khemmis

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 245 (8.20.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

After years of seeing that cassette logo at the top of every edition of the Nine Circles Playlist (brought to you now for the 245th time) I finally caved and bought a cassette deck for my stereo system. I have a few tapes lying around from niche labels filled with strange and discordant sounds, so why not? Maybe I’ll even find those old mix tapes I used to have in college and see if they’re still in a playable condition…music as archeology, you know?

I don’t know if anything in this week’s playlist is available on cassette, but I can provide definitive proof you can find it on YouTube. The gang brings in tracks from Sarattma, the return of Toxik, as well as new music from Clutch, Revocation, Conan, Conjurer, Lathe, Ripped to Shreds and An Abstract Illusion. We throw in some shoegaze and indie from My Bloody Valentine and Broken Social Scene to break up the extremity (although I still think MBV’s Loveless is one of the most extreme albums to ever come out) before wrapping it all up with some classic tracks, including a live cut from Opeth, some Testament, Merauder, and Watchtower, among others.

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Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

Khemmis, Opeth, and Mastodon live at The Fillmore Philadelphia, 4.26.2022

opethbodomLeave a comment

Bands: Khemmis, Opeth, and Mastodon

Photographer: Matt (Buke) Buchan

Location: The Fillmore Philadelphia

Date: April 26, 2022

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Khemmis’ Phil Pendergast on their upcoming tour, staying true to themselves, and much more!

opethbodomLeave a comment
Khemmis

By now, Khemmis is a household name for any house that counts doomed heavy metal as law. And for good reason, across four full lengths and a handful of EPs and singles they’ve trod their own path and created something musically that has no equal. It’s heavy as lead, super emotional, and about as down to earth as it can be. They’ve garnered spots on best of lists around the world for each release and their star shines brighter each and every time out. Just ahead of a huge tour with Opeth and Mastodon, Buke sat down with vocalist and guitarist Phil Pendergast to discuss said tour and how it came to be and the fact that they’ve somehow been labeled a non touring band, how important it is to stay true to themselves, how difficult it was navigating their friend and ex bassist Dan departing during the pandemic, and a whole smorgasbord of other topics. We now present that conversation to you in its entirety so grab a beer, a chair, and enjoy.

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CANTO: Darkthrone, Drudkh, Abbath, and More

CoreyLeave a comment
angry abbath

I’m actually going to a concert next week, and I’m already overthinking it immensely.

  • We’ll start with a thing I really wish I could go to. TRVE Brewing has announced their 10th anniversary concert, which features the likes of Khemmis, Panopticon, Dreadnought, and more. Those tickets go on sale at the end of the week.
  • Darkthrone is celebrating the 30th anniversary of A Blaze In The Northern Sky with a fresh, limited-edition, vinyl pressing through Peaceville. 666 copies will be released on June 24th. You can order it here, but I’m sure it’s already sold out. Edit: confirmed.
  • Keeping this short today, and rounding out with a couple items from Season of Mist. First, we have a new track from Abbath for “The Book of Breath”. You probably don’t need a reminder, but Dread Reaver is out on March 25th.
  • And we’ll wrap up Monday with the new video from Ukrainian black metallers Drudkh for “The Nocturnal One”. It’s worth noting that this release was moved up on the calendar as a sign of resistance. We’re with them, and all other Ukrainians. Slava Ukraini.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Suffocation, Eight Bells, Backslider, and More

CoreyLeave a comment

To make 2022 even worse… I’m pretty sure I lost my entire photo and music library. Help.

  • Let’s start with tour news, some good… some bad. First some good. Suffocation have announced a new 2022 North American tour with Atheist, Soreption, and Contrarian. The dates cover late May through late June, and tickets go on sale Friday at this location.
  • Less positive news has emerged from Khemmis, who has postponed their West Coast tour until June. All previously purchased tickets are still valid, and it sounds like some more dates might even be added. Read up on all that here.
  • Philadelphia sludge punk collective Backslider released a new track and video today, titled “Pseudomessiah”. That’s taken from the upcoming new album, Psychic Rot, which drops on February 11th through To Live A Lie Records.
  • Som shared a new track from their upcoming new album, The End of Everything, which is out on January 21st through Pelagic Records. Listen to “Center” here.
  • We’re going to wrap up with the first new Eight Bells material I’ve heard in forever. Check out “Destroyer” below. Legacy of Ruin is out on February 25th through Prophecy Productions.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb