obscura – Nine Circles

CANTO: Rotten Sound, Thulcandra, Ghost, and More

February 13, 2023February 13, 2023CoreyLeave a comment

There was a game on last night that I think I watched? Can’t remember.

I’m in a mood today, so let’s lead in with some grindcore. Rotten Sound is dropping Apocalypse on March 31 through Season of Mist, and today they unveiled a video for the new track “Nothingness”. Give it a watch here.
This is an interesting tour. Ghost is taking Amon Amarth on the road here in the U.S. this coming August in September. Various presales go live tomorrow, with public sales starting on Friday as always.
We’ve got another new track from Majesties floating around, and that’s a no-brainer. Give “Our Gracious Captors” a listen here. Vast Reaches Unclaimed is out on March 3 through 20 Buck Spin.
Jesus Piece revealed a new track today, and word on the street is that it’s a banger. Give “Tunnel Vision” a listen here. That’s taken from their forthcoming album, …So Unknown, which is out on April 14 through Century Media.
We’ll close out with some Thulcandra. They have a new album dropping on May 19 through Napalm Records titled Hail The Abyss, and the video for “As I Walk Through The Gateway” can be seen below. They’re also on tour with Wolfheart, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Obscura for the next month or so.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Obscura, Gorguts, Eluveitie, and More

December 8, 2022December 8, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

Coming at ya late because… beers.

Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly happenings are emerging, and a more recent announcement has caught my attention. Gorguts will be performing a special Obscura and Considered Dead set next April 14, the first day of the festival. Also, their first live show in six years. Awesome. Here’s the ticket link, obviously.
Igorrr have announced a later 2023 North American tour with Melt-Banana and Otto Von Schirach. Those dates are in September and October, and tickets go on sale Friday (which is how these updates usually work). I won’t be at this one, but if you plan on catching it… have fun!
And then we have Eluveitie, who dropped a new lyric video for “Exile of the Gods”. I’m pretty sure there’s a music video for that same track out there, too… Anyway, if you’re in Europe you can catch them live with Amorphis throughout this month, basically.
Obscura have a complete works anniversary bundle available through Nuclear Blast here, and today they revealed a new video for “Heritage”. And that’s how we’re going to close out our day. That track is another one from Valediction, which dropped last year.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Nine Circles ov…Corey’s Berlin Marathon Playlist

September 20, 2022September 19, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

I most certainly do not need to go into detail about all the chaos and confusion that has existed in the world over the past three years. 2022 has been especially filled with new challenges and uncertainties, to the point where now I just throw my hands in the air and laugh as it all keeps piling up. Chaos. And confusion. But those that know me, know that I have few specific pursuits each day that help me keep at least some order in all of this. One of those, of course, is this blog. And a second one is running. Which is what brings us here today.

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Scholar of the First Sin: Hera’s Best of 2021

December 28, 2021December 25, 2021Hera2 Comments

I am the Scholar of the First Sin, and I have insight to give.

Last year, my list was short and to the point, as I spent more time listening to music that gave me respite and comfort than to new releases. This meant that, once I had more time on my hands, I was finally able to go out and see what I had missed. The fact that I can’t include Dark Tranquility’s Moment, an album that deserves more attention, on this list because it came out last year fucking kills me.

Despite the Omicron variant (at this time) destroying all hope for a small sense of normalcy, 2021 was an absolutely fantastic year for music. After many bands either couldn’t tour because of the onset of the pandemic or postponed a lot of their releases, this year provided us with new music, which meant that a lot of vetting had to happen in order for me to make this list. After graduation, I suddenly had more time than I ever had to do with and decided to dive deep into what I had been ignoring for the better part of five months.

Welcome to EOY list season!

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Best of 2021: Ian’s Honorable Mentions

December 20, 2021December 18, 2021IanLeave a comment

I really like honorable mentions. When people talk about their favorite albums of any given year, I think I am actually more interested in by what *almost* made the cut than what took the number one spot. It’s so interesting to see where the absolutely arbitrary line gets drawn between “the best” and “the still pretty fucking good”. Once again, I find myself truly hashtag blessed to be in another year where there was so much good metal that I couldn’t bring myself to write just one list. As always, just because these are honorable mentions doesn’t mean they’re not worth your time. This list is just a musical amuse bouche before the real thing, but it is nonetheless delicious on its own.

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