crypt sermon – Nine Circles

Album Review: Crypt Sermon — “The Stygian Rose”

June 11, 2024June 10, 2024ChrisLeave a comment

There are bands that are slaves to genre, and bands beholden to none. The journey from the first to the second can often be rife with fractures both small and large, but thankfully Pennsylvania’s Crypt Sermon have charted a true path over the course of three albums. Their latest, The Stygian Rose, arrives with phantom tendrils that lead back to their doom and traditional roots, but the trail is littered with cast aside homages and influences, all prefixes abandoned in favor of the one, the only word that matters.

Metal. Of the most righteous kind.

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Initial Descent: June 10 – 14, 2024

June 10, 2024June 9, 2024ChrisLeave a comment

Hey folks, Chris here. And man am I glad I’m covering for Fearless Editor Josh™ because the next couple weeks are going to be KILLER for metal fans in general and Initial Descent in particular. And it’s all kicking off with the long awaited seventh album from the New Zealand death merchants Ulcerate…the entire 9C office can’t stop raving about it. That not enough for ya? How about the return of the mighty, the modern heavy metal masters Crypt Sermon who might have just topped themselves with their third full length? Is that not enough? You say you want doom, with a little of that desert crunch to it? How freakin’ glad are you that Rezn have returned with another slab of molten riffs that will sweat the sin from your skin? All that heat is sure to wear you out, and for the return trip to reality there might be nothing better than some Floyd-inspired modern progressive rock with the new Airbag which I’ve been spinning for weeks when I need my mind to just drift away.

All that and more awaits you in this prelude to the official start of summer. Go blow the sonics and we’ll see you here with reviews, profiles and more throughout the week.

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CANTO: Manic Abraxas, Crypt Sermon, Teeth, and More

June 4, 2024June 4, 2024CoreyLeave a comment

Work? Done. Run? Done. Canto? In progress. Swim? Up next. Beer? Up next, next.

Hell yeah we’re going to start with Manic Abraxas. The Maine-based doom punk trio are releasing their fourth album, Skinformation, on August 2. Checking out the leading single, “Manic Abraxas”, right now on Bandcamp.
Next up, we have the latest from Crypt Sermon. Their new single, “Thunder (Perfect Mind)”, is streaming now. I shouldn’t have to remind you, but The Stygian Rose is out a week from Friday through Dark Descent Records.
Teeth revealed details surrounding their next album. The Will of Hate is slated for an August 30 release through Translation Loss Records, and it’s sure to be a monster. “Prison” is streaming over at Decibel if you want an early preview.
Category 7, a new project featuring the likes of a whole lot of prominent names, released a video for the new single “Exhausted”. Their self-titled debut album is out on July 26 through Metal Blade.
Sanguisugabogg videos are usually pretty messed up, and I expect the clip for the new single “Permanently F*cked” to be no different. So let’s end on that note. They’re about to kick off a tour in Europe, if you happen to be over there.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Amorphis, Kvaen, Crypt Sermon, and More

May 7, 2024May 7, 2024CoreyLeave a comment

I am once again drafting this on my deck next to my dog. Good Tuesday.

Sure, we can start with a tour. Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity are co-headlining a run, kicking off in September. Fires in the Distance will be joining them, which makes this a thing I might need to attend. Here’s the full scoop, and tickets go on sale Friday.
Swedish melodic death/black outfit Kvaen are releasing their third album, and first through Metal Blade, on June 21. That’s going to be titled The Formless Fires, and a video for the title track is available for your viewing pleasure here.
Here’s another Mikael Stanne thing. Well, him and four other familiar names. Cemetery Skyline released a new single titled “In Darkness”, and a video for it can be seen here.
For a dose of brutal death metal, we have Severe Torture and their new track “The Pinnacle of Suffering”. That’s the latest from Torn from the Jaws of Death, their sixth album that’s set for a June 7 release through Season of Mist.
Closing with the latest new material from Crypt Sermon is the right thing to do. Check out “Glimmers in the Underworld” below. That’s the opening track from their new album, The Stygian Rose, which is out June 14 through Dark Descent Records.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Crypt Sermon, Harvestman, Entheos, and More

April 3, 2024April 3, 2024CoreyLeave a comment

As promised, it is in fact snowing. But hey at least my new tent showed up today?

Let’s start with progressive death metal duo Entheos. A video for the new single “An End To Everything” was unveiled today, the first new material since last year’s Time Will Take Us All, which was released through Metal Blade. They’ve got July and August tour dates as well, in case you’re interested.
Speaking of tours, I think we’re all aware of the Insomnium run with Omnium Gatherum and Wilderun that kicks off next week. So to get you amped up for that one, checked out this live video for “Song of the Dusk”.
Harvestman, the Steve Von Till psych project, will reveal the Triptych album series across 2024, marking three full moons. The first installment, Triptych: Part One, arrives on April 23 through Neurot Recordings. Check out the visualizer for “Give Your Heart to the Hawk” here.
Next up, some doom out of New Jersey. Drift Into Black is set to release Voices Beneath the Rubble, their fifth studio album, on June 28 through Black Lion Records. Check out the video for the album’s title track here.
We got new Crypt Sermon coming! The Stygian Rose is set for a June 14 release through Dark Descent Records, and the video for the first single, “Heavy is the Crown of Bone”, can be seen directly below. Go do it.