The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 268 (1.28.2023)

Chris is away doing metal things…I don’t really know that, but let’s assume he’s out slaying demons with his battle vest on and blaring the latest singles from Metallica, yea man…that’s what he’s up to. Anyway, so you got me for this, the 268th edition of our mixtape playlist of things we’ve been playing way too loud this week and things we’ve been excessively talking about around our water cooler. I’ve been head over heads with the new Malleus and Colin has been the same about Enslaved, so we’ll kick this thing off there.

After that it’s a treasure trove of new and old favorites featuring Forcefed Horsehead, Tribulation, Majesties, Krallice, Celtic Frost, Ripped To Shreds, Ghost with Def Leppard, Hellripper, Mazzy Star, a twofer of Brutus, and many more. You know what to do at this point.

And, just so you don’t miss Chris too much, in his words: “Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…”

Josh

Best of 2022: Vincent’s List

Best of 2022

I think that we all have a tendency to give more personhood to years than they deserve. “So long 2022!” is the defining refrain this January, and I know I will be among those more than glad to see last year in the rear view mirror, but 2022 didn’t purposefully single me out to do me wrong. The passage of time is like a natural disaster; we give human names to hurricanes, but a hurricane doesn’t have malicious intent. It simply is. 2023 will be a year that is as well. It will have good days and bad days in store for me just like its predecessor. So instead of imploring for something better and pretending the bad days are all behind me now, I will start this year as is my tradition to start every year, and say only this:

I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

You, of course, didn’t come to me for my half-baked philosophical ideas. You came here because you are interested in what it was that I listened to and loved this year. Thank you for that, sincerely. However small the number might be, the thought that there are people who take genuine interest in what I talk about is what keeps me wanting to talk about it more. 2022 certainly gave me a lot more to talk about than in previous years, and brought with it some of my favorite discoveries in recent memory. Some of these you’ve heard me mention more than once, some I haven’t had the pleasure to yet, all are worthy of being reminisced on here. Read about them all below.

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Best of 2022: Ian’s Medium Heavy Picks

Best of 2022

So, I had an idea for a new list this year.  Because, obviously, I don’t write enough of them.  It just so happened that a lot of my favorite things I listened to this year didn’t really feel like heavy metal in a technical sense, but they definitely felt like they were on the fringes of it.  They’re definitely not metal albums, but they’re also not non-metal albums, you know what I mean? What’s that? You don’t? Yeah, I uh…I don’t think I know what I mean either but let’s just go with it. Like a nice medium roast coffee, these albums straddle the nice fine line between heavy and not without leaping back and forth from one side to the other, and they happen to also be some of my favorite listens this year.

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 255 (10.29.2022)

Spooky season is here again. I don’t know why but around the 9C Top Brass chat it’s been a lot of talk of classic black metal, particularly Emperor so I’m kicking this week off with a classic from their classic In the Nightside Eclipse. But damn, there’s also a new Katatonia album on the way and I have the receipts for the night a bunch of us got drunk listening to The Great Cold Distance and buying out the remaining vinyl copies on Amazon, so we gotta include new single “Atrium.”

And after that? Well, the crew contributes a bunch of new and classic killer music. How about new music from Avandra, Veilburner, Imprecation, VHS, Become the Watcher, Kreator, Birds in Row, Faetooth, Brutus, toe., Satanic Tea Co., and so much more?

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

Chris

CANTO: Vulture, Dunk!festival, Epica, and More

It’s pouring out, and I still need to go for a run, but I am happy tomorrow is Friday.

  • Dunk!festival is going virtual for 2021, and will feature the likes of Amenra, Brutus, B R I Q U E V I L L E, and many more. The online edition takes place the weekend of May 13th (which is a Thursday, but you know what I mean). Even better news… the event is free!
  • Vildhjarta premiered a new track today, titled “När De Du Älskar Kommer Tillbaka Fran De Döda”. If I planned it right, it premiered less than an hour prior to this posting. That one is out through Century Media, and will be available on all streaming platforms tomorrow.
  • Epica have announced “Ωmega Alive”, their first universal streaming event. That is, obviously, in support of their new album, and is scheduled for June 12th. Get your tickets and merch bundles here. And if you need help making a decision, you can also check out this trailer.
  • Vulture is dropping a new album on May 21st titled Dealin’ Death, and today they released a new video for “Star-Crossed City”, taken from that album. The album will be out through Metal Blade, and the video is available for your viewing pleasure immediately below.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
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