amorphis – Nine Circles

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 272 (2.25.2023)

February 25, 2023February 25, 2023ChrisLeave a comment

Yeah…sometimes life just comes up and not only bites you in the ass, but grabs a hold and throws you down in the ditch, pisses on your head and laughs as it walks away. So this week’s edition – the 272nd – of the Nine Circles Playlist is coming a little later than it should, and that’s all on me. So I’m gonna make the preamble short and just get right into the meat of the matter, starting with a doozy from the new Venomous Concept album. I love the more punk and post-punk elements on it and hope you will, too. Looking through my recent vinyl acquisitions we’re also gonna drop a pair of 90s classics from Eucharist and Amorphis so you can all feel that weird snare and the cold ice blue of Finnish metal.

The rest of the staff will keep things on par with the usual varied insanity. So get your ears ready for music from the likes of Usnea, Klone, Polymoon, Grave Pleasures, Birdflesh, Lotus Eater Machine, Gravpel, Ulthar, Leander Kills, Dååth, Botanist, Big|Brave, Anatomy of Habit, and the newest from VoidCeremony. But that’s not all: you get some old emo from Marietta, some more In Flames love, older tracks from Opeth, Spectral Lore and Madder Mortem and a few more surprises, not to mention the ALWAYS appropriate Joy Division to close things out.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…

—

– Chris

Scholar of the First Sin: Hera’s Best of 2022

December 29, 2022December 28, 2022HeraLeave a comment

Last year, I supplied a list of 20 albums, thinking that I would be able to shorten to ten by the time list season came around. As it would turn out, even the best-laid plans can be upended, so I am back in EOY list hell.

Welcome to ~~slowly wondering if I was too hasty in writing my lists~~ EOY list season!

You know the drill: there are 20 albums here, and I reviewed some of them. Eps are off the list, which means Epica’s brilliant The Alchemy Project will not be here. With this is mind, this list is divided into four parts, which are as follows:

the nebulous, where any of those albums’ placements could be placed anywhere at any time
the hypothetical, where the albums’ placements are more concrete, but can also be moved around
the theoretical, where the albums’ placements have been solidified
the top album of the year. Please start placing your bets.

Also, please note: I submitted a previous list to our benevolent editors, which you’ll see soon. Since then, and even while writing this list, I have made so many changes in placement because I couldn’t decide where they all fit in the grand scheme of things. With this, I now present the fruits of my labor.

Here we go!

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CANTO: Obscura, Gorguts, Eluveitie, and More

December 8, 2022December 8, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

Coming at ya late because… beers.

Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly happenings are emerging, and a more recent announcement has caught my attention. Gorguts will be performing a special Obscura and Considered Dead set next April 14, the first day of the festival. Also, their first live show in six years. Awesome. Here’s the ticket link, obviously.
Igorrr have announced a later 2023 North American tour with Melt-Banana and Otto Von Schirach. Those dates are in September and October, and tickets go on sale Friday (which is how these updates usually work). I won’t be at this one, but if you plan on catching it… have fun!
And then we have Eluveitie, who dropped a new lyric video for “Exile of the Gods”. I’m pretty sure there’s a music video for that same track out there, too… Anyway, if you’re in Europe you can catch them live with Amorphis throughout this month, basically.
Obscura have a complete works anniversary bundle available through Nuclear Blast here, and today they revealed a new video for “Heritage”. And that’s how we’re going to close out our day. That track is another one from Valediction, which dropped last year.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Katatonia, Municipal Waste, Entheos, and More

October 26, 2022October 26, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

New Katatonia arrived today… let us rejoice in gloom!

Starting off, we have a co-headlining tour to talk about with Municipal Waste and High On Fire. Additional support will be in the form of Gel and The Early Moods. Those North American dates are in early December, and tickets can be found here.
Entheos are back with a video for a new single titled “Absolute Zero”. That track marks their first material through their new label, Metal Blade. Give it a listen and watch here.
Decibel Books has announced the publication of Amorphis: The Official Story of Finland’s Greatest Metal Band, a fully authorized biography of the legends, in English for the first time. Pick up your copy here.
Closing out, like I said, we got new Katatonia. Sky Void of Stars will be out on January 20, 2023 through Napalm Records. Check out the video for the first single, “Atrium”, directly below.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Lorna Shore, Eluveitie, Gomorra, and More

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

And now I’m in Acadia National Park. Good times. Happy weekend, all!

Leading off, we have new material from Eluveitie to share. The lyric video for “Exile of the Gods” is available here. I didn’t see any word on a new album, but you can catch them on the road with Amorphis in Europe if you happen to be over there.
From there, we’ll jump over to Wage War. The hard rockers unveiled a new video for “Godspeed (Stripped)” today, a new take on a track originally from 2021’s Manic. Give it a watch here, and catch Wage War on tour with A Day to Remember starting late next month.
Next, we have some Swiss thrash. Gomorra shared a new video for “Stand United”, the latest sample taken from Dealer of Souls. That album is set for a December 9th release through Noble Demon.
Ritual Death are releasing their self-titled debut album on December 5th through Shadow Records, and you can preview what’s to come with “Lunae” over on Bandcamp.
It’s Lorna Shore release date, so naturally we’ll end our week with the new video clip for “Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire”, the epic conclusion to Pain Remains. That album is available through Century Media.