Brother Vincent was nice enough to let me take the reigns this week but rest assured, he’ll be back with a vengeance soon. Today I’m featuring a pairing that on first glance or taste or listen didn’t seem like it would gel. But, upon further inspection it was just what the doctor ordered. Behold, the Body‘s I have fought against it, But I can’t any longer. and Wicked Weed Brewing‘s Napoleon Complex for this Receiving the Evcharist. Continue reading
Portland, OR’s premiere boutique metal label Vrasubatlat has been an unstoppable machine since the label opened its doors in 2015. Gaining almost instant regard for its projects and commitment to a cohesive aesthetic, the label has attracted followers in high places in the short amount of time it has been releasing music, cementing relationships with fellow local hotshots Fallen Empire Records and one of my favorite noise labels Unseen Force. I’ve been riding this particular hype train since the first batch of releases dropped, and today it is my pleasure to be able to share my thoughts on not one, not two, but three new full-length albums that span across all the styles of music that make Vrasubatlat the diverse treasure trove it is.
Anonymity has been one of extreme music’s time-honored, though shopworn, traditions since even before the first wave of black metal. It has endured through a succession of major and far-lesser-known acts spanning continents and decades, in part, because anonymity taps that fearful part of the imagination in which these walls of haunting sound flourish. Furthermore, this tactic subtly returns to the music snob in all of us, by letting the music speak for itself. However, so common is anonymity that it has become an officious self-parody in instances like Ghost, where estranged bandmates battle it out in court over money, intellectual property and identity.
The Australian group Grave Upheaval seemingly pursues obscurity intentionally. About five years ago, the band released an album titled simply Untitled. It conveys no lineup information and its tracks are titled in a fashion that is as bland as one can get, e.g. Roman numeral titles. Now, roughly five years after Untitled, Grave Upheaval is back.
With what, you ask? Untitled, of course. Not Untitled II. Just Untitled. Not a good sign, perhaps. Continue reading
In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.
There’s a few things in my life that get me extremely hyped up like a new batch of releases from Psychic Violence Records. The underground metal stalwarts have been churning out heavy music par excellence from some of my favorite acts like Ash Borer, Urzeit, and Ruin Lust (seriously, please listen to their album), for eight years, and the trend in quality is only ever upwards; between the latest Predatory Light full-length, Sanguine Eagle album, and the newest Akatharsia (which I raved about over here), the label’s most recent output has been some of the best they’ve ever released. So when Psychic Violence announced their newest batch of releases, I knew I couldn’t just pick one to review. That’s where our Second Circle format comes in handy. Buckle up for a double dose of destruction by way of A Story of Rats and Vilkacis. Continue reading
New York’s dark ambient, experimental GRIDFAILURE released their second full length, Irritum, last month on the band’s second anniversary. But in that two year span they’ve amassed quite the catalog of dark and apocalyptic yet challenging releases which all started with the cannibalistic and off kilter nature of debut full length Ensuring the Bloodline Ends Here. After much experimentation, Irritum is an altogether more cohesive mass of noise driven rhythms that illicit an overwhelming sense of dread and paranoia. Tasty stuff to be sure. Today we’re excited to bring you the video premiere of third track “It Feeds On Negative Energy” so head inside to check it out. Continue reading
