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CANTO: Rotten Sound, Thulcandra, Ghost, and More

CoreyLeave a comment


There was a game on last night that I think I watched? Can’t remember.

  • I’m in a mood today, so let’s lead in with some grindcore. Rotten Sound is dropping Apocalypse on March 31 through Season of Mist, and today they unveiled a video for the new track “Nothingness”. Give it a watch here.
  • This is an interesting tour. Ghost is taking Amon Amarth on the road here in the U.S. this coming August in September. Various presales go live tomorrow, with public sales starting on Friday as always.
  • We’ve got another new track from Majesties floating around, and that’s a no-brainer. Give “Our Gracious Captors” a listen here. Vast Reaches Unclaimed is out on March 3 through 20 Buck Spin.
  • Jesus Piece revealed a new track today, and word on the street is that it’s a banger. Give “Tunnel Vision” a listen here. That’s taken from their forthcoming album, …So Unknown, which is out on April 14 through Century Media.
  • We’ll close out with some Thulcandra. They have a new album dropping on May 19 through Napalm Records titled Hail The Abyss, and the video for “As I Walk Through The Gateway” can be seen below. They’re also on tour with Wolfheart, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Obscura for the next month or so.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 268 (1.28.2023)

JoshLeave a comment

playlist - mixtape

Chris is away doing metal things…I don’t really know that, but let’s assume he’s out slaying demons with his battle vest on and blaring the latest singles from Metallica, yea man…that’s what he’s up to. Anyway, so you got me for this, the 268th edition of our mixtape playlist of things we’ve been playing way too loud this week and things we’ve been excessively talking about around our water cooler. I’ve been head over heads with the new Malleus and Colin has been the same about Enslaved, so we’ll kick this thing off there.

After that it’s a treasure trove of new and old favorites featuring Forcefed Horsehead, Tribulation, Majesties, Krallice, Celtic Frost, Ripped To Shreds, Ghost with Def Leppard, Hellripper, Mazzy Star, a twofer of Brutus, and many more. You know what to do at this point.

And, just so you don’t miss Chris too much, in his words: “Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…”

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– Josh

Best of 2022: Chris’s Honorable Mentions

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Best of 2022


I’ve been thinking about Honorable Mentions lately. We differentiate them from our main lists, but in the grand scheme of things every album we call out on the site is an honorable mention: there’s something about the music, about the power the chords and melodies hold over us that warrants notice, that deserves a voice to amplify the message to a wider, often preoccupied world. In a time when we too often use the tools of social media and the internet to confront, to argue, to parrot – even in the name of awareness – toxic behavior, I find myself moving steadily inward, barricading myself from the noise and burying my head in the sonic pulse of drums, guitar, bass, and vocals both sung and shouted, screamed and pitched in ways that insulate me from the static of the world.

But the music, dumbass! It calls for notice, deserves it. And like 2020 and 2021 this is just the start of a conversation, not the end. So once again: 15 records in alphabetical order. Any other day, any other minute from the time I write this it can change. Does that make it any less valid?

Does it matter if I got you to – even for a moment – consider the virtues of these fantastic records?

You decide. In the meantime, let’s do this.

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 245 (8.20.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

After years of seeing that cassette logo at the top of every edition of the Nine Circles Playlist (brought to you now for the 245th time) I finally caved and bought a cassette deck for my stereo system. I have a few tapes lying around from niche labels filled with strange and discordant sounds, so why not? Maybe I’ll even find those old mix tapes I used to have in college and see if they’re still in a playable condition…music as archeology, you know?

I don’t know if anything in this week’s playlist is available on cassette, but I can provide definitive proof you can find it on YouTube. The gang brings in tracks from Sarattma, the return of Toxik, as well as new music from Clutch, Revocation, Conan, Conjurer, Lathe, Ripped to Shreds and An Abstract Illusion. We throw in some shoegaze and indie from My Bloody Valentine and Broken Social Scene to break up the extremity (although I still think MBV’s Loveless is one of the most extreme albums to ever come out) before wrapping it all up with some classic tracks, including a live cut from Opeth, some Testament, Merauder, and Watchtower, among others.

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Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 242 (7.30.2022)

JoshLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Yep, you get me again for this, the 242nd edition of The Nine Circles Playlist. And we’ve got a good one for you this week as Vince drops a new one from A Pregnant Light and a little something from Enslaved, Ian drops a track from Imperial Triumphant and channels Vince with a The Mountain Goats pick, Chris gives us the new one from Ghost and an Asunojokei pick as well as another excellent Bill McClintock mash up “Holy Mary Jane,” Angela reminds us just how good the latest from Zeal & Ardor is, and I dig deep into the new Goatwhore and Lorna Shore. All that, and tons more in store right behind that play button below. So, did you piss off the neighbors last week? NO!? Well, you get another chance to do it right now…crank it.

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– Josh