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Best of 2018: Vincent’s List

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It appears I’m destined to be late to the party with my year end list, again.  But really, who reads year-end lists in January anyway?

I do.

And you, apparently, read them as well, so thank you for checking mine out.  This year was quite a ride for me, with not as many ups as there were downs unfortunately, but I made it through, and if there is nothing else for me to hold on to, it’s that.  I made it.  I’m still here, I still have a roof over my head, a loving partner, and the support of a legion of family and friends.  And as always, good music to provide the soundtrack along the way.

Which brings us to what stood out to me in 2018.  While this was a great year for music as any we’ve been having, my list this year is a little more brief than previous years.  I found a lot of albums I liked this year, but the ones that I loved came fewer and farther between.  Perhaps this was a product of my headspace not being the best for most of the time.  Maybe I’m just getting pickier as time goes on.  Who knows.  Lists are subjective, and this is only representative of one humble person.  But if you’re curious about what I kept coming back to over the last twelve months, then read on…

And hey.  Thanks for being here. Continue reading →

The Nine Circles Audio Thing: Highlights from the first half of 2018!

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Time for another audio thing! In this edition, the group gets together to discuss some of their favorite albums from the first half of the year. (Yes, we’re aware it’s halfway through July. Promptness, thy name is NOT Nine Circles.)

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The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 33 (3.19.2018)

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Had the unfortunate and tired conversation over the weekend regarding rock/metal being dead. My first reaction was to belly laugh so hard I thought my rib cage was going to split wide open and my second was to proceed in regaling these folks with tales of all the ridiculously killer albums that have been released since 2018 began, all of which fell on skewed ears. But I also directed them to this very website along with a choice few others and politely asked them to get back to me after some much needed research. We’ll see if they oblige and I’ll update you if so but don’t hold your breath, I’m not holding mine. Anyway, another week is upon us which means we’ve got another full playlist of stuff that grabbed our attention last week and hopefully it’ll grab yours as well. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here and dive in below. Rock/metal is far from dead, it lives and breathes in all of us. Cheers to you and have a great week. Continue reading →

Rainbows in the Dark: Ulvesang – “The Hunt”

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Ulvesang - The Hunt

Welcome back to Rainbows in the Dark, our section devoted to covering all that which lies adjacent to or outside the realm of heavy metal.  Today, I’m extremely excited to bring you my thoughts on an album that has been captivating me for weeks now: Ulvesang‘s The Hunt, a brilliant and moving work of dark folk music. Continue reading →

Initial Descent: March 11 – 17, 2018

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Slaves BC
Slaves BC

Lots of things happening this month: March Madness, warmer weather (sort of) and the time change. So if you’re into any of that, have at it. Around here, new metal is what’s happening and if you came here looking for it you’re definitely in luck. Long list ahead so let’s get to it — first up is the absolutely vicious yet cuttingly personal black/death of Lo and I am Burning from Slaves BC. As you are all aware (or not) Josh Thieler writes for us from time to time and we love him dearly but that has nothing to do with top billing this week, this band has grown exponentially and have put their best foot forward here. Next up is Where Owls Know My Name by Rivers of Nihil and this is another album where a band has put their best foot forward, technical death metal that bleeds forward thinking and rules. Moving along is the extremely soothing dark folk of Ulvesang on The Hunt, this is the one you need while contemplating life or just trying to get through it — perfect soundtrack. Closing out the top slots this week is the EP Question from the Mexican quartet of the same name Question, this thing is ultra-aggressive, extreme and with four tracks it steamrolls the senses in the best way possible. Plenty of fodder already for end of year thoughts but there’s much more to get to. Stick around and bask in the rest… Continue reading →