suffocation – Nine Circles

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 309 (11.11.2023)

November 11, 2023November 11, 2023ChrisLeave a comment

Last night I came home to the arrival of the new book about Scott Burns and the massive imprint he left on the overall sound of death metal. I’m already halfway through it, and the nostalgia high I am riding for that period of time is gonna be spread all over this, the 309th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist. So expect a lot of Dan Seagrave (or Michael Whelan) cover art, but first let’s kick off with the latest from neo thrash lords Gama Bomb, whose new album Bats just dropped as well as something from the forthcoming Walking Corpse record, which has been obliterating my stereo of late.

Besides the numerous Scott Burns picks (and we end with a whopper: the mayhem of Assück’s Misery Index in its full 15-minute glory) we have new tracks from Ringarë, Nornír, the collaboration between Full of Hell and Nothing; Cryptosis, Cognizance, and Bipolar Architecture…hell, we even have a track from Molly Hatchet up in here.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 308 (11.4.2023)

November 4, 2023November 4, 2023ChrisLeave a comment

The other day a couple of us on the staff were talking about the insane amount of death metal released this year (it feels like 20 Buck Spin alone released close to a thousand albums with some variation of “technical guttural death metal with fretless bass”). We were thinking we had reached the saturation point, and then Suffocation comes and puts out their best album in over a decade. Oh, and Job for a Cowboy returns after a lengthy hiatus and slays. I guess the lesson learned is “never too much of a good thing,” huh?

From there the 308th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist goes in a dozen different directions. I won’t spoil all the surprises, but how about new tracks from Exocrine, Laster, Crystal Coffin, Myrath, and Dreamwell; a new acoustic track from Psychonaut, razor sharp cuts from Nine Inch Nails, Devangelic, Wayfarer, and even some Sisters of Mercy for good measure.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

– Chris

Initial Descent: October 29 – November 4, 2023

October 30, 2023October 28, 2023JoshLeave a comment

Ok. Day before Halloween. Are you ready? If not, get there homie. I stay ready all year so there’s that. New week means new metal and topping this week’s list is the MIGHTY Suffocation coming back for the album none of us ever thought possible, then we’ve got more death metal… well, deathgrind from Psionic Madness which is a damn treat, let me tell ya, next up is some excellent gloomy doomy post-metal from Morne, and closing us out is another release from melodic metallers Insomnium but this time it’s a quick EP, and it’s good but that’s not a shocker. Indeed, it’s a KILLER week here on Initial Descent and one at home if you’d hurry up and get in the spooky spirit. Do that, then hunt down a favorite album out of the list below. We’ll see you here over the next few days, if we make it out of tomorrow alive…muhahahaHAHAHA………

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CANTO: Wayfarer, Dreamwell, Hinayana, and More

October 5, 2023October 5, 2023CoreyLeave a comment

Coming in late because this has, in fact, been quite the fucking week.

Leading off, the third and final single from In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You, the sophomore album from Dreamwell. Check out “All Towers Drawn in the Equatorial Room” here. That collection drops on October 20 through Prosthetic Records.
Big fan of Hinayana here, so let’s go there next. They revealed “Triptych Visions”, the second single taken from Shatter And Fall. That new album is out on November 10 through Napalm Records.
Suffocation, anyone? Hymns From The Apocrypha, the ninth album from the death metal legends, arrives on November 3rd via Nuclear Blast. Give “Perpetual Deception” a watch and listen here.
Do we think Dark Parade will successfully follow Forever Black? Well, we have another chance to make our predictions with the release of “Looking Glass“. The latest from Cirith Ungol is out on October 20 through Metal Blade.
So the new Wayfarer album, American Gothic, is amazing. Naturally, we’re going to wrap up with the video for “A High Plains Eulogy”. That release date is officially right around the corner, October 13 through Profound Lore.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Dååth, Suffocation, Necrofier, and More

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023CoreyLeave a comment

Not gonna lie, I preferred the rain to the heat.

The biggest news of the day obviously came from Dååth. Their new single, “The Silent Foray”, features Per Nilson of Scar Symmetry and can be heard here. They’ve also completed their lineup in announcing Rafael Trujillo as lead guitarist, and are in the mastering phase of their debut album through Metal Blade, which wecan expect next year. Busy times!
From there, we’ll pivot a bit to Wind Rose, who dropped a new video for “Mine Mine Mine!”, a track taken from 2019’s Wintersaga. Their most recent album, Warfront, is available now through Napalm Records. Grab that one here.
Out of the Season of Mist camp, Necrofier are streaming new material over at Decibel. Give “Destroying Angels” a listen here. Their sophomore effort, Burning Shadows in the Southern Night, is available now.
And closing out, we have Suffocation. They’re unleashing their ninth full-length on November 3 through Nuclear Blast, titled Hymns From The Apocrypha. Watch the music video for the new single, “Seraphim Enslavement”, below.