The 435th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist has been listening to the new (and final) Spirit Adrift surprise drop all day, and reading this heartbreaking interview with Nate Garrett. I knew about all the hardships and the devastating cancer diagnosis of his wife. I didn’t know he had started drinking again after nine years of sobriety – I know the whole “art through pain” routine like a well-worn shoe at this point, and can only say I hope there’s some light for the man and his own at some point.

So that’s where my head and ears have been, despite a killer week of music unearthed and championed, as you’ll see from the rest of the 9C crew’s choices. We’ve got the new Khemmis, new insanity from Archspire, Lair of the Minotaur, and Warning. There’s also tracks from Downfall of Nur, Bad Stuff, the arrival of the weird and fun Melvins/Napalm Death collaboration, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how fun and positively rooted in the past both the Cruel Force album is – it’s so dumb, and yet and I love it so much…

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris