The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 275 (3.18.2023)

He saw the light flash like a child’s sparkler on the 4th of July. It registered for an instant, then faded in the roar of the explosion reverberating in the open air. There was an odor that he couldn’t identify by name (it was cordite, not really used in gunpowder mixtures since the end of WWII) but instinctually knew. All of this happened in the space between synapses before his body acknowledged the impact of the bullet that – according to the laws of physics – he should have noticed before the sound of the revolver, or indeed the smell. As he dropped to the ground, consciousness slowly fading into the ether he had one solitary, lonely thought:

“What’s going to kick off the 275th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist?”

“The title track from the new Night Demon album,” a voice we only hear at the end of our life’s thread replied.

What’s the rest of the staff listening to? How about Boris, new Frozen Soul, Sortilege, Noxium Ferus, Lunar Chamber, Hideous Divinity, Paraphilia, Úlfúð and Afsky, not to mention the “correct” mix of a classic Megadeth song. There’s also tracks from Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya, Catherine Wheel, Mrs. Piss, old school love with Exodus and Exumer, a brutal throwback to Death Grips and much more.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…

Chris

Concert Review: The Ocean and Leprous, 3.8.2022

It sure does feel good to be here again! For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on what caused my extended departure from the concert world, but having just eclipsed the two year mark since my last show, the time finally came. Truthfully, it would be hard to pick a better situation for such a return. After Phanerozoic I and Phanerozoic II both topped my lists in their respective release years, it is just too perfect that the first live performance I’ve caught in what feels like an eon was, in fact, The Ocean. And yes, that geologic time scale reference was intentional. Better still, this date at the Brighton Music Hall was headlined by Leprous, who finally got their hooks in me after an absolutely mesmerizing performance. Let’s dive into the festivities.

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Yob live at the Royale, 4.3.2019

Yob.4.3.19.41

Band: Yob

Photographer: Corey Butterworth

Location: Royale, Boston, Massachusetts

Date: April 3, 2019

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Voivod live at the Royale, 4.3.2019

Voivod.4.3.19.124

Band: Voivod

Photographer: Corey Butterworth

Location: Royale, Boston, Massachusetts

Date: April 3, 2019

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Album Review: Morne – “To The Night Unknown”

Morne - To the Night Unknown

With a history that reaches back well over a decade now, it would be wrong to consider Boston-based doom metallers Morne as anything but veterans in their craft. Yet, despite previously releasing three full-length offerings over that span of time, it has still been over five years since Shadows was released to the world. With the release of To The Night Unknown, however, Morne has proven that those days were spent wisely. This latest effort has taken on an improved, more dynamic form than any of its predecessors and is, without a shadow of doubt, the strongest Morne release to date. Continue reading