seven kingdoms

CANTO: Seven Kingdoms, Lybica, Strigoi, and More

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SOM


Drafting this super early in the afternoon, so here’s hoping I don’t miss anything good!

  • Leading off, we have new stuff from Lybica, the new project featuring Killswitch Engage’s Justin Foley on guitar. Check out the visualizer for “Oktavist” here. Their self-titled debut drops on September 16th through Metal Blade. Cat!
  • On the darker side of things this Thursday, we have a new one from Strigoi. The blackened doom outfit are releasing Viscera on September 30th through Season of Mist, and today they unveiled “King Of All Terror”.
  • Atmospheric doom pop outfit SOM have some (lol) November dates coming up here in the U.S. (but not near me sadly). They’ll be joined by Holy Fawn and Grivo. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. You know what to do.
  • Need a little energy boost at the end of your day? Try out the latest from power metal crew Seven Kingdoms. The new video for “Chasing the Mirage” is right below, a track taken from Zenith. That’s out now through Distortion Music Group.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Ibaraki, Werewolves, Kreator, and More

CoreyLeave a comment

By the time this publishes, I’ll be photographing my second show of the year. Which is wild.

“Ein bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Darkness Everywhere, Cryptum, DiAmorte, and More

CoreyLeave a comment

New year, same pessimism!

  • In case you weren’t aware, Striker is cruising around North America with Beast in Black and Seven Kingdoms. Those dates mostly occupy April, and you can find the full schedule here. They also dropped a video for “Deathwish” not too long ago, just in case you missed it.
  • California-based melodic death metal crew Darkness Everywhere has completed production for their debut EP, The Seventh Circle. That is set for a release late next month through Creator-Destructor. You can pre-order that, and check out a new single titled “Reign of Chaos”, over on their Bandcamp page.
  • Let’s check in with Cryptum, the thrash/death metal collective from Illinois. Their new EP, Vile Emergence, will be out on February 24th through Caligari Records. You can pre-order that, including CD and cassette formats, at their Bandcamp. Be sure to check out the title-track while you’re at it.
  • Wrapping up this miserable Monday with something more… theatrical, we have the new video from DiAmorte for “Where The Light Grows Cold”. Give it a watch below, and be sure to check back in with us tomorrow… and every day after that.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Best of 2017: Some stuff Dan liked this year!

Dan4 Comments

9C 2017 EOY Header Image

Hey y’all, it’s been a minute! More accurately, it’s been about 221,000! Over the last four months, when I haven’t been watching the world rapidly start to resemble a toilet overflowing with diarrhea, I’ve been slaving away at my first semester of nursing school. Which has meant that finally, after a solid 2-3 years in a row of telling myself, “I’m gonna listen to less music this year,” I actually did listen to less music this year! My best estimate is…probably 165 albums? Maybe 170? Still a bunch, but down more than a hundred from each of the last couple of years. MISSION [SORTA] ACCOMPLISHED.

On the other hand, this puts me in something of an odd position when it comes to picking my “Best of 2017.” I didn’t listen to as much music. I deleted my Twitter and reduced my overall social media presence by, conservatively, 75% — which, by the way, was a fucking AMAZING life decision that I recommend all of you try — so I had neither a steady stream of albums-you-must-hear-or-you-will-be-shunned crossing my radar screen, nor the urge to seek out even more obscure albums that I could shun others for not having heard. Oh, and also, most of my favorite albums this year were from outside the metal genre. Me putting this list together and claiming it to be THE BEST OF 2017 would be a little delusional.

So, that’s why I’m not doing that. Okay fine, I’ve made a list and ordered it — alphabetically, because EAT IT, BIG RANKINGS — but that’s it. This is just some stuff I listened to and happened to really enjoy this year. Authoritativeness be damned. (Or left for the folks over at Last Rites.) Let’s jump in.

A note before beginning:

This list is going to focus on the metal portion of this year’s listening. (And perhaps, in some cases, the metal-adjacent.) So, even though Ulver put out my favorite album of the year in any genre with The Assassination of Julius Caesar, you’re not going to see that thing in this post. Same with Anathema. Same with…I dunno, Steven Wilson, or The War on Drugs, or other contributions from pretty-blatantly-not-metal artists. If time permits, I’ll do a year-end Rainbows in the Dark recap. (Maybe.) But this is my metal list, and it shall be kept metal. Now, all that said…

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Keeper of the Flame: Frank’s List of the Best Power Metal of 2017

Frank4 Comments

9C 2017 EOY Header Image

Well, 2017 is at an end. You know what that means, don’t ya?

LISTS!!!

I’m gonna keep this intro short and sweet because this is all about the tunes. Since Nine Circles is the mecca of extreme music discussion, I’m going to change things up a bit. My list is strictly Power Metal. As the resident Power Metal guru I want to highlight 20 great albums from this awesome, yet misunderstood sub-genre. If you’re okay with Power Metal, cool! If not…LEAVE THE HALL!!! I now present to you my 20 favorite Power Metal albums of 2017.   Continue reading →