aop records – Nine Circles

CANTO: Insomnium, Ingested, Harakiri For The Sky, and More

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

Drafting this at lunch because my night is going to be spent moving. Super fun, I know.

Leading off, we have a new video from Ingested. The clip for “All I’ve Lost”, a track which features Matthew K. Heafy, is available here. Their new album, Ashes Lie Still, is out today through Metal Blade. Be sure to catch them on the road with Lorna Shore throughout this month.
Next up, we have an offering from Harakiri For The Sky, in “02:19 AM, Psychosis”. That, of course, is taken from the re-recording of their self-titled album. That, along with the re-recording of Aokigahara, will be out on December 9 through AOP Records.
Skid Row are still doing Skid Row things, I suppose. So here’s a new lyric video for “October’s Song”, which inconveniently dropped the first Friday in November. Anyway, that’s taken from The Gang’s All Here, which is out now through earMusic.
Switching gears, we have Polish black metal crew Varmia with the new track and video titled “Oddal”. Their new EP, Prolog, will be out on January 6.
Closing out, we have a big announcement from Insomnium. Their new concept album, Anno 1696, will be out on February 24 through Century Media. Today they unveiled the first sampling from their ninth album, “Lilian”. Give it a listen and watch directly below.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Enemy Eyes, Megadeth, Ofdrykkja, and More

October 20, 2022October 20, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

Feeling better, tomorrow is Friday, and there are horror movies in my future. I’ll take it!

BIG|BRAVE have announced a new album, nature morte, which will be out on February 24 through Thrill Jockey. Give the first single, “carvers, farriers and knaves”, a listen right now.
Enemy Eyes released a new video for the title-track of their debut album, History’s Hand. Give it a watch here. That album drops on November 18 through Frontiers Music Srl.
Ofdrykkja revealed the second single from After the Storm, titled “The Cleansing”. Their fourth album drops on November 25 through AOP Records.
And then from Napalm Records, Wind Rose released a new lyric video for “The Breed of Durin”. That track is taken from their sophomore album, Wardens of the West Wind, which is being reissued along with their debut, Shadows Over Lothadruin. Those will be out on December 9 as LP.
Closing out, we’ll go with a new video from Megadeth. The clip for “Life In Hell: Chapter IV” is below, another track taken from The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Harakiri For The Sky, Constellatia, Fit For A King, and More

October 13, 2022October 13, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

I know, I know. I’m late again. Deal with it.

Leading off, we have some post metal out of South Africa. Check out the video clip for “Paean Emerging” from Constellatia. That track is taken from Magisterial Romance, which drops on November 11th through Season of Mist.
From there, we have new stuff from Fit For A King. The Hell We Create drops on October 28th through Solid State Records, and in the build up to that release, they gave us a new video for “Times Like This”. Give it a watch, and catch them on tour through November.
New York’s All Out War have set February 3rd as the release date for Celestial Rot, which will be available through Translation Loss Records. To get a sense of what the future holds, check out “Glorious Devastation” over at Decibel.
We’re going to close out the day, and for me perhaps the week, with some Harakiri For The Sky. Along with the announcement of the re-recordings of their first two albums, they also unveiled a music video for their take on “Mad World”, which you can check out below. And for those looking for new editions of Harakiri For The Sky and Aokigahara, they’ll be out on December 9th through AOP Records.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Album Review: Ellende — “Ellenbogengesellschaft”

September 28, 2022September 28, 2022Hera1 Comment

Ever since I started listening to black metal and writing album reviews, there has always been one band that has consistently shown up in my list: Ellende, an Austrian powerhouse of atmospheric black metal who heavily employ soulful melodies and raw emotion. I have been into this band since 2016, when I first heard their self-titled debut and have always wondered whether this band/project would continue to create atmospheric black metal in what I considered to be a space filled with ‘saturation.’ However, every time Ellende released anything, I’m always impressed with the level of quality and nuance they put into each effort. Now, with their fourth album, Ellenbogengesellschaft, Ellende continues to push the limits of their own creativity, showcasing that they always have more to show than just a melancholic melody.

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CANTO: In Flames, Firtan, Carnation, and More

August 29, 2022August 29, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

Another Monday. A very different Monday. But a Monday all the same.

There’s a lot of heavy news out there to start the week, so we’re going to go with something lighter. In Flames dropped a live clip of “The Great Deceiver” from Dalhalla Brinner, and also announced a new branded hot sauce. Random, but being the hot sauce connoisseur that I am… I’m not complaining!
German atmospheric black metallers Firtan revealed the second track from Marter, titled “Labsal”. Give that one a listen here. That album, by the way, is slated for a September 30th release through AOP Records.
Lots of live footage to share today. Next up we have Voyager, the electro power pop project out of Perth. The virtual performance of A Voyage Through Time from last year will be made available in full on August 26th through Season of Mist, and you can see a clip of “Runaway” right here and now.
Closing with some Belgian death metal, we have footage from Carnation at Hellfest 2022. Give their performance of “Stench of Death” a watch and listen below. That will eventually be released as a 7″, which you can order here.