Second Circle

Second Circle: A Story of Rats and Vilkacis

Vincent1 Comment

Second Circle

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.

There’s a few things in my life that get me extremely hyped up like a new batch of releases from Psychic Violence Records.  The underground metal stalwarts have been churning out heavy music par excellence from some of my favorite acts like Ash Borer, Urzeit, and Ruin Lust (seriously, please listen to their album), for eight years, and the trend in quality is only ever upwards; between the latest Predatory Light full-length, Sanguine Eagle album, and the newest Akatharsia (which I raved about over here), the label’s most recent output has been some of the best they’ve ever released.  So when Psychic Violence announced their newest batch of releases, I knew I couldn’t just pick one to review.  That’s where our Second Circle format comes in handy.  Buckle up for a double dose of destruction by way of A Story of Rats and Vilkacis.   Continue reading →

Second Circle: Arkheth and Apostle of Solitude

Chris1 Comment

Second Circle

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.

Do you feel it yet?  The slow, agonizing crush of new music?  It’s not even the end of February and it feels like we’re being bombarded with releases left and right.  I made a personal resolution this year to dig a little deeper and check out more bands I’m not familiar with, and while the beginning of the year is a bit of a dumping ground when it comes to movies, for film it’s a perfect opportunity to unearth some gems.  Also, like last time, this particular edition of Second Circle has the ill-fitting theme of two bands that begin with “A” so without further ado let’s jump into the insanity of Arkheth and the melancholic death of Apostle of Solitude…   Continue reading →

Second Circle: Arrayan Path and Almanac

Chris3 Comments

Second Circle

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.

Here at Nine Circles we’re in a bit of caloric overload, our bodies lethargic and hungover from an overabundance of thanks via massive amounts of alcohol and tryptophan.  So you’ll excuse the brevity of the writing for this particular edition of Second Circle.  However, not only do we have a theme all set to go with two recent power metal releases that are the opposite of “suck,” but since both Arrayan Path and Almanac have the good alphabetical fortune to begin with the letter “A” it seemed like pushing fate not to get a post up.  So take a break from your Black Friday insanity (we’re all waiting for Cyber Monday, right?) and check out some majestic metal below.   Continue reading →

Second Circle: Throne of Heresy and Tetragrammacide

Chris1 Comment

Second Circle

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.

What do you think of when you see the term “blackened death” applied to a band or album?  Is it predominantly death metal, but “blackened” up a bit?  Is it black metal with traces of that good ol’ drop-D groove?  Is it once again just a silly attempt to pigeon-hole and categorize something for easier consumption?  Rhetorical questions one and all, but it helps to classify the theme for this edition of Second Circle as we check out the latest slab from Throne of Heresy and the debut from Tetragrammacide.   Continue reading →

Second Circle: Sxuperion and Corpsehammer

Chris1 Comment

Second Circle

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.

Ah, the EP.  Loose in definition but clear in concept, it’s the not-quite-a-full-length musical execution that doesn’t always get the praise it deserves.  Whether you want to explore a conceptual or musical theme that doesn’t fit within the framework of your band’s identity, or you have some leftovers that didn’t make the album but you hesitate to relegate to a B-side, the idea behind the EP is fascinating.  So for this edition of Second Circle I wanted to focus on two new releases that fit the mold of maintaining a unifying theme over the course of their brief run time.  So let’s knuckle down and talk about Sxuperion and Corpsehammer.   Continue reading →