dodsrit

Missed Connections: Looking Back on 2024

IanLeave a comment
Best of 2024

Of all the lists I write, I think this one has quite rapidly become my favorite.  Any excuse to cram more excellent music in my day is always needed and appreciated, but in looking through all the year end lists that come one, both at home here at 9C Inc. and abroad, I always find myself inundated with so many things that either completely missed my radar or were things on my to-do list that I just never got around to.  The point is, music is eternal, and even though we’re not all that far into 2025, there are already a ton of releases coming out that might make 2024 look like a distant memory.  If you’re looking for one last shot in the arm (or, shame shame, if you still haven’t finalized your 2024 list yet), consider these albums (and one EP as always) an excellent use of your time.  Unlike last year, this list is going to be exclusively heavy music, simply because what a year for heavy music last year was.

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 366 (12.14.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

At this point everyone is pretty much knee deep in end of year shenanigans, and I’m no different. My list is locked in, but there’s still so much music left un-listened to, so I’m getting my stoner rocks off with Rifflord and Magick Potion to kick off the 366th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist.

The rest of the 9C crew managed to break away long enough to contribute tracks like Owl and The Old Dead Tree and Blackbraid and Mortician and Bloody Valkyria and Greet Death and Ironflame, among others. I’m sure there’s something in this mix for you, if you follow your heart and look close enough.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

Return of the Nine Circles Audio Thing! A 2024 Mid-Year Report!

ninecirclesadmin4 Comments
9C audio thing mid-year review

It’s been a hot minute, but the gang returns along with a new intro to celebrate the return of the Nine Circles Audio Thing!  We’re going to get back into the Album of the Month starting with July, but for now Chris returns to the mic for the first time in forever to gather the crew and talk about a few select highlights from the first six months of the year.  Colin, Vince, Ian, Hera and…holy shit, DAN?! Yup, it’s a full crew at the ready and madness is had, whether it’s risking Swiftian armies or generally squealing with delight over some very, very good metal this year.

Variety abounds as the crew gets into it, talking about Dödsrit, Inherits the Void, Ulcerate, Chapel of Disease, Job For A Cowboy, Alcest, Pallbearer, Hamferð, AWS, Thot, Ryujin, Aborted, Hammer King, Lascaille’s Shroud, Farsot, and Lord Dying.

No spoilers for the anticipated albums, and only a short tease about the new AOTM format moving forward, but it’s a blast to be back so grab your favorite beverage, put on those headphones and dig in.  See you next month!

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 337 (5.25.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Here in the states it’s Memorial Day Weekend, so folks are off celebrating the start of summer and remembering those who gave their lives for their country. Mixed emotions made somewhat more distracting by the fact it’s also my son’s birthday, so the 337th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist is a quick one while I and I’m sure many others deal with…stuff.

We’ve got tons on deck, including new music from Abrams who just released their best album yet; crushing tuneage from Oranssi Pazuzu; crazy progressive metal from Tanshuman Das; and an assortment of golden sonics both old and new from the likes of Enslaved, Panopticon, State Faults, Akhlys, Anciients (yes!), Zeal & Ardor, Ufomammut, and The Tangent, among others.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

Initial Descent: March 17 – 23, 2024

Josh3 Comments
Hideous Divinity

Did you get lucky yesterday? HA. I’ll leave that on you to define and figure out. Alrighty then…we’ve got the new releases for this, the week of March 17 – 23, so let’s do it: one I’ve been ecstatic about, just from its sheer level of brute force, kicks things off from Hideous Divinity and thankfully you’ll hear more about this one later in the week from someone that 100% knows their way around a review, next up is a sludgy one from Mastiff and if somehow you are still unaware this band isn’t just sludgy they’re violently sludgy, then we’ve got a blackened thrash split between Wormwitch and Sadistic Ritual, then last up top is some black metal from Dödsrit which we will also be hearing more about this week from yet another one of our team that knows their way around a review, and then we’ve got all the other releases that we know about hanging out below these. Plenty here to sink your teeth into so get to digging and we’ll see you here throughout the week.

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 320 (1.27.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

The words you’re reading now constitute the third time I tried to write up this week’s edition – the 320th to be exact – of the Nine Circles Playlist. The other two versions were angry too angry to let stand because in the end (and I know this is a gross simplification, so apologies) 99.9% of the words shouted out into the reaches of the Internet matter for a microsecond before being consumed by something else. So rather than get into I’ll just say that with all that freedom maybe think about what you want to say before sounding like an utter tool, okay? In the end most of our opinions are inflated, and there’s little reasons to throw more shade and negativity out there. 

Sorry. This is a metal blog, so let’s turn it up and get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

We’ve got a lot on tap this week, including tracks from Slimelord, Haunted, more new Chapel of Disease, some new Skeletal Remains and Skraeckoedlan, classic cuts from Sentenced, Tiamat, and Borknagar, and more from the likes of Hulder, Hideous Divinity, Leander Kills, Job For a Cowboy and others…

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris