enslaved

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 329 (3.30.2024)

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playlist - mixtape

I come to you open, honest, and transparent as we head into the weekend and the 329th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist. You’ll find plenty of loud, abrasive noise such as the latest from the forthcoming Whores album, or the new single from the just announced Tzompantli record, or even a little doomy something from my personal AOTM for March, Early Moods.

But the truth? I’ve been listening to nothing but the new Beyoncé album. DAMN that is a record right there.

The usual gang at 9C have probably (well, maybe not Dan) been more time around the dark and heavy, and it shows with the latest tracks from Haunted Plasma, Dystopia, Pathology, Hamferð and DVNE; arguably the greatest Bolt Thrower song; more dank noise rock from Chat Pile and Crippling Alcoholism; classic covers from Rage Against the Machine and Ghost; more new heavy from the likes of Atræ Bilis, Thy Catafalque, and yes…maybe some of Queen Bey’s new one to close us out.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 325 (3.2.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

The 325th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist is reasonably sober and trying desperately not to screw up. But it’s so hard when the latest from Pissed Jeans is blasting through your headphones like a Neanderthal with a pickaxe. Not to mention since it’s a new year OF COURSE Haunt have a new album out and it’s just as great as every other release. Oh, did I mention the new Bruce Dickinson album is finally out in the wild? It is, and you can hear his solo version of “If Eternity Should Fail” right here.

We’ve got a lot more than that on deck, though. A quick perusal of the staff’s listening habits have exposed among other things cuts from Dool, Olamut, Hideous Divinity, Cult Burial, Civerous, Heavy Temple, more video game music I am completely lost by (thanks, Dan); more alternate versions of Enslaved tunes (thanks, Colin), and finally because I do love it, I’m allowing the latest single from Alcest to close things out even though we opened with it last week (thanks, Vince).

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 324 (2.24.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Morning. It’s a big week for pre-orders if you’re a vinyl head. Panopticon is re-issuing Roads to the North for its 10th anniversary. Testament is re-issuing The Legacy and The New Order in April. The mighty Couch Slut return with another gnarly slab of noice and menace with You Can Do It Tonight in April. And of course everyone here is over their heads about Alcest finally coming back with a new album (no pre-order yet…but it’s coming). So let’s kick off the 324th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist there and see what happens.

Maybe I’ll even get Colin’s picks right for once…

The rest of the staff has you covered with stuff that’s NOT 80s thrash, including some wicked anniversaries for classic black metal albums by Immortal, Enslaved and Emperor (did I do it, Colin?); new tracks from Hippotraktor, FROGG, and Stellar Remains; some EDM video game music because I guess we’re doing that now? Now that I’ve recovered, we also have some sweet emo/indie rock from Basement, and then because everyone needs more of the best band to do it AND The Jester Race turned 28 last week, a sweet suite of In Flames tunes from that classic album.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 322 (2.10.2024)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

If I wanted to, I could probably name at least four records released in the first five week of 2024 that stand a very, very good chance of making my end of year list. What I’m getting at is I guess the year is off to a great start, what with new music from an invigorated Exhorder, a new single from In Flames, and my love for the debut album by Mean Mistreater. And damn if the first single from Kerry King and his post Slayer gig doesn’t bring the goods! Mark Osegueda sounds like Tom Ararya possessed in the best possible way.

And that’s just the kickoff to the 322nd edition of the Nine Circles Playlist. You see what I did there, using kickoff to play into this is Super Bowl weekend? I know…classic.

There’s plenty more where that came from…the rest of the staff brought the blitz (I know…I kill me!) with new music from Necrot and Borknagar; an alternate version of a new Enslaved track; some dirty DIY black metal from Keys to the Steal Gate and Mystic Doors; some anguish-gaze from State Faults and some classic Mastodon wedged in between more surprises. Oh, and did I maybe put a killer live Black Sabbath performance at the end of the playlist? Maybe????

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

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