jonathan hultén

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 223 (3.19.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Another day, another dollar, another death…I just came back from a wake, poured myself a whiskey and left the bottle nearby even though I know it’s going to kill my numbers tomorrow (hello diabetes my old friend) and turned the music up. In other words I’m feeling the crush of life a little more than usual tonight, and that means the music needs to be loud. Loud and unapologetic in its intent. So whether that’s some classic Venom to kick off the 223rd edition of the Nine Circles Playlist or new music from blackened trad metal powerhouse Nite which I’ve been playing nonstop the last few weeks, it’s going to have to work overtime to get the job done.

As always there’s a lot more on deck to satisfy all metal cravings. Anton once again gets the early ticket with tracks from Defect Designer, Au-Dessus, and Sum of R. Josh comes in hot with what has become one of my most anticipated albums of the year in the form of the new Cave In, but he follows it up with some equally devastating music in the form of new music from Dead Register (back after far too long), Wormrot (JFC!) and a banging classic from The Red Chord. Leave it to Vincent to brings things to a darker, warmer place as he spins some Midwife, Ulver (you can never have too much Ulver), Orville Peck, and a double dose of Alexisonfire. Angela gets on a roll this week with a ton of new music, including Darkher, Konvent, Corpsegrinder, Holy Fawn and a little something from Jonathan Hultén. And finally Buke races in with some killer picks. He’s got Carpenter Brut right up front, and tags it with some new music from Witchcraft’s Magnus Pelander. Man, I wish I had some new rockin’ Witchcraft but I’ll take this…for now. Buke also throws in some classic Nailbomb, some killer neo old school metal with Merciless Law, and some tight new trad metal courtesy of Greyhawk.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

—

– Chris

CANTO: Massacre, Earthless, Armored Saint, and More

CoreyLeave a comment
Massacre

In case you didn’t notice, we’re big fans of the new Worm record around these parts.

  • We’ll kick Friday off with Earthless, who have announced some early 2022 tour dates. Tickets went on sale today for their run of 10 dates that beginning on January 27th in Los Angeles and end February 8th in Phoenix.
  • Armored Saint released their new CD/DVD Symbol of Salvation Live today, and to mark the occasion they revealed the video for “Spineless”. That one is out through Metal Blade.
  • Can’t find a way to attend Knotfest Los Angeles? Well, you’re in the luck. The performance will be streamed live, taking place on November 5th, and tickets can be purchased here. As far as Slipknot goes, this is their first ever live stream, and the footage will be available for an additional 72 hours after the show.
  • Crippled Black Phoenix are live streaming their Leipzig concert next Friday, October 29th. They’ll be joined by Jonathan Hultén for the event, which is awesome. Tickets for the event can be picked up here.
  • Massacre is always the right way to close a week. Side note: I’m only just now appreciating how incredible their logo is. Anyway, check out the gnarly new clip for “Return of the Corpse Grinder” below. The uncensored version was understandably banned from YouTube, but you can peep that here if you feel up to it. Resurgence is out now on Nuclear Blast.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Album Review: Tribulation — “Where the Gloom Becomes Sound”

Angela Block2 Comments
Tribulation - Where the Gloom Becomes Sound

Here we are again with another collaborative review, and this is one we have been looking forward to for quite some time.  Tribulation is a band that we both thoroughly enjoy, from their creative songwriting to their spooky swag, and we have both been enamored with their live performances over the years as their stage presence is otherworldly.  When the news first broke about a new Tribulation album to kick off 2021, we had a feeling that this year would start off alright.  Where the Gloom Becomes Sound is everything we expected it to be and more.  

Continue reading →

Rainbows in the Dark: Ian’s Best of 2020 List for Nonmetal

Ian1 Comment
Best of 2020

This past year has seen some of the most exhilarating and emotionally deep metal that I’ve seen in a while, but what about the non-metal side of things?  Well, fortunately we’ve had just as many pleasant surprises on that front, and just as much music that will ultimately be talked about for years to come.  It bears repeating that I am humbled that I am in the position to be able to talk at length about all of this, and boy there sure is a lot to talk about.  From deep, brooding atmosphere to technical wizardry to lo-fi indie glory, polished folk and everything in between, there’s a lot to get into, so strap in as we bring you the very best of all things non-metal and metal adjacent.

Continue reading →

CANTO: Soilwork, Tribulation, Allegaeon, and More

CoreyLeave a comment

Saturday post because SO many things happened yesterday.

  • Allegaeon released a new digital single, Concerto in Dm, which features that title-track and B-side “In Flanders Fields”. Those tracks date back to the Apoptosis days, and you can check out a play-through and documentary here.
  • Trivium’s Matt Heafy has teamed up with social media person/human/whatever Jared Dines to create the Dines X Heafy EP. Watch the video for the single “Dear Anxiety” if you feel so inclined.
  • Tribulation opened my Friday with a pretty substantial lineup change. Jonathan Hultén has made the decision to pursue other paths, with Joseph Tholl taking his place. There appears to be no negative feelings in any direction… but this is still weird for me.
  • And finally, Soilwork released a new video for “A Whisp Of The Atlantic”, the title-track from their new EP which dropped Friday through Nuclear Blast.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb