wo fat – Nine Circles

Best of 2022: Dan K.’s Favorite Heavy Stuff

January 13, 2023January 9, 2023Dan1 Comment

Woohoo! I actually recognize some of the albums in that picture!

Yyyyyyep, I’m still here, y’all. And hey! I actually made a good amount of time for heavy stuff this year. I think the phrase “heavy stuff” is pretty key, here. Not all of the stuff on my entry* will be “metal,” per se. Is that in keeping with the site’s general aesthetics? Perhaps not. Do I care? Also, perhaps not.

^{_{* It’s not a ranking. You know how I feel about rankings.}}

For, uh… almost as long as this site has existed, if we’re being honest… I’ve been putting together these end-of-year recaps and kinda struggling for things to say in any of them. I mean… I love the team we’ve got here at Nine Circles. I like metal (I think). I’m neutral on making-sure-I-listen-to-all-the-important-albums-in-a-given-year. Most of the time, I don’t like justifying my opinions on said albums. And of course, I fucking hate ranked lists.**

_{^{** Now you really know how I feel about rankings.}}

So, where does that leave me? And why do I keep bothering with these kinds of posts?

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Nine Circles ov…Stoner and Psych Metal in 2022

June 14, 2022June 14, 2022Chris2 Comments

Recently I created a new playlist featuring what has fast become my go-to genre when I need to bear down and get some serious groove on: the luscious low-end of stoner rock and metal (Spotify users are welcome to it here; Apple Music users can find it here). Throw some psych elements in and I’m an even happier camper. We don’t feature nearly enough of it her at Nine Circles; all too often the staff are mired in extreme noise and suffocatingly depressive odes to inner turmoil – and that’s perfectly fine…if that’s your thing. Lately it’s not mine; I’d rather get a nasty fuzzed to the heavens riff in my brain accompanied by sweet-ass vocal melodies and anthemic choruses I can shout along to as I air-guitar until my arthritic wrists cry out for reprieve.

So for this edition of Nine Circles ov… let’s highlight some of the boogie down rifftastic stoner and psychedelic rock and metal that’s all the rage in my frontal lobe, shall we?

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Album Review: Wo Fat — “The Singularity”

May 6, 2022May 5, 2022Dan2 Comments

Let’s get the long and short of this review out of the way right off the bat: if you’re a fan of stoner heavyweights Wo Fat, you’ll likely be well aware of — and hyped as fuck for — The Singularity, the band’s first full-length in nearly six years. After all, the Texas trio possesses an immense scope and abundance of god-tier stoner riffs, which combine to make each new release feel like a proper event. When you hear rumblings from the House of Wo Fat, you get pumped — it’s that simple. And guess what? On The Singularity, the band continues to make damn good on all that hype.

Those looking for a bit more than the TL;DR version? Read on…

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CANTO: Machine Head, Wo Fat, Jungle Rot, and More

April 12, 2022April 12, 2022CoreyLeave a comment

Not a happy day watching the Champions League for this guy!

I’ve really enjoyed the new Wo Fat, so I’m going to share every new thing that emerges from it. Check out “The Snows of Banquo IV” over at Invisible Oranges. As a reminder, The Singularity is out on May 6th through Ripple Music.
Jungle Rot is another one we’re highly anticipating, so be sure to check out “A Call to Arms” whenever you have a couple minutes. That’s the title-track from their new record, which drops on May 13th through Unique Leader.
Moonshade, the melodic extreme metal crew out of Porto, released a new single from their upcoming sophomore album. Check out “Epitaph” here, as we await more details around their next effort.
Symphonic metallars Visions of Atlantis unveiled their second single, “Melancholy Angel”, which you can check out here. Pirates, as a reminder, is set for a May 13th release through Napalm Records.
The new track and video from Machine Head is pretty damn awesome, so that’s how we’ll close out the day. Check out the clip for “CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE” below. ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN drops on August 26th through Nuclear Blast and Imperium Recordings.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 226 (4.09.2022)

April 9, 2022April 9, 2022ChrisLeave a comment

Dear Diary,

Today I was this many years old when I found out Hällas released a new album, so we’re kicking off the 226th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist with a track from the incredible Isle of Wisdom, followed by some righteous early 70s proto-metal I’ve been playing nonstop the past few days.

Lest you think it’s nothing but underground and garage rock from before you were born, the loyal 9C staff have you covered with the more extreme stuff. Aton kicks us off with some new Werewolves, Autarkh III, and Enphin. Josh and I have been gushing over the latest from Wo Fat, so here’s a dose of what to expect when their new album explodes, as well as tracks from Demonical, Tenebro, Lord Belial, Hurakan, and a Motörhead classic. Vincent goes for the outer reaches with some Cremation Lily, The Callous Daoboys, Egregore, and a killer live cut from site favorite Kowloon Walled City. Buke goes decidedly old school with Manowar, Demilich, Sepultura, Darkthrone, and MSG. Finally Angela brings the proceedings to a close with the new single from Astronoid and tracks from Vattnet and Soft Kill, followed by a KILLER old cut from Thou. Really…we should have more Thou in our lives.