So, I had an idea for a new list this year. Because, obviously, I don’t write enough of them. It just so happened that a lot of my favorite things I listened to this year didn’t really feel like heavy metal in a technical sense, but they definitely felt like they were on the fringes of it. They’re definitely not metal albums, but they’re also not non-metal albums, you know what I mean? What’s that? You don’t? Yeah, I uh…I don’t think I know what I mean either but let’s just go with it. Like a nice medium roast coffee, these albums straddle the nice fine line between heavy and not without leaping back and forth from one side to the other, and they happen to also be some of my favorite listens this year.
Continue readingignite
Ignite’s Brett Rasmussen on their self titled album, what makes a good bassist, and much more!
Ignite have had a long journey since their formation in 1993 and a journey that’s seen them work harder and harder with every release. On their recently released full length, Ignite, they’ve knocked it out of the park in the punk / melodic hardcore scene and are ushering in a whole new era of fans. Surrounding this album’s release, Buke sat down with bassist Brett Rasmussen to discuss the new album and what makes a good bassist, how his parents music collection influenced him, bringing in new vocalist Eli and his transition from metal to punk, his love of Joy Division, filming shows with cell phones and not actually experiencing it, and so much more. We now present that conversation to you in its entirety so grab your drink of choice, a chair, and enjoy.
Continue readingThe Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 227 (4.16.2022)
Seven days have come and gone, and I am still buried in the swirling green haze of classic psychedelic rock. I can’t escape…and frankly I don’t want to escape. But I also don’t want to burden you with more fuzz and scuzz from the late 60s and early 70s, so I’m kindly bowing out of this, the 227th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist and will let my fellow partners in crime hit you with the heavy stuff.
Anton brings us in with some Cosmic Putrefaction, followed by Tomarum and Syberia. Josh hits us with all kinds of rot, starting with Wormrot and quickly chasing it with some new Jungle Rot. After that it’s a swig of Denouncement Pyre, Kreator, Moon Tooth, and some classic Burst. Vincent has been all over the debut from the Linda Lindas, so you get some that plus tracks from Amulets and Superstition. Ian graces us again with his picks, hitting up The Weakerthans, Gregory Alan Isakov, After the Burial, and the long awaited return of Ignite. From there Angela brings it home with Darkher, Primitive Man, Horn, and a collaboration between Thou, Emma Ruth Rundle, and Mizmor.
Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.
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– Chris
Album Review: Ignite — “Ignite”
For as much as I love, cherish and appreciate brutal, crushing heavy metal, the first music that ever made a genuine, lasting impact on me was punk rock. It might sound stupid, but I don’t care: “Superman” by Goldfinger was the first song that I ever remember falling in love with, and that feeling hasn’t left me. Punk has shaped who I am as a person, politically, socially and musically and Ignite are one of the forefathers that blossomed the kind of melodic hardcore that sets my soul alight into the mainstream. On their new self-titled release, change comes to the band, but their fighting spirit is only that much stronger.
Continue readingCANTO: Amon Amarth, Animals As Leaders, Ignite, and More
My Abbath-looking dog is god damn hyper. Unfamiliar territory. Anyway, Thursday news and shit I guess…
- We’ll kick off the evening with the new single from Animals As Leaders, titled “Gordian Naught”. That, of course, is the latest offering from Parrhesia, which is out on March 25th through Sumerian Records.
- Including new material from Amon Amarth feels like an obvious decision. Check out the new single and video for “Put Your Back Into The Oar”. It’s also available for purchase, if you want to add a picture disk to your collection.
- Germany’s atmospheric folk metal project Mosaic has announced a new album through Eisenwald. Heimatspuk will be out on all formats on April 22nd. Check out the brand new track, “Wir sind Geister”, to get a sense of what’s coming.
- And Without Waves also unveiled a new single today. “Sleight in Shadows” is the latest sample from their third album, Comedian, which drops on March 18th through Prosthetic Records.
- This Thursday round-up has had a very Friday feel. The video we’ll close with today comes from Ignite, for “This Day”. Their self-titled album drops on March 25th through Century Media.
“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb