. Coming around on my umpteenth listen, it might also be their best.

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Don’t ask me why, but I always used to confuse Hooded Menace with Horrendous. I know, I know…they’re two completely different bands doing completely different things, but sometimes your brain just makes connections it can’t shake. Not anymore, because something primal within me clicked when I first heard Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration. It’s no secret I like my death metal old school with plenty of pocket (i.e. groove), and tracks like “Pale Masquerade” and “Lugubrious Dance” with its bluesy take on bottom dwelling death rock serve up heaps of the kind of brutality I love.

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It’s not always the case, but sometimes when you make the call to end a band, you come with some of the your best work. I think Ring Van Möbius knew it was probably time to call it quits after wrapping up recording Firebrand: they’ve taken their twist on symphonic progressive psych to its logical conclusion and wound up with their strongest record. Three monster tracks with more keyboards than Rick Wakeman in the 70s, the title track is the group’s most succinct song at a brisk nine minutes. That’s the appetizer when you consider “Fever” at 13 minutes and the massive “False Dawn” at almost 25. Nothing false here, though. This is the final dawn for Ring Van Möbius, and bless you sirs for the terrific music.

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Confession time. Before the arrival of Hideous Aftermath I’m sad to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sanguisagabogg. And it wasn’t because it’s a bitch to spell out for this site; I just utterly bounced off the group’s previous releases. Loved the titles like “Testicular Rot” and the timeless “Dead As Shit” but the rough production and way too high in the mix vocals turned me off. But within seconds of “Rotted Entanglement” I detected a sheen and clarity that, far from removing the aggression and dank death of the band’s core sound, instead accentuates every note and nuance. That’s right: there’s some actual nuance on this thing, and it certainly didn’t hurt to be loaded to the gills with great guests from the likes of Cattle Decapitation, Full Of Hell (godDAMN the drumming on “Paid In Flesh”), and new darlings PeelingFlesh, among others. Super heavy and super good.

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It’s been over 40 years…how the HELL does Chuck Billy still sound this good?! Everyone always talks about Exodus as first in line to the Big 4 of 80s thrash, but my money was always on Testament, and there might be no other band from that era churning out music this fresh and ferocious. I’m not sure I quite get the word split on Para Bellum which is album #14 for the Berkeley CA. band. New drummer Chris Dovas has some enormous shoes to fill from the amicably departed Atomic Clock himself Gene Hoglan, and he admirably does it within the first blast of single “Infanticide A.I.” Eric Peterson continues to be a bottomless well of riffs and even gets in on the vocals with his extremity. Alex Scholnick sounds revitalized, churning out some of his best solos, and Steve Di Giorgio has a great sound as he bounces around the guitars. But damn…Chuck Billy…you are a beast, sir.

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There is no one like Steve Austin. No matter who he plays with, everything that comes out is distinctly him. That means heavy, but it also means dark, and Never Give In, the latest from Today Is The Day is dark as hell. Dark in the way Alice in Chains was dark, but heavy in a way that takes that darkness and lets it settle over you with the weight of a mountain. I was a massive fan of 2020’s No Good To Anyone, and the five year wait for its followup was worth it based on the way songs like “Divide And Conquer” and the horn-infused “Secret Police” wash over you. Somewhere there’s a pocket universe where this music is a lot bigger than it is here. I hope one day I stumble across it; in the meantime I’ll content myself with the journey this monster takes me on overt the course of its 47 minutes.

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Coming out of the gate all guns blazing can be a double-edged sword, especially when it’s your demo. Such is the burden Wode must bear for having one of the best demos I’d hear back in the day. The 2016 debut full length was no slouch either, but everything since then honestly was fine but never essential, if that makes sense. Uncrossing The Keys aims to change that, and I have to say – it’s working. There’s a death and roll stomp to the drums, and slower track like “Transmutation” show not only some serious growth in the dynamics of the band’s sound, but it does so without sacrificing the fury of that demo. It’s still a relatively fresh listen for my ears, but it’s the first time in almost a decade I’m keen to replay a new Wode album again and again. Fingers crossed that continues to be the case.

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Okay, I think we’re back on track to do this monthly going forward, so thanks for bearing with us. We’re in the final stretch of the year so who knows what’s coming that’ll rise up for our end of year round ups. 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 (I mean it this time), keep it heavy…keep it safe.

— Chris