Nine Circles ov… Dååth


They’re back! After a 12-plus year hiatus, Dååth have returned to the scene. With a fresh new deal inked with Metal Blade, a revamped lineup, and the recent release of “No Rest No End”, the progressive death metal crew seem poised for a big 2023. And I, for one, couldn’t be more excited for their return. So, with all of that said, this seemed like an appropriate time to revisit their catalog. Considering their previous three albums, The Hinderers, The Concealers, and 2010’s final, self-titled effort are all free over on their Bandcamp page, we’ll focus on those collections. The Hinderers specifically, released back in 2007, had a major impact on the trajectory of my music taste going forward, and it has been a serious treat revisiting some of those classics. So, without further delay, let’s dive right into nine of my favorite Dååth tracks. Some are obvious, some hopefully are a little less so…

Continue reading

CANTO: Soilwork, Lorna Shore, Oceans of Slumber, and More

Sneaking in some quick updates before I disappear for the weekend.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
cmb

CANTO: Hypocrisy, Trivium, Mastodon, and More

I was going to skip this today, but then I saw a lot of stuff happening, so I guess I’m not skipping it now.

  • We can start with Hypocrisy, who released another new track from Worship. Check out the clip for “Dead World” right here. That album drops on November 26th through Nuclear Blast and I am really fucking excited about it.
  • I think these are all going to be new singles and/or videos, and you’re going to need to deal with that. Next up is Massacre, who unveiled this gnarly clip for “The Whisperer In Darkness”. Resurgence is out on October 22nd, also through Nuclear Blast.
  • So if Matt Heafy calling out MGK was for any kind of publicity, it worked. (Side note: I don’t actually think it was.) Here’s the new music video from Trivium for “The Phalanx”. The Court of the Dragon is somehow out next Friday already, through Roadrunner. That’s cool.
  • If you live out in California, you’ll get a chance to see the Harm’s Way running man in person in November. They’re joining Stick To Your Guns for a trio of shows from the 18th to the 20th. Those tickets went on sale today, casual FYI.
  • Let’s toss in a new video from Sarke, for “Beheading of the Circus Director”. That’s the second single from Allsighr, which is out on November 5th through Soulseller Records. That album is really, really enjoyable, by the way.
  • And it’s only right that we close with the new video from Mastodon for “Teardrinker”. Hushed & Grim drops on October 29th… another one that I’m really fucking excited about.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
cmb

Album Review: Unto Others — “Strength”

unto others - strength

With 2019’s Mana, Unto Others (then, Idle Hands) made quite possibly the biggest splash a band could make with a debut full length. It was an amalgamation of goth, classic metal, and tragically intense lyrics that painted itself across best of lists by the truckload. On follow up Strength, there’s burning questions aplenty and, admittedly, a bit of trepidation going into it that this would merely be a part II. And really, who could blame them? However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as the band has, somehow, made a tighter, better, more focused album. 

Continue reading

Initial Descent: September 19 – 25, 2021

Unto Others

Look, I don’t know all the answers, nor does anyone else for that matter, apparently. However, I do know a good one which is something the old guard of country knew well: let’s just get wasted and kick all the footlights out. Very effective. Anyway, new metal time and we’ve got another long list ahead that’s full of it. First up are the undisputed kings of goth metal, Unto Others, with their second full length that’s everything you loved about Mana, but better. Next up is a technical platter from Rivers of Nihil who continue to show how adept they are at exceptional ideas and making them heavy as lead, then we’ve got Wraith who show that the thrash revival is better than ever, and last up top is LLNN with their healthy serving of sludge, hardcore, and post-metal. Many, many more follow these picks so jump in and grab them all.

Continue reading