In the end, it’s the only question that matters. An admittedly hard question to hear, what with the screaming of every opinion in every corner of the internet, but in the end when you step away from the noise and muck of screen shouting and scene guarding it’s your opinion in the end. Every year that I’ve written an end of year list for Nine Circles it’s been a variation of the same theme: when we write about music, we’re writing about ourselves. What matters is what the music does to you, and only for you.
But what’s the point, if you’re really only writing for yourself? Continue reading →
Sludgecore on a casual Tuesday. Mastiff have announced their new album, Plague, will be out on February 1, 2019 through APF Records. For now, be sure to check out “Hellcircle” below.
We’re about to hit the mid-point of the year, and as ever the amount of quality releases seems to increase with each passing breath. I’ve spent some portion of attention to 183 metal releases so far, and in a year where I find my personal tastes drifting more and more away from metal there’s always something that manages to pull me back in. So far there doesn’t seem to be a particular genre or style pressing its nose against the Trend Window™ (unless you count the amount of sax going on I guess…) and I’ve been surprised at the sheer variety of music pulling at my nerve endings these past six months.
So similar to last year, consider this edition of Nine Circles ov… a snapshot. It’s a measure of a point in time, personal to me and indicative as to where my head’s at halfway through the shitstorm that is 2018. And since that’s probably all the justification I’m going to give, so let’s do this. Continue reading →
Satan poked a hole in the top of hell and let some heat out this week. No complaints from me but I know plenty that haven’t been happy with seeing 90 degree marks this week. Two ways I recommend to combat this early warmth: stick around with us for all the new metal we have on tap this week, then watch Terrifier and Pyewacket. Back to back. I heard about these beauties, earlier in the week, from Necromaniacs Podcast which would be a solid third option to stay in the AC. Moving on, this week’s new metal starts with Texas based brutal death metallers Flesh Hoarder on their debut Homicidal Necrophile which grabbed my attention very quickly — depraved, horrific and an excellent debut. Next up is De Profundis who take a look at the impact of religion through the lens of their best and most progressive death metal thus far in their career on The Blinding Light of Faith. Skinless return with their sixth full length Savagery and after all this time, their brand of death metal brutality still hits extremely hard and leaves an indelible mark. Rounding out our top slots, The Death Wheelers offer up their brand of instrumental sleaze n’ roll on debut I Tread On Your Grave which as a fan of 70s ‘sploitation films and greasy rock n’ roll, this one has received tons of spins from me. Whether you’re enjoying the heat or not, there’s plenty more to explore below so hang around, kick your feet up and enjoy. Continue reading →
Metal’s fascination and preoccupation with religion is as old as the genre itself. Whether it’s co-opting iconography and art to twist and subvert convention, or using the tenants of scripture to rail or embrace faith, there’s a forever entwined relationship between the two. De Profundis are no strangers to exploring the negative impact religion has on life in both a modern and historical context, but on fifth full length The Blinding Light of Faith they wrap that exploration in some of the most progressive and deeply satisfying death metal this side of Schuldiner, and in the process pull out the best album of their career and one of the best death metal releases in 2018. Continue reading →
Nine Circles 