ufomammut – Nine Circles

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 328 (3.23.2024)

March 23, 2024March 23, 2024ChrisLeave a comment

I came into the 328th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist full of new music that evokes the past…what else would you expect from an old like me? But damn if the new tracks from Morgul Blade, Attic, and Hammer King don’t hold aloft the rotted and fetid corpses of yesteryear with a gleeful and heavy delight. There’s been plenty of extreme extremity of course (the soothing stylings of Severoth warm my black metal heart) but I’d be lying if I said my heart wasn’t trapped in the past.

The rest of the 9C staff bring the metal heat in a myriad of ways, including new cuts from Four Strokes Baron, Selbst, Ufomammut, the return of the mighty Pallbearer, some classics from Amon Amarth and Kvelertak; recent releases from Dödsrit, Hideous Divinity, and Bewitcher, and a trio of more electronic, emo fare to close things. The Twin Tribes video fills me with…feelings.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week.

—

– Chris

CANTO: Northlane, Sólstafir, Sylosis, and More

March 18, 2024March 18, 2024CoreyLeave a comment

An hour or two out in the woods with my camera on a Sunday makes for a much more tolerable Monday. I should have known.

Let’s start with a tour. Northlane are returning to North America for a headlining run in June and July, with Invent Animate, Thornhill, and Windwaker alongside. Tickets go on sale Friday, and you can get those, and any additional details you might need, here.
Next up, an update from Sólstafir. The Icelandic post-metallers have inked a deal with Century Media and have a new album planned for later this year. With that news, they also announced a late-2024 European tour with Oranssi Pazuzu, Hamferð, and Helga. So yeah, that’s gonna rule.
Psych doom trio Ufomammut are releasing their next album on May 17 through Neurot Recordings and Supernatural Cat Records, titled Hidden. Check out the animated video for the new track “Leeched” right here.
Rope Sect have set May 17 as the release date for their next album as well. Estrangement, their sophomore full-length effort, will be out through Iron Bonehead Productions, and “Revel in Disguise” can be heard at the label’s YouTube channel.
Closing out, we have a new live video from Sylosis for “Poison For The Lost”. That track is taken from their last full-length, A Sign Of Things To Come, out through Nuclear Blast, and the footage is from a recent London show with Malevolence.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Varg, Ufomammut, Witching, and More

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023CoreyLeave a comment

This week might actually kill me.

Italian psychedelic doom collective Ufomammut are releasing a new EP, Crookhead, which will be out on Halloween through their own Supernatural Cat Records. Check out all the details and get your pre-order on here.
Philly metallers Witching are releasing their sophomore studio album, Incendium, on October 27 through Translation Loss Records. Check out “So Young, So Useless”, the album’s closer, over at Metalsucks.
Ritual Clearing have set November 17 as the release date for for their debut album, Penitence. That collection of brooding black metal will be out through Eternal Death, and you can hear “Burn” over at the label’s Bandcamp page.
How about some German pagan metal to wrap things up? Below is the new video from Varg for “Eisenseite”. That track is taken from their upcoming new album, Ewige Wacht, which is out on October 13 through Napalm Records.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Album(s) Review: Various Artists — “Superunknown Redux” & “Best of Soundgarden Redux”

July 11, 2023July 11, 2023ColinLeave a comment

The music of Soundgarden and Chris Cornell will always hold a special place for me. The first two concerts I ever attended were him with his solo band, and before Cornell’s passing my dad and I had seen him a grand total of eight times between his own band, solo acoustic performances, Soundgarden, and the Temple of the Dog reunion. My dad even has his portrait tattooed with “no one sings like you anymore” inscribed underneath. There was no other voice in rock music like his, and likewise there was no other band like Soundgarden. As much as they were a part of the Seattle grunge scene, their music took inspiration from a wide variety of influences, from Led Zeppelin to punk to early sludge and doom metal. For the latest in the “Redux” series from Magnetic Eye Records (having previously released cover compilations for Alice in Chains, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and more), a plethora of doom and stoner metal artists including Ufomammut, Darkher, and Witch Ripper have recorded their iterations of both Soundgarden’s 1994 magnum opus and more with Superunkown Redux and Best of Soundgarden Redux. Not everything here shines quite as bright as the Seattle quartet did, but there’s still some worthy renditions to be found on these two albums.

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CANTO: The Ocean, Dragony, Bongzilla, and More

March 20, 2023March 20, 2023CoreyLeave a comment

Today was a weird one, not gonna lie.

Urlo, most known for work through Ufommamut, has announced the second LP from solo project The Mon. Eye is out on May 26 through through Supernatural Cat. Give “Where” a watch and listen at this location.
How about some Austrian symphonic power metal? Dragony revealed a previously unreleased digital single through Napalm Records titled “The Dead Queen’s Race”, the lyric video of which can be seen here. That marks the farewell to 2021’s Viribus Unitis, so we’ll see what else 2023 brings.
Bongzilla are releasing their sixth studio full-length on June 2 through Heavy Psych Sounds, titled Dab City. Check out the first track, “Hippie Stick”, over at Decibel.
Ara Solis have set the release date for their debut. Ashvatta will be out on May 19 through Iron Bonehead Productions, and you can hear “Ara Solis” over at the label’s Soundcloud.
Since we’re continuing our march towards the release of Holocene, I’m happy to wrap up the day with the new video from The Ocean. Check out the clip for “Sea of Reeds” below, directed by Lo!’s Adrian Shapiro. That album is out May 19 through Pelagic Records. Obviously.