king diamond

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 263 (12.24.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment

playlist - mixtape

It’s Christmas Eve. I’m rocking a killer stomach ache, either from the abundance of pizza mixed with a drink called the Suffering Bastard or the near crippling anxiety of having to leave shortly to spend time with relatives. So let’s just get some tunes in your ears.

We’re kicking it off with a blast from MY past: Lillian Axe released their first album in 10 years this summer and I only found out a few days ago. I love it, and their video for “I Am Beyond” will have to tide me over until the CD arrives later this week. Elsewhere we have what I’m guessing is a fan-made video for Këkht Aräkh, whose two albums are now on vinyl courtesy of Sacred Bones and I’ve been all in on. There’s some great Enslaved with a big band, August Burns Red doing the Christmas thing, new music from the likes of 71TONMAN, Esophagus, and High Command, a few older gems from Panopticon and Windhand, and then Vince takes us home with a bevy of rocking Christmas-themed tunes, including (of course) a stone cold classic from Mr. Diamond…

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 230 (5.7.2022)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Hello you filthy bastards. I’m listening to metal again. Mainly metal that gatekeepers and other nitwits like to complain about, like the new Ibaraki project from Matt Heafy. So here’s a hearty middle finger to them, and to naysayers that have written off Cradle of Filth who (though sadly losing guitarist Richard Shaw) are 3-for-3 with killer records since signing to Nuclear Blast. And to the folks who continue to bitch about the second phase of Opeth: they’re going to HATE Mikeal Akerfeldt‘s soundtrack to the Swedish crime series Clark. I love it, so let’s kick off the 30th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist with some.

Elsewhere in the 9C realm Anton kicks us off with a triptych of lengthy killer tracks, including In Twilight’s Embrace, the newest tracks from Bedsore off their split with Mortal Incarnation, and Haunter. Josh has been raving about Scars of the Flesh, so we have some for you in here along with a bevy of new music including Vølus, This Is Oblivion, Candy, and Morbid Cross. Vincent provides a brief respite with his beloved Mountain Goats, but quickly pulls you back under the waves with some righteous Wolfbrigade, Au-Dessus, and the first single from the upcoming Wake album. Ian reaches into the past with tracks by In Flames, Dawes, and The Bouncing Souls while Angela somehow channels my inner spirit (must have been in the cards) with some Black Sabbath, followed up by Electric Wizard, some BongBongBeerWizards, and Citizen which, as far as I can tell, is bereft of wizards, electric or otherwise. Finally Buke wraps us up nicely with a host of classic metal cuts, including King Diamond, Whiplash, Forbidden, Sodom, and Sabbat.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 211 (12.25.2021)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays folks. We’re gonna keep this short: please stay safe and healthy if you’re planning on spending time with family and friends. Life is too short.

My brain’s been scattered lately so why not swing the pendulum wide to kick off the 211th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist: we’re kicking things off with some classic Judas Priest followed by some classic avant-garde black metal courtesy of Fleurety. Anton chimes in with some new music from Blockheads, E-L-R, and a favorite from his forthcoming EOY list, Code. The ever-dependable Buke gives us some Christmas cheer with King Diamond and Savatage, then as a chaser throws in some Fates Warning and Sentenced, among others. if you’ve read Josh’s Best of 2021 post you know how much death metal nourished him this year, so bands like Shub Niggurath and Antichrist Siege Machine shouldn’t be a surprise. Vincent welcomes the darkness with the latest from Ustalost but also lights a candle for his patron saint John Darnielle’s health (dude is currently ripping up Twitter as he isolates due to COVID) with some Mountain Goats. And Angela closes us out with some festive greetings courtesy of Damian Masters and Type O Negative.

That’s it. Stay safe. Think of others. Take care of yourself and we’ll see you in 2022.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 210 (12.18.2021)

ChrisLeave a comment
playlist - mixtape

It’s a week until Christmas. My listening habits have leaned even more into metal than usual, but that’s probably because I’m whittling away on my year-end lists when I’m not editing some of the other you’ll see crop up in here in the next few weeks.

It’s been great seeing the love the latest from Iron Maiden has been getting from the metal community so let’s kick off the 210 edition of the Nine Circles Playlist with one of my favorites from their latest, Senjutsu. Funeral Mist just released a black metal bomb with Deiform, so it feels appropriate to defile the playlist with some of their new music. Elsewhere in the Nine Circles universe Anton maintains the extremity with some furious grind courtesy of Takafumi Matsubara and even more nastiness from White Void and Eximperitus. Josh may be on vacation with his family, but that didn’t stop him from picking some truly nasty music, with As the World Dies, Gingivectomy, and Demiser leading the pack. Vincent flexes his genre muscles with picks from Midwife, Creation Lily, and Yellow Eyes while Buke brings us back to the classroom with killers from King Diamond, Forbidden, and Amon Amarth, among others.

If that wasn’t enough, Angela wraps the week up with Lucy Dacus, Darkher, and a banger from Horrendous. Not sure if we’ll have playlists the next two weeks with the holidays falling on a Saturday, but if we don’t, this feels like a good one to end the year on! So until the unknown “next time,” keep it heavy!

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– Chris

Receiving the Evcharist: Meridian Dawn and Saugatuck Brewing Company’s Blueberry Maple Stout

Angela BlockLeave a comment
Receiving the Evcharist 2018

Hello friends!  We made it through another week and that definitely deserves a cheers.  It is time to drink from the cup of heresy.  This week’s offerings:  Meridian Dawn‘s The Pagan Poetry EP and Saugatuck Brewing Company‘s Blueberry Maple Stout.

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