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Album Review: Atoll — “Prepuce” (EP)

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Atoll - Prepuce

If one were ever on the hunt for a brutal death metal album that features snippets from Family Guy, has a distinctively vile title with equally vile but comedic song titles, and exorbitant pig squeals, look no further than Prepuce from the Sonoran Desert madmen, Atoll. There must be something in the water…er…sand there since that area has been churning out some incredible metal for some time now and as the PR speak says of this EP, “pure American brutality,” Atoll fit the bill. But also take time to make you laugh, hysterically. 

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Initial Descent: April 10 – 16, 2022

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Analepsy
Analepsy

Feel free to feel how you want about this statement, but I’m just over here basking in the glory of the metal 2022 has brought us thus far and several you don’t even know about yet that will knock the socks clean off your crusty feet. Speaking of new metal, we’ve got a full listing and a few of these are at the level of ‘knocking socks off’ so let’s get to it… Kicking things off are a couple of top tier brutal death metal entries from Analepsy and Atoll which have my full attention. Then, we’ve got another MASSIVE doom outing from Seer, a progressive and slightly technical outing from Monuments, and a bloated list of other records worthy of your time and hard earned dollars. Just keep some of that change for new socks, eh?!

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Initial Descent: January 9 – 15, 2022

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Mizmor

Now that ‘best of’ season is almost behind us (key word: almost. Also, I’m going to miss it.), what’s everyone hoping to get this year from the metal world? While we don’t have a looking glass to see past these first few months, I’m optimistic that 2022 will have some epic releases to offer by the time December rolls around again. Maybe. We’ll see. Anyway, we’re leading off this week’s new metal list with three that could certainly fit the bill of ‘most anticipated’ and we kick those off with another doom stunner from Mizmor, Wiegedood’s darkest and most surprising album to date, and a blackened deathcore body blow from Worm Shepherd. For the second full week of January, this is a hell of a start. PLUS, there’s several more in the list that follows. You know what to do from here.

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Initial Descent: December 5 – 11, 2021

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Malignant Altar
Malignant Altar

Best of 2021 season is in full swing around the metal world and we’ll be joining soon enough. Y’all keep doing y’all with slinging mud over who chose what and why or this album is much better than that album or this thing doesn’t even deserve it or this ain’t even a metal list, and so on and so forth. BUT, keep in mind no list is the end all be all and each serves as THAT person’s or THAT site’s favorites. Rock on anyway though, it makes it fun seeing all the vitriol but most of all it’s refreshing to see the dedication to everyone’s favorites. Anyway, we still have a couple weeks of new metal so do continue to pay attention especially seeing as this week we’ve got some excellent death metal from both Malignant Altar and Pyrexia, an enthralling combo of black and death metal from Vahrzaw, a gut punch black metal offering from Diablation, and many more hanging out just below these four. Go get some and scream to the highest peaks what your favorites are, word of mouth is a strong thing.

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The Nine Circles Audio Thing: First Fragment was October 2021’s Album of the Month!

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  • First Fragment - Gloire Eternelle

One Zero Zero, baby! Episode 100 of The Nine Circles Audio Thing is here, and after a September break the AOTM is back and covering the sophomore album from Quebec’s First Fragment, “Gloire Éternelle.” Buke rallies the troops including Hera, Ian, Angela, Vincent, and a freshly returned from the wastelands Anton (who had the pick this month) as they discuss tech death’s short shrift in the metal conversation, the joys of fretless bass, and a whole lot more concerning one of the best the genre has to offer.

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