darkthrone – Nine Circles

Missed Connections: Looking Back on 2022

January 30, 2023January 30, 2023IanLeave a comment

Writing this list in particular is always one of my favorite points in the year. It’s the time where I get to look at everyone else’s list and go “hey, I should have included that too!”, and it gives me a chance to go back and look at all the stuff that I have missed out on listening to in favor of obligations, lack of time, lack of brainpower, or simply not being able to turn off Origins like I know I need to. It’s always good to take one last look back on everything before we properly usher in the new year and new releases with it, so let’s jump into some of the things that I am currently kicking myself for not giving more attention to.

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CANTO: Metallica, Sermon, Omega Infinity, and More

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023CoreyLeave a comment

Coming at you a little late because today was dumb.

Sermon are releasing their sophomore album, Of Golden Verse, on March 31st through Prosthetic Records. For an initial preview, give the visualizer for “Golden” a watch (and listen) here.
Germany’s Downfall of Gaia are releasing a new full-length on March 17th, titled Silhouettes Of Disgust. That will be out through Metal Blade, and you can give “Bodies as Driftwood” a listen here.
Darkthrone are releasing Goatlord: Original on February 10th through Peaceville. Goatlord, their originally planned instrumental second album, was shelved as they slid into black metal, emerging in 1996 with vocals. This release contains the original instrumental tracks, recorded in their rehearsal space. Also, the artwork absolutely rules.
Omega Infinity, the project of Xenoyr (Ne Obliviscaris) and Tentakel P. (Todtgelichter), revealed a new track titled “To The Stars”. That’s taken from their upcoming full-length, The Anticurrent, which is out on February 24th through Season of Mist.
Metallica dropped a new track today titled “Screaming Suicide”. Obviously that’s how we’re going to close out the day. Give the video a watch below. 72 Seasons is coming on April 14th.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Best of 2022: Chris’s List

December 30, 2022December 30, 2022Chris1 Comment

We’re going to keep the intro brief on this one. Year after year I struggle to find the words to open this post, where I ostensibly count down my favorite 25 metal albums of the year. Typically the first thing I do is check out the previous year’s entry…read and see if the themes are still relevant, if there’s anything I want to refine or emphasize for the current year. And for the first time, I didn’t find anything worth changing. Yes…I may have finally nailed it with my 2021 Best Of introduction.

By now you’ve (hopefully) read my post talking about nine albums that didn’t make my but could have, and my 15 Honorable Mentions and how the very concept of an honorable mention seems to contradict itself when the music is so good. I would usually say that was all prelude to this, but that’s a lie. You know, and now I do as well. In the end, all we can do is recount the things we love, and hope it inspires something in you.

So if you will, a request: go back and read that intro to 2021. And then check out the albums listed below for this year. Don’t worry about rankings, don’t worry about omissions. Just check out the music, and let it hopefully inspire something in you.

All of these albums did that for me.

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Initial Descent: October 23 – 29, 2022

October 24, 2022October 22, 2022JoshLeave a comment

First off, big thanks to brother Chris for holding it down for me last week here on Initial Descent. He brought the fire then, and I’m bringing it now. We’ve got the goods to help you get into the Halloween mood with a soul crushing outing from Worm, the next epic step from legendary black metallers Darkthrone, some absolutely extreme deathgrind from Psionic Madness, a rip roaring riff ride from Psychonaut, and a lengthy list of metal for every taste below these top four. So come one, come all and happy hunting. See you here throughout the week.

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 254 (10.22.2022)

October 22, 2022October 22, 2022ChrisLeave a comment

There are numbers, and there are numbers. For example, this is in fact the 254th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist, which I’ve been painstakingly assembling for you for almost exactly one year – since the 202nd edition, to be precise. But the real important number to consider is SIX. Because in six days my beloved Darkthrone will be releasing a new album. So even though we featured it in there Cantos this week you know we have to use “Caravan of Broken Ghosts” to kick things off with bang.

And though I could easily just continue filling the playlist with more Darkthrone, there’s a hell of a lot more out there to get you through the week, am I right? So how about some scuzzy Sabbath metal from Peth, some sax skronking stoner rock from Ecstatic Vision, and then some killer metal from Lykotonon, Ultar, -(16)-, Sarcator, Bonecarver, Atrocity, Boris, Sonja, and some older cuts from the likes of Thursday, Cloud Rat, and hell…even some Sisters of Mercy?