wolves in the throne room

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 286 (6.3.2023)

ChrisLeave a comment

playlist - mixtape

Last week I was in the woods, contemplating where all the time went as my son celebrated his 16th birthday. This week it’s worse, because on Sunday I turn 50 fuckin’ years old. All I think about is where the time went, why every bone in my body hurts like someone took a hammer to all 206 of them, and why metal just can’t sound like it used to…

That last one’s a lie: metal sounds however you want it to, as long as you know where to look. And we got a bunch of it on this 286th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist. But you’ll have to see for yourself, but I’m not putting any band names in the post this week. Not even The Dirty Nil, which isn’t technically metal but none of us give a shit because the new album is so good and it’s all most of us in the 9C Top Brass have been talking about.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 282 (5.6.2023)

ChrisLeave a comment

playlist - mixtape

There are albums you immediately love, and albums you immediately don’t. Sometimes you come around, sometimes you don’t and sometimes you don’t even try. Last night after listening to the newly released remix of Heartless, one of my favorite albums of the last decade I decided to give Forgotten Days, my White Whale of *shrug* from Pallbearer one more try. Something clicked, and I found myself drawn into a record in ways I haven’t in a long time. Might have been the cold medicine, but suddenly there was a richness and depth I could never hear before, and now I happily can’t un-hear it. So you’ll excuse me if I click off the 282nd edition of the Nine Circles Playlist with the opening track of my new favorite record.

From there we move onto the sea with live music from The Ocean, and then the rest of the staff brings the noise with new tracks from Bear, Grant the Sun, Aridus, Erdve, and the might return of Corrosion of Conformity and Khemmis. Elsewhere we have tracks from Atriarch, Godflesh, and Wolves in the Throne Room. Still here? There’s also music from Death Goals, Trespasser, Thyrfing, a blast of Greek power metal from Sacred Outcry and to round things out we’re tacking on the complete new left turn space odyssey album from Krallice.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…

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– Chris

The Nine Circles Playlist Vol. 278 (4.08.2023)

ChrisLeave a comment

playlist - mixtape

Not gonna lie. Sure there’s been some great extreme music that came out this week (like the latest from Devangelic) but damn if this new Crown Lands albums isn’t some of the best Rush worship I’ve heard since, well…Rush in their heyday, which if you ask was pretty much their whole career outside of the debut and that small blip from Presto to Roll the Bones. So we’re kicking off with a single from the Canadian duo’s stellar new release before diving into the guttural extremity of Devangelic’s fourth album Xul.

From there the 278th edition of the Nine Circles Playlist goes all over the place, as you would expect. We’ve got music from the likes of Rotten Sound, Demonical, and the scorching new cut from the forthcoming Cattle Decaptiation. We’ve got technical progressive death metal from Pronostic and glam from Steel Panther. And in between there’s cuts from Planning for Burial and Chapterhouse, Oranssi Pazuzu and Gorguts, Lo! and Godflesh, not to mention a host of killer cuts to close things out, including Opeth, Sabaton, Judas Priest, and others.

Get listening. Stay safe. See you next week…

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– Chris

CANTO: Unleash The Archers, Misery Index, Xandria, and More

CoreyLeave a comment
Wolves In the Throne Room


Let’s see how quickly I can find four or five items to share from our inbox…

  • We’ll start with Unleash The Archers, who revealed “Acoustipex”, a reimagined version of the Apex title-track. A playthrough video is available here. The 5th anniversary edition of that album drops on November 18 through Napalm Records.
  • Symphonic metallers Xandria are releasing a new album, The Wonders Still Waiting, on February 3. That will also be out through Napalm Records, and a new single titled “Ghosts” can be seen and heard here.
  • Roadburn 2023 announced the first wave of artists, and it is expectedly impressive. Deafheaven, David Eugene Edwards, and Wolves In The Throne Room are among the names. I’m going to get to this some year, I promise.
  • Closing out, we have a new video from Misery Index. Give the clip for “Rites of Cruelty” a watch below. That track is taken from Complete Control, which dropped earlier this year through Century Media.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

CANTO: Mercyful Fate, Machine Head, Wolves in the Throne Room, and More

CoreyLeave a comment
Wolves In the Throne Room

And now the countdown to Berlin is really on.

  • How do we not start with the Mercyful Fate tour? Their first North American headlining tour in over two decades kicks off on October 25th, running through November 16th. Support will be in the form of Kreator and Midnight. General tickets go sale this coming Friday, so don’t screw this up (he says mostly to himself).
  • The second notable tour to emerge today comes from Machine Head. Those dates cover most of November and December, and those tickets also go on sale Friday. There are some pretty cool VIP ticket options, if that’s your thing.
  • Switching to something a little more symphonic, we have the latest from Hexed. The Swedish metallers unveiled a new video for “Stigma Diaboli”, a fresh track taken from Pagans Rising. That album drops on September 30th through ViciSolum Productions.
  • Footage from the Wolves in the Throne Room set at Fire In The Mountains 2022 emerged, and it is incredible. Behold “I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rock and Roots” in all its glory immediately below.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb