Is everything old new again? Are we back on loving the second wave of black metal? I can’t keep track. Maybe it just takes someone new to the field, bringing a level of execution that makes people look up and go “Oh yeah…there WAS a reason this thing birthed a whole series of sub genres and offshoots and the such.” Hulder, the solo black metal project certainly knows how to deliver a forceful, tightly woven black metal album, and on their latest mini LP The Eternal Fanfare show that injecting a more robust production doesn’t take away from the general necro vibe, and that – done right – there’s still vitality in a sound folks starting railing against almost as soon as it came out.
I’m baaaack, sunburn and all. Miss me? Rhetorical…of course you did. Thanks to the homies for taking on my duties from last week. By now, I’m sure you’ve dabbled with the new Megadeth track, but if not, what the hell are you waiting for, DO IT! Seriously, this is the best Mustaine and Co. have sounded in… let’s just say a very long time. Alright then; new week, new metal, LET’S DO IT! Massacre‘s return last year was such a hit, they stomped the gas with new material and voila! a new EP, then we’ve got black metal from both Hulder (hotly anticipated from what I understand) and Black Cilice which looks and sounds much darker, next we’ve got some insane deathgrind from Narakah, and as usual, a very long list of other releases well worth your time to investigate. Happy hunting and we’ll see you here throughout the week.
“But wait, Chris! What happened to Episode 236 of the Nine Circles Playlist?!”
Sometimes playlists are just too wild to be contained on the webpage of a humble music blog. Even now, if you listen closely between the high pitched whine of the street lamps you can hear the fading tremolo picking and blast beats of a runaway playlist, foraging on the remains of boy bands (rest in peace, BTS) and the tattered remnants of forgotten 00s dub step. If you love something, set it free…but if you simply forget to post something at least make the story fun.
Anyway, let’s talk about the much more present edition, which is literally below for you to relish with your favorite accoutrements. Josh is kicking it off with the latest from Megadeth…maybe the best song they’ve done in 15 years or more. And if that doesn’t rock your world, the new Krisiun is even more brutal. Followed with a hefty dose of Lorna Shore you should be off to a great start. Anton gleefully shoves some Antigama, Aenaon, and Xenoglyph to ensure you have 100% of your extreme intake complete. Vincent gets a massive track from Scarcity on and is slowly fulfilling an unspoken promise to feature every track from Bloc Party‘s debut in the playlist. Hera fuels my nightmares with something called AWS which I am assured is not Amazon Web Services…unless it is? She also has White Ward, Apocalyptica, Leprous, and a great collaboration between Trent Reznor and Danny Elfman. Ian brings in some great new music from the likes of Wake, Saor, and Russian Circles, as well as a classic banger from Alexisonfire to celebrate the release of their new album. Finally Angela returns as a voice of calm and serenity, giving us soothing lullabies from the likes of Deathwhite, Silent Majority, Stay Inside, and Aptera, which I’ve also been enjoying immensely.
As for me? I’ll end the playlist this week with a few tracks you can expect to see me review in the coming weeks.
Home from Boston early enough to knock out a Canto? Not bad at all.
Leading off, we have new material for Capra. Here is the video for “Red Guillotine”, a track taken from In Transmission, which dropped last year through Blacklight and Metal Blade. As an aside, be sure to catch them on the road with Whores and Bummerall through this month.
Heilung are releasing their third full-length album on August 19th through Season of Mist, titled Drif. Along with this news, they released a video teaser for a track titled “Anoana”, which can be seen and heard here.
Black metal solo artist Hulder is releasing The Eternal Fanfare MLP through 20 Buck Spin this coming July, and today unveiled the artwork, track list, and most importantly the first single, “Sylvan Awakening”. July tour dates with Skeleton are on the horizon as well.
Let’s close with the new video from Benighted for “Casual Piece of Meat”. It’s pretty damn wild. That’s another sample from their 2020 album, Obscene Repressed, which is out through Season of Mist. If you need to round out your day with some deathgrind, this is a good place to start.
Nine Circles 