bloc party

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 237 (6.25.2022)

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playlist - mixtape

“But wait, Chris! What happened to Episode 236 of the Nine Circles Playlist?!”

Sometimes playlists are just too wild to be contained on the webpage of a humble music blog. Even now, if you listen closely between the high pitched whine of the street lamps you can hear the fading tremolo picking and blast beats of a runaway playlist, foraging on the remains of boy bands (rest in peace, BTS) and the tattered remnants of forgotten 00s dub step. If you love something, set it free…but if you simply forget to post something at least make the story fun.

Anyway, let’s talk about the much more present edition, which is literally below for you to relish with your favorite accoutrements. Josh is kicking it off with the latest from Megadeth…maybe the best song they’ve done in 15 years or more. And if that doesn’t rock your world, the new Krisiun is even more brutal. Followed with a hefty dose of Lorna Shore you should be off to a great start. Anton gleefully shoves some Antigama, Aenaon, and Xenoglyph to ensure you have 100% of your extreme intake complete. Vincent gets a massive track from Scarcity on and is slowly fulfilling an unspoken promise to feature every track from Bloc Party‘s debut in the playlist. Hera fuels my nightmares with something called AWS which I am assured is not Amazon Web Services…unless it is? She also has White Ward, Apocalyptica, Leprous, and a great collaboration between Trent Reznor and Danny Elfman. Ian brings in some great new music from the likes of Wake, Saor, and Russian Circles, as well as a classic banger from Alexisonfire to celebrate the release of their new album. Finally Angela returns as a voice of calm and serenity, giving us soothing lullabies from the likes of Deathwhite, Silent Majority, Stay Inside, and Aptera, which I’ve also been enjoying immensely.

As for me? I’ll end the playlist this week with a few tracks you can expect to see me review in the coming weeks.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 215 (1.22.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

I’m back, baby…took a week off to get out of the cold and storms and hit the Florida Keys, where despite being mandated to listen to things like Bertie Higgins and other assorted yacht rock, I still pounded some righteous metal. Holy CRAP the new Falls of Rauros, y’all…can’t wait for everyone to hear it.

And you can hear the first single “Clarity” now on the 215th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist, as well as the latest from Napalm Death who have an EP coming soon. I can’t believe it’s January and I already have two EOY contenders. Elsewhere in the 9C universe Josh brings the super heavy with new music from Undeath and Deserted Fear as well as site favorites Amorphis and Ghost. Vincent mixes things up with Piet Onthel, some vintage Bloc Party and the newest from Alto Arc. Have I mentioned Buke has some weird wiring that allows him to know what I’m listening to any given moment and reflect that in his playlist picks. How else to explain his inclusion of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Tom Waits? have no fear: he also throws in some classic Dio and Black Sabbath to ensure heaviness reigns. Anton once again packs for bear, giving us Slugdge covering Napalm Death and a new collaboration between Lustmord and Godflesh.

Finally Angela gets us back on extreme metal ground with cuts from Druid Lord, Sowulo, and Zeal & Ardor which feels like a great close to this week. I need a coffee refill, so we’ll leave you with the playlist. Be seeing you…

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 203 (10.30.2021)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

I’m not sure where you all are, but here in New York it finally feels like Autumn…right on the porch knocking at the door of All Hallow’s Eve. It’s the time of frights, of golds and browns and dark and whispers. So I can’t think of a better way to kick off the two hundred and third Nine Circles playlist than with a little Samhain to get you all in the mood. And since more than a few of the staff are completely head over heels for the new Mastodon, we threw a doozy of a late track in here for you, too.

Elsewhere we got you covered no matter your tastes: Josh comes in hot with some classic Fastway and one of my favorites for the year, Green Lung. Zyklonius is gushing over the new tech metal from Allegaeon, while Vincent throws some delicious curveballs with toe and his beloved Mountain Goats. We’re not quite back to the extreme, as our Northern Brother Jon dips into his first tastes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but tempers it with some mewithoutyou. The Man with the Mic himself Buke goes old and new school with Manowar and Monolord, while Ian goes crazy for Archspire and Angela digs into the new Ghost Bath and closes us out with a bonafide classic from Siouxsie and the Banshees. And that’s only the tip of iceberg of what’s in store, so buckle up, grab your mask, and hit play below. We’ll see you next week.

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– Chris