CANTO: Katatonia, Lord Dying, Tombs, and More

katatoniacityburials

Today was a big day. Tomorrow will be an even bigger day.

  • Stop EVERYTHING. Katatonia revealed stuff today. City Burials, the next album from the somber metal legends, will be out on April 24th through Peaceville Records. Check out the first single, titled “Lacquer”, right now.
  • Let’s use this opportunity to remind everyone of the upcoming Lord Dying tour with Obituary and Black Label Society, and also introduce this new video for “Freed From The Pressures Of Time”. That track is from last year’s Mysterium Tremendum.
  • I think we are all aware of the upcoming Napalm Death tour this spring, but today I’m happy to share that Tombs will be joining them. That’s gonna be a beast of a lineup, not gonna lie.
  • Here’s a new music video from Anvil for “Legal At Last”, the title track from their upcoming album which will be out February 14th on AFM Records. Enjoy.

 

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Embracing the Descent: April 21 – 27, 2019

EMBRACING TEMP LOGO

Welcome back to another edition of Embracing the Descent and another opportunity to catch some fire from this week’s incoming metal. If it’s your first visit, we briefly discuss a handful of the current week’s new releases that stood out for whatever reason and maybe, from time to time, a week behind but who’s counting. We won’t be hitting everything because no one needs a 40 – 60 entry piece and who’s got that kind of time anyway. Let’s jump in and don’t forget to check out the full listing from Monday’s Initial Descent. Before you go, leave us a comment if you have thoughts or gripes or something we should be listening to. Continue reading

Initial Descent: April 21 – 27, 2019

Lord Dying
Lord Dying – photo courtesy of Alyssa Herrman

New week, new set of circumstances, new opportunities, and new metal which is the one reason we’re here. As some band once said ‘nothing else matters.’ And with that, let’s get on with it.

This week will be remembered for many reasons, I’m sure, but the biggest of which is whatever you thought you knew about Lord Dying forget it and make way for their new, more progressive, more classically psychedelic, and more fantastic look on Mysterium Tremendum – talk about surprises, it’s nearly impossible to tell this is the same band but make no mistake, it IS amazing. Then we’ve got black metallers Murg who moved mountains with their debut Gudatall but return to grab the sky and move it too on Strävan, it’s everything that was great about their debut, just better and particularly so in the memorable songwriting department. Next is everyone’s favorite droners Sunn O))) (say it with me…sun) who return with another slab of frequencies on Life Metal that are so heavy you can feel them, or breathe them – points if you know where that came from and if you missed out on RSD, now’s your chance. Last up top but certainly not least is Spotlights who prove that post-metal as a tag is limiting seeing as how Love & Decay is so much more with its power, haunting melodies, and wisps of granite destroying heaviness – ‘iron tone in a velvet glove’ was part of the promo accompaniments and it couldn’t be more accurate.

Beyond that you’ll just have to explore for yourself. Get in there… Continue reading

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 74 (04.06.2019)

playlist - mixtape

Like Stephen Tyler said, ‘I’m back in the saddle again.’  Thanks to Josh for once again picking up this column while I was off on my sojourn to the Pacific Northwest.  I fought no demon hordes in my tenure there (although I did steal a couple souls…), just a lot of hiking, sightseeing, and stuffing my face with doughnuts and beer.  As all good vacations should be.  And now, back to business.  We have a ton of good tunes for you on this week’s playlist, so dive right in and see what’s been running through our collective headphones lately.

– Vincent

CANTO: 30 seconds of Ghost, a month-plus of Toxic Holocaust & Lord Dying, and more!

ghost band 2015

Six damn posts today. And it would have been seven if I’d had time to finish the podcast last night. (Look for that sometime tomorrow.) Either way, it’s an exhausting cap to what’s been an exhausting week, so naturally in my exhaustion, I’m heading off to Saint Vitus later tonight to stand on my feet for four more hours and listen to some black metal. Woof. Anyway, here’s what we missed today:

  • Not one to be outdone by Iron Maiden’s “release-30-seconds-of-a-new-song” approach, Ghost issued about that much of another track from their upcoming albumMeliora. It’s called “Absolution,” and it’s…fine, I guess? Hard to tell with only 30 seconds.
  • Toxic Holocaust and Lord Dying announced a mammoth, month-plus tour run beginning at the end of August.
  • Sad about Obscura dropping off the Summer Slaughter tour? Here’s some good news: the band’s finished their new album!
  • Apparently, Guns ‘N’ Roses are still a thing, so it comes as little surprise that their revolving door of lineup changes would be, too. The latest casualty? Guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal — otherwise known as the only talented one in the bunch.
  • And finally, The Sword released a new song earlier today. Here’s “Mist and Shadow”:

http://cache.vevo.com/assets/html/embed.html?video=USRZR1565918

Good god, that was boring. Oh well, I’m off to see False, Thou and Fórn. Oh, and Sunrot, I guess. Later, kids.

Keep it heavy,
Dan