e-l-r – Nine Circles

Best of 2022: Angela’s Honorable Mentions

December 27, 2022December 26, 2022Angela Block1 Comment

This is my first year writing up an honorable mentions list. I really struggled narrowing things down this year (well, I struggle every year) and thought instead of cutting out albums that deserve praise, I would make an additional list. This list is not ranked and because it contains artists that I admire, I also wrote up many of the full-length reviews for these. I have included albums that may not be 100% metal but contain metal elements and are on the heavier side. I also wanted to bring some attention to albums that my lovely colleagues here may not be writing about so we continue our diverse listings. I love that the 9C fam has varying musical tastes and we respect everyone’s opinions. EOY time is our favorite and the lists keep rolling out. Check them out here. This list is very much an Angela list (spoiler alert – a lot of doom and a lot of femme power) and I hope others also enjoy and check out these wonderful artists.

Let’s crack into it!

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Album Review: E-L-R — “Vexier”

March 10, 2022March 9, 2022Ian1 Comment

Vexier, from the Latin “vexare,” meaning to plague or to irritate, or from the German “Vexierbild,” meaning a flipped image, or even a puzzle game in some dialects. What does all this have to do with the newest release from Switzerland’s doomgaze golden children E-L-R? A lot, actually. While I wouldn’t say this album is going to plague you, the idea behind it is that it should vex you a little bit. It should get under your skin and make you want to unwrap more layers, make a couple more moves to solving the puzzle, try to piece out the original from the image.

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 211 (12.25.2021)

December 25, 2021December 25, 2021ChrisLeave a comment

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays folks. We’re gonna keep this short: please stay safe and healthy if you’re planning on spending time with family and friends. Life is too short.

My brain’s been scattered lately so why not swing the pendulum wide to kick off the 211th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist: we’re kicking things off with some classic Judas Priest followed by some classic avant-garde black metal courtesy of Fleurety. Anton chimes in with some new music from Blockheads, E-L-R, and a favorite from his forthcoming EOY list, Code. The ever-dependable Buke gives us some Christmas cheer with King Diamond and Savatage, then as a chaser throws in some Fates Warning and Sentenced, among others. if you’ve read Josh’s Best of 2021 post you know how much death metal nourished him this year, so bands like Shub Niggurath and Antichrist Siege Machine shouldn’t be a surprise. Vincent welcomes the darkness with the latest from Ustalost but also lights a candle for his patron saint John Darnielle’s health (dude is currently ripping up Twitter as he isolates due to COVID) with some Mountain Goats. And Angela closes us out with some festive greetings courtesy of Damian Masters and Type O Negative.