Profile: Blackened grindcore outfit Apes

Show of hands, who else got obliterated by Penitence when it dropped last Friday? I for one definitely did. And then again… And again. The latest album from Apes is out through Secret Swarm Records and it is so much more than a grindcore album. It certainly has that bite we all look for in the genre, but there is a lot more to take away from it than that. The blackened industrial energy specifically offers a unique sense of depth that I immediately connected with, and the hardcore structure is undeniable. What I’m saying is that this is an awesome hybrid of so many different styles, clearly crafted without any kind of creative restraint, and there’s definitely benefit in listening to this thing on repeat considering all that there is to uncover. But that’s enough rambling. Gabriel (drums and other noises) took some time to answer our Profile questions and offered up some great insight and stories about Apes, their history, influences, and more. Give it a read after the jump and hit that Bandcamp link while you’re down there.

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Album Review: Phal:Angst — “Whiteout”

The great strength of the post rock/post metal genre lies in it’s malleability. The genre thrives on its ability to incorporate traditionally non rock influences, such as film scores, electronic music, dub, or modern classical, into the traditional rock band set up. Once incorporated, the idea is that these sounds can stretch or transform the traditional ideas of a rock song. A band like Godspeed You! Black Emperor might turn an album into a symphonic piece with the song becoming movements in the piece. Meanwhile Sumac with each album seem to leap further and further into freeform noise. Even a band like Mogwai, who at this point are more of an alternative rock band than post rock, still utilize weird time signatures and aggressive volume in their music.  All of these bands still utilize the traditional rock band set up (guitar, bass, drums) but they’re moving the structure of the rock song and album into entirely new territories. Phal:Angst’s new album, Whiteout, however, bills itself as “industrial post rock.”

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Premiere: NOISEPOETNOBODY — “Potential vs Eventual”

Tomorrow, April 15th, the new EP from NOISEPOETNOBODY finally sees the light of day. Released through Scry Recordings, Potential vs Eventual is the latest industrial noise experiment from visionary Casey Chittenden Jones, serving as a tribute to the collapse of the world around us. It’s dense, it’s jarring, and now, sitting a day ahead of its release, Nine Circles is proud to unveil this collection in full immediately below.

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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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Receiving the Evcharist: Briqueville and Barreled Souls’ Transformer

Receiving the Evcharist 2018

Hey all, happy Friday. And a desperately needed Friday at that. Corey here, stepping in for this week’s edition of Receiving the Evcharist, a column where we somewhat randomly pair a chosen album with a preferred choice of adult beverage. This week, I’m exploring Quelle, the latest from Briqueville, along with the Transformer Pale Ale from Barreled Souls. Shall we?

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