Absent In Body’s CHVE and Mathieu on new album “Plague God,” skateboarding, Belgium, and much more! 

Absent In Body are the absolute epitome of a supergroup with membership spanning Amenra, Neurosis, and Sepultura. Just the thought of these souls coming together for a project brings to mind some of the heaviest, most emotional and spiritualistic filled music on the planet. And that’s exactly what they’ve cooked up on debut Plague God. It’s not unlike anything this group has done before yet it’s entirely its own thing with an industrial tinge that‘s pointed with sludge and doom and seismic levels of suffocating atmosphere. Buke sat down with Colin H. Van Eeckhout and Mathieu J. Vandekerckhove to discuss the new album, how it came to be, what brought the band together, and the multitude of ideas behind it all. They also discuss how it felt for these two artists to branch out a bit musically in the Absent In Body mindset, skateboarding and the joys, and pain, of the sport, the Belgian metal scene and how they both were first exposed to metal, their friendship with Scott Kelly and Igor Cavalera, working with Relapse Records, the decision to have Amenra’s last album in their native tongue, and so much more.

This is an epic conversation with two legendary artists, so grab your beverage of choice and settle in for another edition of the Nine Circles Audio Thing.

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Album Review: Absent in Body — “Plague God”

Absent In Body - Plague God

Some things just go together naturally, without force or coercion, like they were simply made for each other: peanut butter and chocolate, oysters and hot sauce, pepperoni and cheese, a nice cabernet and just about any red meat.  Such is also true for the likes of Absent in Body, a true supergroup combining the brainpower of members of Amenra, Neurosis and Sepultura.  If it seems like a natural, organic fit, you’d be right.  If you think it sounds cool as hell, you’d also be right.  Plague God is exactly like what you think it would be in all the best ways possible.

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Album Review: Pig Destroyer — “The Octagonal Stairway”

Pig Destroyer - The Octagonal Stairway

Grindcore isn’t really a genre where bands are known for taking risks and pushing the envelope, but Pig Destroyer have always been the exception to that generalization.  Mixing whiplash grindcore with thrash riffs, doom atmosphere, harsh noise, thoughtful lyrics and smart songwriting, all while staying true to grind’s fast and furious structure might seem like a challenge but they’ve always made it seem like second nature.  This is no less true on the band’s upcoming EP The Octagonal Stairway, which sees them take their newly (relatively) expanded lineup and hone the edges into a razor sharp focus.

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Donuts & CANTO: Oranssi Pazuzu, Enslaved, Cavalera Conspiracy and more!

oranssi pazuzu band
Oranssi Pazuzu

May 24, 2017

Good morning, it’s time to metal. Here’s some news you might have missed from yesterday:

    • Leading off, I’m super pumped because I’ll be seeing Oranssi Pazuzu at MDF this weekend. If you don’t have plans to go to MDF this weekend, but do live in the New York City area, you’re in luck: the band announced a show at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus. Get on it.

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The Nine Circles Podcast: Episode 36

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Oh hey, did you all miss us? Well, we’re back at last with a new episode! This week, the guys discuss news from AC/DC and Sepultura, and dig into albums from CobaltAmon Amarth and more. Plus, a celebration of the mercurial Syracuse Orange basketball team’s run to the Final Four of the 2016 NCAA Tournament!

All that and much, much more in Episode 36, so check it out!

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Keep it heavy,
Dan