40 watt sun – Nine Circles

Rainbows in the Dark: Ian’s Best of 2022

January 1, 2023December 28, 2022IanLeave a comment

Wow, it really has been a while since I’ve visited this column, huh? Things got really busy really fast over here, and it’s kinda hard to sit and write two articles a week when life is finally starting to pick up. However, the tunes did not stop this year, and some of my favorite and most anticipated releases this year were from more than just the metal world. It’s my pleasure to bring you another year of the best of all things metal-adjacent and non-metal. Any of these albums can stand up to the world of buzzsaw guitars, blast beats and screamed vocals. Maybe not in terms of sheer force, but in terms of emotional depth and good times, absolutely. Without further ado, here we go:

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Nine Circles ov…Vince’s Mid-Year Favorites

July 5, 2022July 5, 2022Vincent1 Comment

Hello. Been a while, hasn’t it? Every year feels like it’s passing us by faster and faster, but the overwhelming amount of things to process this year has already made it impossible to fathom that 2022 is halfway over. If you are curious as to what music has been keeping me grounded for the last six months, now is as good a time as any to check in and see what the standout albums of the year are, as far as one humble author is concerned. Down to business then…

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 216 (1.29.2022)

January 29, 2022January 29, 2022ChrisLeave a comment

It’s getting a bit ridiculous, listening to so many great releases so early in the year. I’ve already listened to four albums coming out in the next few weeks that could easily be an AOTY contender…and we haven’t even gotten out of the first month of 2022 yet. And I’m not even talking about the new Earthless record which came just came out – they were my AOTY back in 2018 and damn if Night Parade of One Hundred Demons isn’t currently kicking my ass as I write this, so why not have a preview kick off the 216th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist?

You know who else has a new album album that we never talk about on Nine Circles? Steve Vai. So let’s get one of his new tracks on here, too. And since I don’t want to hog too much of the spotlight (although I threw one of my favorite Opeth tracks in there, too) we’ll start with Anton who is rocking his shiny bald pate to the new Allegaeon as well as Dischordia. Josh has been enraptured with the new Zeal & Ardor (so say we all….jeez it’s phenomenal) but still finds some serious gutter time with Malefic Throne and some classic sludge from Eyehategod. Like me, Vincent is bemoaning the breakup of The Might Mighty Bosstones but manages to find some solace in new music from 40 Watt Sun and Boris, as well as some older music from Elliott and Mitski. Buke gets down in the dirt with Crowbar, Cathedral, and Nile while Ian both confuses and concerns me by injecting some Mac Miller and something called “Getcho Mans” before wrapping up with some Wilderun and Coheed and Cambria bringing Springfield back for “Jessie’s Girl 2”.

Oh, and maybe one more new track for Buke…be seeing you.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 214 (1.15.2022)

January 15, 2022January 14, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

So now that two full weeks of 2022 are in the books, how have our outlooks changed? For the better, I hope? Alas, that’s definitely not the case for me, as pessimism continue to reign… but hey, music helps with all that so it’s cool.

For what it’s worth, I once again contributed nothing to this week’s collection. I haven’t personally been listening to much, primarily because my external hard drive failed and it seems those files, including all my music and photos, are gone forever. So, also once again, I am immensely grateful for the tremendous playlist pieced together by our team, with a couple of fun surprises in there. Wilderun rightfully made a presence after the release of the incredible Epigone, and then we dropped in some new stuff from Sylvaine and Konvent, among many others. As always, the older stuff is all over the map, and there are just enough non-metal adds to keep things interesting… but I’m not going to spoil any of that. You’ll just have to dive in when you have a little bit of time to kill.

For me? Well, here in the mountains of New Hampshire the high tomorrow will be exactly 1 degree. As a result, the first half of my weekend will be spent backing up whatever remaining files I can find across my devices, drinking at least a bottle of rye, and listening to this playlist throughout. Enjoy the weekend folks, and see ya on the other side.

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“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 208 (12.04.2021)

December 4, 2021December 4, 2021ChrisLeave a comment

It’s late…so late I can barely keep my eyes open. As I write this I’m coasting on the fumes of a Brown’s Oatmeal Stout and Bloodmoon: I, the collaboration between Converge, Stephen Brodsky and Chelsea Wolfe. The week was rough, and we’re staring down the barrel of some serious evil, so why not grab a drink and toast to the end of the world, huh? Maybe the 208th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist is the one that plays as the world burns to ash…we’ll see.

We’re kicking things off with some classic Gwar before turning to a pair of great black metal tracks I recently discovered from Ferriterium and svrm. Vincent reminds us that Eight Bells are back after a long absence, and tunes into my wavelength with some sonic heaviness courtesy of Boris. Anton continues to hold down the fort with the newest single from post-metal masters Cult of Luna but sprinkles in some madness with Dessiderium. Then it’s Buke’s turn and he holds the classic metal torch high, blazing the light on some Death Angel, Edge of Sanity, and Entombed. Want something a little more extreme? Josh reminds us how incredible Imperial Triumphant are with a cut from their new live set, and also hammers us with some Alchemy of Flesh and Bongzilla. Angela gets some fury in as well, bringing in Carcass and MØL before Vincent takes us home with the latest from 40 Watt Sun.