We count time in moments, not minutes. Minutes are an easy subdivision, a common agreement to note the objective passage of time. But we never objectively pass time: our “time” is made up of moments that can feel like a second or a lifetime. A minute is nothing without the events that fill it, and those events can warp and distort our perception of time in the best and worst ways. All of which goes to say that what for us may feel like about four years since Oregon titans of doom Yob released an album, it can never match or compare to how long it must have felt for Mike Scheidt and company to release Our Raw Heart, a piercing catharsis that seeks to make sense of the tumultuous events of Scheidt’s recent past, and not coincidentally some of their best work to date. Continue reading
mike scheidt
The Nine Circles Audio Thing: YOB’s Aaron Rieseberg on “Our Raw Heart,” defeating adversity and more!

It will come as no surprise to anyone reading this that YOB‘s upcoming eighth full length, Our Raw Heart, is superb. If the band is anything, it’s reliable — album after album. After going through a near-fatal bout of diverticulitis, frontman Mike Scheidt knuckled down to piece together what would become the bones of this album with a vigor that shocked everyone. Once able to share his ideas with drummer Travis Foster and bassist Aaron Rieseberg, the unspoken chemistry ignited. Continue reading
Donuts & CANTO: GWAR, Soulfly, YOB and more!

June 16, 2017
Good morning, it’s time to metal. Here’s some news you might have missed from yesterday:
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- Leading off, GWAR has announced its first studio album since the tragic passing of frontman Dave Brockie. The album will be called The Blood of Gods, and will drop this fall on Metal Blade. Here’s hoping for a positive turnout on this one.
Donuts & CANTO: Shadow Woods Metal Festival, Primus, YOB and more!
March 21, 2017
Good morning, it’s time to metal. Here’s some news you might have missed from yesterday:
- Leading off with one we missed from over the weekend — whoops! — but it’s particularly cool, so we’re gonna play catch-up: the Shadow Woods Metal Festival announced its 2017 lineup, and holy crap is this one a dandy. Panopticon, Vastum, Uada, Woe and tons more. Get on it.
- Cool tour alert: Primus has announced an extensive run of summer dates with Clutch. I’ve never seen Primus, and the one time I did see Clutch, I was too wasted to remember much, so…I might have to dabble with this one.
- Mike Scheidt’s been through hell over the last few months, so a bit of great news on that front: the YOB frontman successfully underwent a second surgery as part of his recovery from diverticulitis. Here’s hoping Mike heals up further and gets back to doing what he does best: utter sonic devastation.
- Remember that then-untitled new Danzig album we told you about on Friday? Well, it’s got a title: Black Laden Crown. Hooray?
- And finally, Ghost Bath released a new song called “Ambrosial,” which you can hear below:
I liked these guys more when they were from China. Anyway, that’ll do it for now — check back this time tomorrow for our next edition!
Keep it heavy,
Dan
Receiving the Evcharist: Vhöl and Chocolatté Porter
Welcome back, readers. Sometimes, when the world gets us down, we look for ways to help others in need to boost our own spirits. I have seen first hand the way the metal community has banded together to help where it counts, and while metal as a whole is far from a utopia, I love that I have surrounded myself with people who are working towards making metal the kind of community it always should have been; one that is inclusive and safe for everyone, one that sticks together, and one that helps pick up those that need it the most. So with this Evcharist, I wanted to try to be the change I wish to see in the world and do what I can to help one of metal’s own, the legendary Mike Scheidt. If I can help someone find great new booze or tunes in the process, so much the better. The Metal: Vhöl’s S/T. The Booze: Evan’s Brewing Company’s Chocolatté Porter. Continue reading