holy roar records – Nine Circles

Profile: Post-Metallers Fall of Messiah

August 5, 2020ninecirclesadmin1 Comment

Post-metal, post-rock, hardcore, and screamo are all tags befitting of Fall of Messiah and just as you’ll read below, the band prefers listeners and fans to form their own experiences and opinions of their music so, for us, it’s post-metal. With that said, the emotional mixture on display with their newly minted fourth album Senicarne is out of this world. Sure, elements of all the aforementioned tags can be heard throughout and influences from some of post-metal’s heaviest hitters can also be heard but the way Fall of Messiah put this album together is like your favorite roller coaster of highs, lows, and everything in between with moments of crushing heaviness earmarked with lush beauty around every turn. We asked the band our set of Profile questions to get under the hood a little so read on below to see what they had to say and be sure to hit those links to show them some support. Continue reading →

Profile: German Hardcorists Giver

February 12, 2020February 8, 2020ninecirclesadminLeave a comment

The modern hardcore scene is fast approaching overcrowding, not unlike any other genre of music or metal for that matter. However, this is not news to anyone that’s been paying attention and especially those that had eyes on all the best of lists from last year and just how many modern hardcore albums made it. Giver is one such band that will see action in lists this year, count on it. Their recently released sophomore effort, Sculpture Of Violence, sees the band not only busting eardrums but playing around with subtle melodies and raucous punk at times but it’s the impact of well placed doom and blackgaze that steals the show and offers despair and darkness that even the best of soaps won’t wash off. In an ever growing scene Giver truly stand out as a highlight and a band not to miss. We recently caught up with them armed with our set of Profile questions so jump in to find out how it went down and don’t forget to show them some support. Continue reading →

Initial Descent: February 2 – 8, 2020

February 3, 2020February 2, 2020JoshLeave a comment

One month down and eleven to go. January was a good kick off month for metal in 2020 and February shows no signs of letting us down either. So, score one for the music but hey, Doctor Death, how about stick that sickle up your ass and chill for a bit. Anyway, in the interest of new metal — as we feature here every week — branch out a bit and take a chance on something new or something you might view as outside your realm. You never know what might be found lurking just outside of that comfort zone. On that note we’ve got new stuff from top-tier screamo legends envy, melodic and emotionally heavy hardcore from Giver, off kilter and wildly avantgarde sounds from OvO, and mind blowing instru-prog-tech-death from Thoren. Plenty of stuff here that’s out on the fringe so take a chance and check them out. But, as always, there’s so much more to dig into so do that. Enjoy. Continue reading →

The Nine Circles Audio Thing: Car Bomb’s Greg Kubacki on their new album “Mordial,” advantages of DIY, Metallica, and much more!

October 23, 2019JoshLeave a comment

Car Bomb

Car Bomb is, in many ways, an anomaly in extreme metal. They’ve done things on their own terms for nearly twenty years now and with each new album they continue to push not only their own boundaries but the boundaries of extreme metal. The recently released Mordial is yet another shining example of pushing forward and even toppling their fantastic Meta from 2016. Progressive, mathy, grind, bombastic, are all tags that fit the band’s sound but still barely touch the totality of their capabilities and they showcase all of this and so much more on this new album. Head below to dig in. Continue reading →

CANTO: System of a Down, Minors, Metallica, and More

September 30, 2019September 30, 2019CoreyLeave a comment

metallica

Real hockey starts this week.

System of a Down have announced a string of tour dates… in Europe. Still, activity is activity. I would love to see them live again if the stars were to ever align in such a way. Oh, those dates are all next summer.
In today’s business news, Victory Records has been sold to Concord Music Group. I don’t have specifics, but the Billboard link mentions Victory pulled in up to $5 million per year and was probably sold in the $27-34 million range. Still, the punk label as well all knew it will be no more. I assume.
For those that missed it, Metallica had to cancel a tour while James Hetfield checks back into rehab. Obviously, we all hope he pulls out of this battle, but if there’s any bright side to this, it’s the support that’s been vocalized publicly by other musicians he’s had a positive influence on.
Finally, we’ll close with a new music video from hardcore/sludge outfit Minors. Because that’s pretty much what I need in life right now. The song is called “Garden of Dismalism”, taken from Abject Bodies, which is out now on Holy Roar Records.