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Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2024-04-25 · 15:38 UTC

Deicide – Banished by Sin Review
By Steel Druhm
The men of Glen are back! Long-running Barons of Floridian death metal, Deicide return for their lucky number 13 full-length. With a legacy of brutality running back to 1990, Deicide and controversial founder Glen Benton were instrumental in defining the sound of American death metal. Albums like Legion and The Stench of Redemption loom large in the Pantheon of Death, and though they’ve had a spotty track record over the years, a new Deicide platter will always earn attention from yours Steely. 2018’s Overtures of Blasphemy was a surprisingly vicious album and a significant step up from the records preceding it. It suggested a renewed fire and passion and made me hope the good days were not entirely behind Deicide. It’s with those high hopes that I greeted Banished by Sin. With Taylor Nordberg (Inhuman Condition, Ribspreader, ex-Massacre, ex-Wombbath) joining the fray to help out on guitar and vocals,1 there seemed plenty of reasons to be positive about what Banished by Sin would spew upon the masses. The Devil’s in the details though.
Right off the bat, the sound on Banished by Sin is oddly polished and clean, which goes against expectations for a damp Floridian death product. It almost sounds like an Iced Earth album with the guitars ringing so clear, which is odd considering this is undeniably old school death. Opener “From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall” is basic Deicide fare in most respects. It swerves from mid-tempo chugs to thrashing freakouts, with Benton’s signature vomitous snarls poured thickly over the top like tarpoo gravy. It’s a good song and the fluid, melodic solos are quite impressive. “Doomed to Die” channels a portion of the chaos magic that graced their Legion opus, with an effective blend of straightforward riffy blasting and well-timed melodic breaks. It’s good caveman fun and heavy enough to leave an ugly bruise despite the overly clean sound.
The warm-up sets out of the way, Banished blazes through 10 more tales of grand Satanism, with thrashy energy married to brutish grooves. Starting with “Sever the Tongue” the album hits its stride. “Sever” is a high point with a manic riff attack and vocals that sound like a discount exorcism going very wrong, at times crossing into Cradle of Filth territories. “Faithless” delivers in much the same way, with the classic Deicide sound running amok even as it flirts with melodeath in subtle ways before stomping your fat face into the gutter. “Woke from God” introduces a more epic sound to the Deicide canon, blackened and ugly but more grandiose and sweeping. “Bury the Cross…with Your Christ” sounds suspiciously like the recent output from Inhuman Condition, with a rudimentary caveman groove running train on your unlubed ears. It’s fun but borders on death parody. Sadly, some songs on the back half don’t hit with the same blunt force. The title track is just okay, and “I Am I…a Curse of Death” is pretty stock. At a tight 39 minutes with no song reaching the 4-minute mark, things blast by in an angry blur. The production is a thorn in the album’s side. It’s too polished and clean for what the band does and this reduces the material’s impact. This is a strange unforced error from such an experienced band.
Glen’s vocals sound more grisly and savage than on some recent releases. His guttural rasps can get tedious faster than other growlers, but the way he’s double-tracked with blackened screams helps provide diversity and Taylor Nordberg spots him with some backing vocals. Kevin Quirion and T. Nordberg deliver a charming assortment of thrashy riffs, sharp trems, and chuggy grooves to power the material forward, and the solo work dotting the album is dynamic and almost neo-classical at times (“The Light Defeated’ especially”). The solos are so melodic at times that they feel at odds with the surrounding music, but this provides an interesting counterpoint and a respite from the skull stomping.
Deicide aren’t able to recapture the late-career glory they bottled on Overtures of Blasphemy, and some tracks almost feel like a knowing send-up of death metal, but the overall package is entertaining despite a flawed production. There’s still unholy rage beating in the hearts of Glen and Co. and Banished by Sin is a fun, easy-to-digest serving of anti-religion bile. I suggest you leave a little room for Satan.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix
Websites: https://deicideofficial.com | facebook.com/officialdeicide | instagram.com/deicideofficial
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

Felagund
And just like that, we’re blessed with another Deicide album. “Blessed” is probably the wrong verb to use in this situation, but the fact remains that this year marks the first new Deicide record in six years. 2018’s Overtures of Blasphemy received high praise from our very own GardensTale, earning a coveted score of 3.5 and breaking an AMG tradition of offering middling to downright disappointing scores for ‘ol Glen and the boys. But say what you will about the quality of their more recent output, Deicide are still genre stalwarts; a foundational band in the development of the early Florida death metal sound who are still capable of churning out the sacrilegious goods. Which brings us to Banished by Sin, the band’s 13th studio album since their self-titled debut in 1990. That’s 34 years and a lot of history to be compared against, but compare we must, good sense and propriety be damned.
Just keep in mind, friends: Glen’s gonna Glen, and that holds just as true on Banished by Sin as it ever has. Regardless of lineup changes, the evolution of the death metal genre, and his own development as a musician, Glen Benton remains an ardent enemy of the divine, and he’s maintained that anger and disgust for over three decades. While it’s easy to grow tired of a band’s hyper-fixation on all things anti-religion, I can’t help but muster a grudging respect for Glen and Deicide’s dogmatic dedication to virulent atheism. Glen’s been barking at us for years now about the hypocrisy of the faithful, and he and his bandmates maintain that once again on Banished by Sin.
Unsurprisingly, Banished by Sin sounds a lot like most latter-day Deicide albums: chugging riffs that usually find a solid groove, noticeably deeper, nearly incomprehensible growls punctuated by high-pitched shrieks, and an abundance of blackened blasts n’ tremolos, capped off by a clean, more modern production. And generally, this approach serves them well. “From Unknown Heights you Shall Fall” and “Doomed to Die” are a quick one-two punch in the gut to kick things off, delivering the band’s chosen brand of simple, short, high-intensity death metal. “Doomed to Die” deserves a special mention because it also includes a section that sounds remarkably similar to “Sacrificial Suicide” from Deicide’s self-titled debut. But fair play: if you’ve been treading the infernal boards as long as these gents, you’re allowed to ape a cut from your own 34-year-old album. “Sever the Tongue” introduces a bit of interesting dissonance, and the riffing on “Faithless” sounds more like a Repentless-era Slayer cut without feeling out of place.
As the album chugs (and trems) on, there are a few tunes that tend to get lost in the shuffle. While “Bury the Cross…With Your Christ” is a definite mid-album highlight, the two intervening tracks leave a little to be desired, similar as they are in both speed and intensity. Fortunately, the titular “Banished by Sin” introduces a welcome change of pace, with frenetic double bass and a shotgun-blasting riff. Similarly, album closer “The Light Defeated” tones down the constant tremolos and pumps the breaks just enough to keep introduce some new dynamics and keep the riffing interesting. I have to give a brief mention here to new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (Inhuman Condition, Ribspreader, ex-Massacre), a talented player who nevertheless seems to have never met a whammy bar he didn’t wish to wed. The sheer amount of screaming, paint chip-peeling solos that feature multiple times on each track quickly go from fun to repetitious, making Banished by Sin and some of its lesser tunes a bit more difficult to enjoy.
Decide’s latest album is stronger than either 2011’s To Hell With God or 2013’s In the Minds of Evil, but doesn’t rise to the level of 2018’s Overtures of Blasphemy. So where does that leave us? With a generally enjoyable but overall mixed release with some of the same nagging issues that have plagued most modern-day Deicide platters. Be that as it may, it’s still good to know that Glen and his merry, demonic men are still out there. Even if the final results aren’t all to my liking, they remain dedicated to their unholy mission, angrily blaspheming with vim and vigor. To paraphrase one Sam Elliot: I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that. Deicide. takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners.

Rating: 2.5/3.0
#2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #BanishedBySin #DeathMetal #Deicide #InhumanCondition #OverturesOfBlasphemy #Review #Reviews

#americanmetal #apr24 #banishedbysin #deathmetal #deicide #inhumancondition
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2024-04-25 · 15:38 UTC

Deicide – Banished by Sin Review
By Steel Druhm
The men of Glen are back! Long-running Barons of Floridian death metal, Deicide return for their lucky number 13 full-length. With a legacy of brutality running back to 1990, Deicide and controversial founder Glen Benton were instrumental in defining the sound of American death metal. Albums like Legion and The Stench of Redemption loom large in the Pantheon of Death, and though they’ve had a spotty track record over the years, a new Deicide platter will always earn attention from yours Steely. 2018’s Overtures of Blasphemy was a surprisingly vicious album and a significant step up from the records preceding it. It suggested a renewed fire and passion and made me hope the good days were not entirely behind Deicide. It’s with those high hopes that I greeted Banished by Sin. With Taylor Nordberg (Inhuman Condition, Ribspreader, ex-Massacre, ex-Wombbath) joining the fray to help out on guitar and vocals,1 there seemed plenty of reasons to be positive about what Banished by Sin would spew upon the masses. The Devil’s in the details though.
Right off the bat, the sound on Banished by Sin is oddly polished and clean, which goes against expectations for a damp Floridian death product. It almost sounds like an Iced Earth album with the guitars ringing so clear, which is odd considering this is undeniably old school death. Opener “From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall” is basic Deicide fare in most respects. It swerves from mid-tempo chugs to thrashing freakouts, with Benton’s signature vomitous snarls poured thickly over the top like tarpoo gravy. It’s a good song and the fluid, melodic solos are quite impressive. “Doomed to Die” channels a portion of the chaos magic that graced their Legion opus, with an effective blend of straightforward riffy blasting and well-timed melodic breaks. It’s good caveman fun and heavy enough to leave an ugly bruise despite the overly clean sound.
The warm-up sets out of the way, Banished blazes through 10 more tales of grand Satanism, with thrashy energy married to brutish grooves. Starting with “Sever the Tongue” the album hits its stride. “Sever” is a high point with a manic riff attack and vocals that sound like a discount exorcism going very wrong, at times crossing into Cradle of Filth territories. “Faithless” delivers in much the same way, with the classic Deicide sound running amok even as it flirts with melodeath in subtle ways before stomping your fat face into the gutter. “Woke from God” introduces a more epic sound to the Deicide canon, blackened and ugly but more grandiose and sweeping. “Bury the Cross…with Your Christ” sounds suspiciously like the recent output from Inhuman Condition, with a rudimentary caveman groove running train on your unlubed ears. It’s fun but borders on death parody. Sadly, some songs on the back half don’t hit with the same blunt force. The title track is just okay, and “I Am I…a Curse of Death” is pretty stock. At a tight 39 minutes with no song reaching the 4-minute mark, things blast by in an angry blur. The production is a thorn in the album’s side. It’s too polished and clean for what the band does and this reduces the material’s impact. This is a strange unforced error from such an experienced band.
Glen’s vocals sound more grisly and savage than on some recent releases. His guttural rasps can get tedious faster than other growlers, but the way he’s double-tracked with blackened screams helps provide diversity and Taylor Nordberg spots him with some backing vocals. Kevin Quirion and T. Nordberg deliver a charming assortment of thrashy riffs, sharp trems, and chuggy grooves to power the material forward, and the solo work dotting the album is dynamic and almost neo-classical at times (“The Light Defeated’ especially”). The solos are so melodic at times that they feel at odds with the surrounding music, but this provides an interesting counterpoint and a respite from the skull stomping.
Deicide aren’t able to recapture the late-career glory they bottled on Overtures of Blasphemy, and some tracks almost feel like a knowing send-up of death metal, but the overall package is entertaining despite a flawed production. There’s still unholy rage beating in the hearts of Glen and Co. and Banished by Sin is a fun, easy-to-digest serving of anti-religion bile. I suggest you leave a little room for Satan.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix
Websites: https://deicideofficial.com | facebook.com/officialdeicide | instagram.com/deicideofficial
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

Felagund
And just like that, we’re blessed with another Deicide album. “Blessed” is probably the wrong verb to use in this situation, but the fact remains that this year marks the first new Deicide record in six years. 2018’s Overtures of Blasphemy received high praise from our very own GardensTale, earning a coveted score of 3.5 and breaking an AMG tradition of offering middling to downright disappointing scores for ‘ol Glen and the boys. But say what you will about the quality of their more recent output, Deicide are still genre stalwarts; a foundational band in the development of the early Florida death metal sound who are still capable of churning out the sacrilegious goods. Which brings us to Banished by Sin, the band’s 13th studio album since their self-titled debut in 1990. That’s 34 years and a lot of history to be compared against, but compare we must, good sense and propriety be damned.
Just keep in mind, friends: Glen’s gonna Glen, and that holds just as true on Banished by Sin as it ever has. Regardless of lineup changes, the evolution of the death metal genre, and his own development as a musician, Glen Benton remains an ardent enemy of the divine, and he’s maintained that anger and disgust for over three decades. While it’s easy to grow tired of a band’s hyper-fixation on all things anti-religion, I can’t help but muster a grudging respect for Glen and Deicide’s dogmatic dedication to virulent atheism. Glen’s been barking at us for years now about the hypocrisy of the faithful, and he and his bandmates maintain that once again on Banished by Sin.
Unsurprisingly, Banished by Sin sounds a lot like most latter-day Deicide albums: chugging riffs that usually find a solid groove, noticeably deeper, nearly incomprehensible growls punctuated by high-pitched shrieks, and an abundance of blackened blasts n’ tremolos, capped off by a clean, more modern production. And generally, this approach serves them well. “From Unknown Heights you Shall Fall” and “Doomed to Die” are a quick one-two punch in the gut to kick things off, delivering the band’s chosen brand of simple, short, high-intensity death metal. “Doomed to Die” deserves a special mention because it also includes a section that sounds remarkably similar to “Sacrificial Suicide” from Deicide’s self-titled debut. But fair play: if you’ve been treading the infernal boards as long as these gents, you’re allowed to ape a cut from your own 34-year-old album. “Sever the Tongue” introduces a bit of interesting dissonance, and the riffing on “Faithless” sounds more like a Repentless-era Slayer cut without feeling out of place.
As the album chugs (and trems) on, there are a few tunes that tend to get lost in the shuffle. While “Bury the Cross…With Your Christ” is a definite mid-album highlight, the two intervening tracks leave a little to be desired, similar as they are in both speed and intensity. Fortunately, the titular “Banished by Sin” introduces a welcome change of pace, with frenetic double bass and a shotgun-blasting riff. Similarly, album closer “The Light Defeated” tones down the constant tremolos and pumps the breaks just enough to keep introduce some new dynamics and keep the riffing interesting. I have to give a brief mention here to new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (Inhuman Condition, Ribspreader, ex-Massacre), a talented player who nevertheless seems to have never met a whammy bar he didn’t wish to wed. The sheer amount of screaming, paint chip-peeling solos that feature multiple times on each track quickly go from fun to repetitious, making Banished by Sin and some of its lesser tunes a bit more difficult to enjoy.
Decide’s latest album is stronger than either 2011’s To Hell With God or 2013’s In the Minds of Evil, but doesn’t rise to the level of 2018’s Overtures of Blasphemy. So where does that leave us? With a generally enjoyable but overall mixed release with some of the same nagging issues that have plagued most modern-day Deicide platters. Be that as it may, it’s still good to know that Glen and his merry, demonic men are still out there. Even if the final results aren’t all to my liking, they remain dedicated to their unholy mission, angrily blaspheming with vim and vigor. To paraphrase one Sam Elliot: I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that. Deicide. takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners.

Rating: 2.5/3.0
#2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #BanishedBySin #DeathMetal #Deicide #InhumanCondition #OverturesOfBlasphemy #Review #Reviews

#reviews #review #overturesofblasphemy #inhumancondition #deicide #deathmetal
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2023-12-27 · 18:04 UTC
Dolphin Whisperer’s and Ferox’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
By Dolphin Whisperer

Dolphin Whisperer
I don’t remember anymore exactly when or how I stumbled upon Angry Metal Guy, but I know that I’ve been reading the site for fourteen years now. In that time I’ve gone from barely a student to a working professional who routinely feels the drain of a society sinking around him. But it’s ok because along the way I managed to find a partner who loves me for all my flaws and quirks (or at least that’s what she tells me).1 She wasn’t always there, though, nor was the comfort that we’ve built into our life. When she wasn’t there, and when human company could not provide for whatever reason, both Angry Metal Guy and the music world at large always existed to evolve around me and shine a path to work that saw where I was and reflected my pain. Or my happiness. Or the existential dread of another day. Or just comforted me with a warm bowl of guitar noodles with a side of riff salad.
You may not have seen my words pop around much over that time, but rest assured, I was there like all of you now, reading as AMG the Man validated my feelings or presented admiration for an idol I don’t worship or killed my darlings with questionable opinions. I was there when Steel was the new Ape on the block. I developed a taste for the cast who I agreed with most and scanned with ravenous eyes for the next 0.5 or 1.0 to watch a train wreck meet a car crash. I watched this community who knew nothing of me stand up for important and meaningful things all while staying steadfast to the goal of simply reviewing metal in all its glory.2 Then one day I decided to join the Discord group that had been advertising itself at the bottom of every article for I don’t know how long before I noticed. And in that feverish chatterbox of swirling opinions, I realized that this community meant so much to me that I wanted to give it a go behind the curtains.
I made friends—friends surrounding music whether I agree with them or not. That’s what it means to love music in my mind. Hate and love both ignite passion, and passion is what squirms the happy juice in our brains. I’m sure you, dear reader, will have thoughts about the below choices. And know that you are more than welcome to voice them in any way you see fit. Go ahead, recommend me something while you’re at it. If you do agree with these opinions, also know, then that you can click through to any of the associated reviews, Bandcamp pages, label links—any way that you can reward the artist with your hard-earned currency, if you’re able. Because remember, it’s people like you and me (nerds) who keep this silly business of music alive. Did you know you can click those links? On my reviews, on my buddy Ferox‘s reviews. Even on reviews that you don’t agree with! So read something, click something, support something, tell a friend, tell a partner… or just take whatever knowledge you gain and listen to some good music. If you continue reading, you will encounter my recommendations to fill that void of good music in your life. Above (or below, whatever the Editing Gods decide) Ferox has some recommendations for you too. Know that these two sets are the best recommendations you will receive this year. Live loudly, listen responsibly.3

#ish. Anareta // Fear Not – In a year with less to love, Fear Not could have placed higher, but the riches across different facets of my listening pleasures spilled forth in almost every possible way. Alas, this unique act couldn’t have come further out of left field when promos began to trickle in for 2023, and Anareta’s delicate precision with weeping string melodies against their brutish incisions of blood-curdling shrieks struck the tucked-away Grayceon bone in my body. Alongside up-and-coming act Exulansis out of Oregon, there’s a promising wave of chamber-informed bands growing in the wilds of niche-loving minds. As they say, it only takes two to tango…though “Omnicide” feels a little more like a foxtrot, right?
#10. Tongues // Formløse Stjerner – That I managed to cobble together words that described the mysterious air that surrounds this album baffles me. Countless listens later, I still get lost in the swaying vibrations of the tricky whammy-addled leads and layers of reverb decaying over a vast landscape. And even though all these forward choices usually spell a path down the intangible and incoherent, a lurking melody and grounded rhythmic performance seals the hypnotism that would feel just out of reach with a lesser performance. Your mind knows that each tone source here found its way to the recording behind closed doors, but the energy that emits throughout Formløse Stjerner casts like a sonic beacon through the dreariest of nights on the open, foggy sea.
#9. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – The kids are gone!!! I wasn’t particularly a fan of their previous release so that Miracle of Death hooked me was a small miracle all in itself. I’m no stranger to enjoying shoegaze-y things, psych-rock-laden things, sinfully synthful things—the airy 60s era croons and shimmering Hammond shudders throughout this give me all kinds of shoulder-relaxing, neck-tingling goodies. You think that’d remind me of someone like The Mamas & the Papas, but my mind drifts toward the episodic, warble-clipped daze of the Cunninglynguists classic Oneirology. Funny how the mind works, innit? Regardless, the sheer beauty of sound on display throughout Miracle of Death is impossible for my sugar-starved brain to ignore. Vibe with me.
#8. Slumbering Sun // The Ever-Lasting Fire – I know the Rodeö entries provide a healthy serving of less-than-desirable releases, but if you’re skipping them entirely then maybe you missed Slumbering Sun when they dropped their debut LP, The Ever-Lasting Fire way back in February. You see, one of the reasons I’ve helped fuel the Rodeö is that bands like Slumbering Sun still exist out there, under the radar, largely unpromoted, with gem ideas. Leaning on the modern sadperson melodic doom angle pioneered by an early Pallbearer, this Texas troupe delivered a longing yet hopeful collection of tunes that never fails to stir the slow burn of teary-eyed smiles in my heart. If Patrick Walker (Warning) were younger when he found peace, perhaps 40 Watt Sun would have gone this direction.
#7. Jarhead Fertilizer // Carceral Warfare – I didn’t even think I was getting a Jarhead release this year, but the death metal overlords decided that 2023 hadn’t quite graced me yet with this extremely specific kind of deranged, violent, feral death metal that I crave. Samples and segues function like dim lights in a dive bar, masking the filth strewn about while the seedy world around you builds its slow assault on your senses. Carceral Warfare stinks, its riffs carved in cracked and corroded skin. There’s nothing acute about injuries that Jarhead seeks to afflict—the wounds Carceral Warfare doles out aim to fester and brim black with incurable disease.
#6. Gridlink // Coronet Juniper – I never expected my favorite power metal album of the year to be a grindcore album. Gridlink’s take on the punk specialty has always been a bit different though. Always fast, always pushing the treble ceiling, and always leading with melodies that don’t quit, Coronet Juniper highlights all the strengths that this outfit has always promised. As their last album, it functions as a tribute to themselves—their collective passions executed at ridiculous speeds and unadvisable levels of throat punishment. It may not be as groundbreaking as what came before it, but when you’re ten steps ahead of the pack, you can settle to simply show ’em how it’s done. And I got to use Gundam clips in the review. Win-Win.
#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – The formatting will get all weird if I only scream WOOOOOOOOOOOORMMMMMMMMM-HOOOOOOOLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEE like I want to, so here’s more. Ken and I don’t often end up hole-to-hole on an album, but when we do, you better bet that it’s great. When all that was out for Almost Human was the singles, I repeatedly binged those first two tracks as if they were a whole album to themselves. And that’s the magic of this bright and horrifying slamfest. It’s shiny, it’s punishing, and, most importantly, it’s relentless in worming its way into my gaping sound receptors.
#4. Anachronism // Meanders – I’ve been listening to this all damn year at this point. I was late to the Anachronism party with Orogeny, but not so with Meanders. Its uncanny ease in mood and brevity in run hold an important home in contrast to its finger-testing technicality and unparalleled rhythmic brutality. A natural but still unexpected successor to the post-tinged, brooding brutality that showed itself in flashes, Meanders rains textural and colorful in ways that other death metal simply doesn’t—all while still staying death metal. Oh, and Lisa Voisard has a piercing shriek to go with her scruffy bellow. Who would’ve guessed?
#3. healthyliving // Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief – I knew how much I loved this album before I realized it. When it dropped, I told all the writers, “I think I have my first TYMHM y’all.” But then I went and filtered it, which is no dishonor but doesn’t quite capture the intensity of what healthyliving has to offer on this debut outing. Building tension through an eclectic array of jangling chords and understated rhythms, the supporting cast sets the perfect stage for vocalist Amaya Lopez-Carramerro to absolutely shred with fearless virtuosic wail. Or she’ll sit back and set a slow burn with a restrained and emotive croon. Can I call her my favorite vocalist in metal right now? Is this even metal? Maybe. But I couldn’t care less. It’s damn good.
#2. KEN mode // VOID – NULL ended up on my top ten last year, and with the consistency that these angry Canadians provide, enjoying VOID came naturally, disarmingly so. What I didn’t expect, however, was that this act known for being noisy and rambunctious and pulverizing would be able to dial back the melancholy of previous works with an additional varnish of lived-in depression. A partner to what came before it, VOID captures the last spat of mania before an extended comedown and the dragging sorrow that follows. And yet somehow, though it hurts almost every step of the way, I feel just a little bit lighter after every listen. Get over yourself and listen if you haven’t bothered yet, if only for the buzzing synths and buttery, booming bass tones.
#1. Vvon Dogma I // The Kvlt of Glitch – You, the commentariat, had plenty to say about this album when it dropped. “I tried… No thanks.” — “I’m voting Dolphin Whisperer off the island. This is crap.” — “What the actual fuck?” All choice examples. Some of you also decided to write this off because of the AI-base of the cover art despite the artists involved self-funding this whole exploration and fully crediting the digital assistance. Your asceticism will go unrewarded. This is a humble reminder that you, the commentariat, do not influence my complete and utter enjoyment of this mad pairing of cyberpunk industrial, fanned-fret progressive, angelic electronic piece of edge-skirting metal. The spirit of adventure that graces every phrase throughout the Kvlt of Glitch stimulates the thrill-seeker, the floating spirit, the head-banging hooligan in me all at once, while lathering me with a fresh sense of dread for a technology-warped future. Maybe you never liked Genghis Tron before they disbanded after Board Up the House. Maybe you never liked Unexpect when they graced us with album after album of shrill and unfathomably progressive fantasy. Maybe you’ve got a shallow throat for multi-layered, programmed voices that fizzle the ears with rich harmony. But The Kvlt of Glitch is willing to welcome you whenever you choose to accept its power. I am God now!4
Honorable Mentions:
- World’s End Girlfriend // Resistance & The Blessing – WEG possesses the esoteric ability to manipulate time with beauty. Resistance & The Blessing continues to unravel itself before me as I tackle it as a whole, in chunks, in the narratives it allows you to build with each of its whispered ideas. Sadness, happiness, anger, frustration, longing, acceptance—this monumental offering has it all. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s a lot to take in. But I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t love it.
- Angra // Cycles of Pain – What can I say, I love Angra. The Lione era is developing a thing for long albums, but at least it’s all good.
- Autarkh // Emergent – An album that loops with glitchy industrial and ethereal post-metal as well as this one does is dangerous. You could do a lot worse than hearing this three times in a row though.
- Aphotic // Abyssgazer – Blackened deathdoom? Funeral-tinged ritualistic black metal? Whatever you want to call this, there’s an alternate timeline where it’s on the list proper. It just goes.
- Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – Progressive death metal ear candy. I could probably listen to this album all damn day if the last song didn’t dampen the mood a little.
- Pupil Slicer // Blossom – Metalcore with nu-metal tropes shouldn’t be as fun as this or the new Mouthbreather album, but those industrial grooves keep on giving. Start the album with the title track for an even better listen.
- Ok Goodnight // The Fox and the Bird – I take some issue with the proggy detours in this album, but its storybook charm holds more endearing than all of that.
- Maud the Moth + trajedesaliva // Bordando el manto terrestre – Chill-out album of the year. Meditate, read, relax… or just listen to the sultry whispers with your eyes closed. They tickle.
Disappointments o’ the Year:
Soen // Imperial Memorial – Let me level with you, Lotus is a fantastic album and the pinnacle of a career for Soen, a band that has grown further away from the flourishes that make their music interesting. Lush production? Humming Hammond overlays? Joel Ekelöf spreading sweet nothings over the course of an urgent and chunky build? Who needs any of that when you can write worse choruses over the same riff and people continue to latch onto it. Soen almost remembers their strengths (“Fortress,”5 “Tragedian,” “Vitals”), and it is admirable that Ekelöf tries to stretch his wings as a grittier vocalist while maintaining his Eurovision aspirations. But with a direction that’s even less dynamic than the uncharacteristically narrow master that Memorial shows, I’ve got little to reason believe that this is a direction that Soen should continue. Not good. Not good at all.
Einar Solberg // 16 – After Aphelion wiped away the hope I had left for Leprous, I looked to this solo outing from Mr. Solberg as a chance for him to find a way back to a good tune. It seems that it did help him reclaim a somber and less ahhAAAahhAAAaahaah character to his voice, and drummer Keli Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco, notable Leprous-like act) really helps a few bright moments shine (“Remember Me,” “Blue Light”). However, Solberg did not have to take his play at Jamiroquai (“Home”) nor include a guest rapper (also “Home”) nor include his sister (for what effect on “Where All the Twigs Broke”) nor include his brother-in-law for a growled guest spot on a trip-hoppy track (that’s Ihsahn on “Splitting the Soul”) nor give us seventy minutes of whatever you want to wrap this up as. Sadboi art pop perhaps? Skippable in any case.
Best Thing I Missed in 2022:
Polterguts // Gods Over Broken People – I haven’t heard an album this seriously fucking pissed off since Admiral Angry’s Buster, but the level of frustration here rings just a touch less sexual and frustrated—it’s defeated. The malaise that Gods captures renders itself in lyrics that spout from a voice fed on apathy and gravel: “I used to pray for my friends/I used to hurt when they hurt/I used to love without expecting any love in return” (“Skullbowl”), “I like it here at the bottom where they know me by name/I used to think I wanted out, but now I’m begging to stay” (“Buckle the Spine”), “I’m not strong enough to hold it together, but It breaks my heart to watch you struggle for air/I’m sorry I couldn’t get both of us out, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t there” (“Injury”). As harrowing as that is to read, it’s even more brutal to hear. And I suspect for those stuck in the same kind of recursive, small-town Midwest drain from which this attitude grows, this would hit even harder. One part Meshuggah, one part Chat Pile, and another part its own punished deathcore, Polterguts holds in one hand my aching heart and in another its own, stained and hollow.
Songs o’ the Year:

Why give you one when I can give you twenty-seven? Why twenty-seven? That’s my secret. Now, I’ve talked enough, go out there and enjoy some music, friends. And enjoy this photo of my dogs.

Kiwi (top) and Coconut (bottom).

Ferox
I got my own big boy list! AMG Industries: where doing an adequate job on the free work you’ve been assigned leads to opportunities for more free work. I wouldn’t have it any other way–I love this place, even if the prospect of making this list fills me with anxiety and imposter syndrome. I am generally not given to best-of lists, or year-end reflection. But we’ve got a fake job to do, so let’s get stuck in!
2023 was a weird one. It began with a case of long-ish Covid that saw me coughing uncontrollably every time I laughed, segued into a writer’s strike that shut down my industry for six months, and ended with a faint and collision between the Ferox noggin and a concrete floor. That last one put me in bed recovering for the better part of a month and seriously fucked with my workout goals. Despite all this, it was an incredible year! My family flourished, I snuck a couple of projects into production at my day job, and I had a blast writing here as much as I could. The only complaint I could possibly muster is that it’s all flying past way too quickly.
As for AMG… this is that rare place that improves the lives of all who touch it (Rodeö bands excepted). It did that for me when I lurked as a reader, and it continues to do so now that I cling to a staff position. How does a place this positive place exist? On the internet?! I’m grateful to Steel for providing real leadership at my fake job, to my fellow members of the AMG Class of ’21 for being good eggs and excellent writers, and to everyone I’ve met through a gig that makes life richer and more fun. Maybe the real 2023 was the bollocks we talked along the way.

#ish. Spirit Possession // Of the Sign… – Do you guys like Nifelheim? I sure as heckfire do, and this album that captures some of their defiant spirit stole my heart in the waning moments of 2023. The reprobates of Nifelheim aren’t the only point of departure here. Portland’s Spirit Possession is a borderline tribcore act that aims to capture the feel of an era more than the work of one particular band. Here you’ll find echoes of Bathory, Hellhammer, and Venom. Sometimes a project like this works so well that the music transcends the lack of originality baked into these sorts of things. Of the Sign… is one such album; it may well have landed in my top ten if I had had more time with it before Listurnalia.
#10. Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – Horrendous, already on a very short list of the best metal bands so far this century, bolsters their legacy with the concise and intoxicating Ontological Mysterium. The quartet has carved out a take on progressive death metal that is entirely their own, one that is melodic, wonky, and sweeping all at once. They’ve never been more engaging than they are on Ontological Mysterium. The album wends its way through nine tracks in less than forty minutes–Ontological Mysterium defies its run time by taking you on a journey that feels epic, but releases you before fatigue sets in. Only closer “The Death Knell Ringeth,” an inexplicable dud that can scarcely walk and chew gum at the same time, keeps Ontological Mysterium from ascending to loftier heights.
#9. Wormhole // Almost Human – Wormhole’s take on brutal death metal is at once savage but cheerful, and stöopid without being remotely dumb. I am fully on board with any band that uses the low art of the slample to describe their own sound, as Wormhole does with a sunny interjection of “Tech Slam!” on the title track of their latest. The AMG staff would have you believe that it’s necessary to choose between Wormhole and Afterbirth, the band’s peer in innovative and excellent brutal death metal. That is nonsense; appreciate the Slam-aissance in all its glory, as these two remarkable outfits elevate one of metal’s least-loved subgenres to new heights.
#8. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – Sodomisery makes life hard on themselves with an atrocious name that is way too persnickety about the respectable pursuit of sodomy. Some folks just need to play the game on difficult mode, I guess. If the hideous moniker is what it takes to spur Sodomisery to this kind of work, then the outfit should keep indulging themselves. Mazzaroth is an endlessly replayable slab of genre-bending excellence. Symphonic flourishes and well-placed clean vocals accent the band’s hybrid of black metal, death metal, and melodeath. Mazzaroth is big fun, an album that effortlessly synthesizes a cornucopia of influences into something that feels both classic and new.
#7. Xoth // Exogalactic – A late-in-the-game remaster unleashed the power of a fully operational Exogalactic. The album finds the pan-genre madlads of Xoth playing in the margins, expanding their sound here and there while defending their Party Lovecraft turf. Across eight engaging tracks, the excellent songwriting of Exogalactic is augmented by audacious technical what-the-fuck-ery. The album’s forty minutes fly past, and while Xoth’s sound might not be the revelation it was on Invasion of the Tentacube and Interdimensional Invocations, this Seattle quartet remains very much on top of their game. Play a song, any song, and joy will invade your earholes. That’s the Xoth promise, and Exogalactic delivers.
#6. Gridlink // Coronet Juniper – I could go on about the pleasures of Coronet Juniper, but chances are Dolphin Whisperer already has you cornered and is doing just that. My list buddy extolled the virtues of this grind funhouse to the point where I finally just pretended he was saying “BREEEEEEEEEEEEE” and tuned him out. Then I played the album a month or so later in the gym, and Gridlink rocketed me to a dimension of pure fun. Coronet Juniper is a grind joyride, so confident in its songwriting that the band includes a run of instrumental “karaoke versions” at the end of the album that is every bit as playable as the so-called official tracklist.
#5. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – Outer Heaven understands both the virtues and the confines of old-school death metal. Infinite Psychic Depths gives the subgenre a glow-up by taking us on a tour of everything that still works, while adding a few new wrinkles. The album never plays as mere pastiche; like some kind of Quentin Tarantino of death metal, Outer Heaven refreshes old tropes by building something new from a pile of familiar elements. I haven’t dug much into the high concept that underlies Infinite Psychic Depths, but that’s because I don’t need to. The music stands on its own. Already a highlight of 2023, Infinite Psychic Depths feels like one that could grow in esteem with time. It could well be underrated in my fifth slot.
#4. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – Here’s one that roared out of the gate back in January and absolutely refused to cede any ground. The Weight of Remembrance runs classic doom through both an orchestral and a death metal filter. The various genre flourishes enhance the strong songwriting–“Of Creeping Moss and Crumbling Stone” is so incredible that it became a workout staple despite its plodding pace, and nearly earned a spot on this year’s Heavy Moves Heavy playlist. The highlights don’t stop there. They don’t stop until The Weight of Remembrance has run its course. The Debut o’ The Year also happens to be one of the very best albums of 2023.
#3. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche. A relief, then, that Warcrab is anything but complacent on The Howling Silence. These seven tracks roar past, the stifling atmosphere pierced on occasion by icepick solos that showcase the Guitar Tone o’ The Year. This one was a grower for me. The Howling Silence initially did little to distinguish itself from previous slab Damned in Endless Night. But my lizard brain heard layers that my ears weren’t processing, and the album kept earning spins. Layers of excellence kept revealing themselves, and before I knew it this piece of heavy artillery blasted its way to the upper echelons of my list.
#2. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – This rollicking slab of tech death earned a 4.0 from me back in early February, and I do believe I sold these Swedes short by half a point. Visions of Infinihility was a mainstay of my 2023. The album remained close at hand throughout both a long strike and a stretch of vertigo-induced bedrest. If I’m not tired of it yet, I probably never will be. And what’s not to like here? Every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening. The site’s top writer summed it up most precisely: “It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt–Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.”
#1. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – Long Island’s Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes as it goes. The first half of In But Not Of stays planted in the brutal death genre that Afterbirth had a hand in creating. The second departs for distant parsecs, fusing elements of post-metal, alt-rock, and even ambient music onto death metal songs. The experiments work seamlessly, and I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of. “Devils With Dead Eyes,” “Autoerotic Amputation,” “In But Not Of,” and “Angels Feast on Flies” are the standout tracks–any one of the four could credibly lay claim to Song o’ The Year. Colin Marston’s production showcases and elevates the material. My favorite critic said it best: “This is music to concuss you and then heal your battered brain… [In But Of] is an album to savor and return to again and again, a companion piece to Four Dimensional Flesh that manages to equal if not surpass its predecessor.” Also: revel in that gorgeous album art by Alex Eckman-Lawn, a sci-fi Frankenstein’s monster that perfectly encapsulates the record. My top score of 2023 is an easy choice for Ferox‘s Album o’ The Year.
Honorable Mentions
- Autopsy // Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts– Ashes, Organs, Blood, and Crypts plays like Autopsy’s Basement Tapes, a collection of feral death metal songs that also somehow comes off as loose and ramshackle. It stands among the band’s best post-comeback work.
  Gorod // The Orb – The French masters of tech death hold serve with the predictably excellent The Orb.
  Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – I came up with the genre tag “funereal doom” to describe Convocation’s latest to myself. The band accesses the majesty of funeral doom without the tedious repetition. It’s a potent approach that’s been honed to near-perfection on No Dawn for the Caliginous Night.
  Tomb Mold // The Enduring Spirit – The Toronto outfit pulled off a tricky shift, surprising fans of their inventive take on old-school death with this proggy slab. I sure wouldn’t have minded another Planetary Clairvoyance, but I wound up thrilled by this new direction.
  Serpent Corpse // Blood Sabbath – 2023 delivered an abundance of old-school death delights, but Montreal’s Serpent Corpse move to the head of the class with debut Blood Sabbath.
  Fabricant // Drudge to the Thicket – A trio of virtuoso musicians keep their debut album juuust barely on the “death metal” side of the prog-death divide. Drudge to the Thicket is a load of unpredictable fun from an immensely promising outfit.
  Omnicidal // The Omnicidalist – Omnicidal takes a huge leap forward with a sophomore album that injects hints of melodeath and black thrash into an already nasty cocktail. In spite of Gardenstale‘s rave, this excellent effort seemed to get lost in the 2023 shuffle. I kept it spinning all year.
  Gravesend // Gowanus Death Stomp – This second offering of urban nightmare deathgrind from Gravesend improves on Methods of Human Disposal. An album that conjures genuinely unsettling images and one that will leave its boot marks all over your body,
  Dripping Decay // Festering Grotesqueries— Another exceptional death metal debut, Festering Grotesqueries inspired an epic run of putrid imagery in Steel‘s review. These Portland knuckle-draggers are worthy of all the filthy poetry the Apeman can muster.
Song o’ the Year: Afterbirth – “In But Not Of”
Disappointment o’ the Year
- Immortal // War Against All – After the improbably incredible Northern Chaos Gods, I was PUMPED for Immortal’s Second Coming of Demonaz Era. Cue the record scratch, because the follow-up is generic and pretty much just sucks through and through.
#2023 #Afterbirth #Anachronism #Anareta #Angra #Aphotic #Autarkh #Autopsy #BlogPost #Carnosus #Convocation #DolphinWhispererSAndFeroxSTopTenIshOf2023 #DrippingDecay #EinarSolberg #Fabricant #Gorod #Gravesend #Gridlink #healthyliving #Horrendous #Immortal #JarheadFertilizer #KENMode #Lists #Listurnalia #MaudTheMothTrajedesaliva #OkGoodnight #Omnicidal #OuterHeaven #Polterguts #PupilSlicer #SerpentCorpse #SlumberingSun #Sodomisery #Soen #SpiritPossession #TombMold #Tongues #Tribunal #VanishingKids #VvonDogmaI #Warcrab #WorldSEndGirlfriend #Wormhole #Xoth
#afterbirth #anachronism #anareta #angra #aphotic #autarkh
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2023-12-27 · 18:04 UTC
Dolphin Whisperer’s and Ferox’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
By Dolphin Whisperer

Dolphin Whisperer
I don’t remember anymore exactly when or how I stumbled upon Angry Metal Guy, but I know that I’ve been reading the site for fourteen years now. In that time I’ve gone from barely a student to a working professional who routinely feels the drain of a society sinking around him. But it’s ok because along the way I managed to find a partner who loves me for all my flaws and quirks (or at least that’s what she tells me).1 She wasn’t always there, though, nor was the comfort that we’ve built into our life. When she wasn’t there, and when human company could not provide for whatever reason, both Angry Metal Guy and the music world at large always existed to evolve around me and shine a path to work that saw where I was and reflected my pain. Or my happiness. Or the existential dread of another day. Or just comforted me with a warm bowl of guitar noodles with a side of riff salad.
You may not have seen my words pop around much over that time, but rest assured, I was there like all of you now, reading as AMG the Man validated my feelings or presented admiration for an idol I don’t worship or killed my darlings with questionable opinions. I was there when Steel was the new Ape on the block. I developed a taste for the cast who I agreed with most and scanned with ravenous eyes for the next 0.5 or 1.0 to watch a train wreck meet a car crash. I watched this community who knew nothing of me stand up for important and meaningful things all while staying steadfast to the goal of simply reviewing metal in all its glory.2 Then one day I decided to join the Discord group that had been advertising itself at the bottom of every article for I don’t know how long before I noticed. And in that feverish chatterbox of swirling opinions, I realized that this community meant so much to me that I wanted to give it a go behind the curtains.
I made friends—friends surrounding music whether I agree with them or not. That’s what it means to love music in my mind. Hate and love both ignite passion, and passion is what squirms the happy juice in our brains. I’m sure you, dear reader, will have thoughts about the below choices. And know that you are more than welcome to voice them in any way you see fit. Go ahead, recommend me something while you’re at it. If you do agree with these opinions, also know, then that you can click through to any of the associated reviews, Bandcamp pages, label links—any way that you can reward the artist with your hard-earned currency, if you’re able. Because remember, it’s people like you and me (nerds) who keep this silly business of music alive. Did you know you can click those links? On my reviews, on my buddy Ferox‘s reviews. Even on reviews that you don’t agree with! So read something, click something, support something, tell a friend, tell a partner… or just take whatever knowledge you gain and listen to some good music. If you continue reading, you will encounter my recommendations to fill that void of good music in your life. Above (or below, whatever the Editing Gods decide) Ferox has some recommendations for you too. Know that these two sets are the best recommendations you will receive this year. Live loudly, listen responsibly.3

#ish. Anareta // Fear Not – In a year with less to love, Fear Not could have placed higher, but the riches across different facets of my listening pleasures spilled forth in almost every possible way. Alas, this unique act couldn’t have come further out of left field when promos began to trickle in for 2023, and Anareta’s delicate precision with weeping string melodies against their brutish incisions of blood-curdling shrieks struck the tucked-away Grayceon bone in my body. Alongside up-and-coming act Exulansis out of Oregon, there’s a promising wave of chamber-informed bands growing in the wilds of niche-loving minds. As they say, it only takes two to tango…though “Omnicide” feels a little more like a foxtrot, right?
#10. Tongues // Formløse Stjerner – That I managed to cobble together words that described the mysterious air that surrounds this album baffles me. Countless listens later, I still get lost in the swaying vibrations of the tricky whammy-addled leads and layers of reverb decaying over a vast landscape. And even though all these forward choices usually spell a path down the intangible and incoherent, a lurking melody and grounded rhythmic performance seals the hypnotism that would feel just out of reach with a lesser performance. Your mind knows that each tone source here found its way to the recording behind closed doors, but the energy that emits throughout Formløse Stjerner casts like a sonic beacon through the dreariest of nights on the open, foggy sea.
#9. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – The kids are gone!!! I wasn’t particularly a fan of their previous release so that Miracle of Death hooked me was a small miracle all in itself. I’m no stranger to enjoying shoegaze-y things, psych-rock-laden things, sinfully synthful things—the airy 60s era croons and shimmering Hammond shudders throughout this give me all kinds of shoulder-relaxing, neck-tingling goodies. You think that’d remind me of someone like The Mamas & the Papas, but my mind drifts toward the episodic, warble-clipped daze of the Cunninglynguists classic Oneirology. Funny how the mind works, innit? Regardless, the sheer beauty of sound on display throughout Miracle of Death is impossible for my sugar-starved brain to ignore. Vibe with me.
#8. Slumbering Sun // The Ever-Lasting Fire – I know the Rodeö entries provide a healthy serving of less-than-desirable releases, but if you’re skipping them entirely then maybe you missed Slumbering Sun when they dropped their debut LP, The Ever-Lasting Fire way back in February. You see, one of the reasons I’ve helped fuel the Rodeö is that bands like Slumbering Sun still exist out there, under the radar, largely unpromoted, with gem ideas. Leaning on the modern sadperson melodic doom angle pioneered by an early Pallbearer, this Texas troupe delivered a longing yet hopeful collection of tunes that never fails to stir the slow burn of teary-eyed smiles in my heart. If Patrick Walker (Warning) were younger when he found peace, perhaps 40 Watt Sun would have gone this direction.
#7. Jarhead Fertilizer // Carceral Warfare – I didn’t even think I was getting a Jarhead release this year, but the death metal overlords decided that 2023 hadn’t quite graced me yet with this extremely specific kind of deranged, violent, feral death metal that I crave. Samples and segues function like dim lights in a dive bar, masking the filth strewn about while the seedy world around you builds its slow assault on your senses. Carceral Warfare stinks, its riffs carved in cracked and corroded skin. There’s nothing acute about injuries that Jarhead seeks to afflict—the wounds Carceral Warfare doles out aim to fester and brim black with incurable disease.
#6. Gridlink // Coronet Juniper – I never expected my favorite power metal album of the year to be a grindcore album. Gridlink’s take on the punk specialty has always been a bit different though. Always fast, always pushing the treble ceiling, and always leading with melodies that don’t quit, Coronet Juniper highlights all the strengths that this outfit has always promised. As their last album, it functions as a tribute to themselves—their collective passions executed at ridiculous speeds and unadvisable levels of throat punishment. It may not be as groundbreaking as what came before it, but when you’re ten steps ahead of the pack, you can settle to simply show ’em how it’s done. And I got to use Gundam clips in the review. Win-Win.
#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – The formatting will get all weird if I only scream WOOOOOOOOOOOORMMMMMMMMM-HOOOOOOOLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEE like I want to, so here’s more. Ken and I don’t often end up hole-to-hole on an album, but when we do, you better bet that it’s great. When all that was out for Almost Human was the singles, I repeatedly binged those first two tracks as if they were a whole album to themselves. And that’s the magic of this bright and horrifying slamfest. It’s shiny, it’s punishing, and, most importantly, it’s relentless in worming its way into my gaping sound receptors.
#4. Anachronism // Meanders – I’ve been listening to this all damn year at this point. I was late to the Anachronism party with Orogeny, but not so with Meanders. Its uncanny ease in mood and brevity in run hold an important home in contrast to its finger-testing technicality and unparalleled rhythmic brutality. A natural but still unexpected successor to the post-tinged, brooding brutality that showed itself in flashes, Meanders rains textural and colorful in ways that other death metal simply doesn’t—all while still staying death metal. Oh, and Lisa Voisard has a piercing shriek to go with her scruffy bellow. Who would’ve guessed?
#3. healthyliving // Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief – I knew how much I loved this album before I realized it. When it dropped, I told all the writers, “I think I have my first TYMHM y’all.” But then I went and filtered it, which is no dishonor but doesn’t quite capture the intensity of what healthyliving has to offer on this debut outing. Building tension through an eclectic array of jangling chords and understated rhythms, the supporting cast sets the perfect stage for vocalist Amaya Lopez-Carramerro to absolutely shred with fearless virtuosic wail. Or she’ll sit back and set a slow burn with a restrained and emotive croon. Can I call her my favorite vocalist in metal right now? Is this even metal? Maybe. But I couldn’t care less. It’s damn good.
#2. KEN mode // VOID – NULL ended up on my top ten last year, and with the consistency that these angry Canadians provide, enjoying VOID came naturally, disarmingly so. What I didn’t expect, however, was that this act known for being noisy and rambunctious and pulverizing would be able to dial back the melancholy of previous works with an additional varnish of lived-in depression. A partner to what came before it, VOID captures the last spat of mania before an extended comedown and the dragging sorrow that follows. And yet somehow, though it hurts almost every step of the way, I feel just a little bit lighter after every listen. Get over yourself and listen if you haven’t bothered yet, if only for the buzzing synths and buttery, booming bass tones.
#1. Vvon Dogma I // The Kvlt of Glitch – You, the commentariat, had plenty to say about this album when it dropped. “I tried… No thanks.” — “I’m voting Dolphin Whisperer off the island. This is crap.” — “What the actual fuck?” All choice examples. Some of you also decided to write this off because of the AI-base of the cover art despite the artists involved self-funding this whole exploration and fully crediting the digital assistance. Your asceticism will go unrewarded. This is a humble reminder that you, the commentariat, do not influence my complete and utter enjoyment of this mad pairing of cyberpunk industrial, fanned-fret progressive, angelic electronic piece of edge-skirting metal. The spirit of adventure that graces every phrase throughout the Kvlt of Glitch stimulates the thrill-seeker, the floating spirit, the head-banging hooligan in me all at once, while lathering me with a fresh sense of dread for a technology-warped future. Maybe you never liked Genghis Tron before they disbanded after Board Up the House. Maybe you never liked Unexpect when they graced us with album after album of shrill and unfathomably progressive fantasy. Maybe you’ve got a shallow throat for multi-layered, programmed voices that fizzle the ears with rich harmony. But The Kvlt of Glitch is willing to welcome you whenever you choose to accept its power. I am God now!4
Honorable Mentions:
- World’s End Girlfriend // Resistance & The Blessing – WEG possesses the esoteric ability to manipulate time with beauty. Resistance & The Blessing continues to unravel itself before me as I tackle it as a whole, in chunks, in the narratives it allows you to build with each of its whispered ideas. Sadness, happiness, anger, frustration, longing, acceptance—this monumental offering has it all. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s a lot to take in. But I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t love it.
- Angra // Cycles of Pain – What can I say, I love Angra. The Lione era is developing a thing for long albums, but at least it’s all good.
- Autarkh // Emergent – An album that loops with glitchy industrial and ethereal post-metal as well as this one does is dangerous. You could do a lot worse than hearing this three times in a row though.
- Aphotic // Abyssgazer – Blackened deathdoom? Funeral-tinged ritualistic black metal? Whatever you want to call this, there’s an alternate timeline where it’s on the list proper. It just goes.
- Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – Progressive death metal ear candy. I could probably listen to this album all damn day if the last song didn’t dampen the mood a little.
- Pupil Slicer // Blossom – Metalcore with nu-metal tropes shouldn’t be as fun as this or the new Mouthbreather album, but those industrial grooves keep on giving. Start the album with the title track for an even better listen.
- Ok Goodnight // The Fox and the Bird – I take some issue with the proggy detours in this album, but its storybook charm holds more endearing than all of that.
- Maud the Moth + trajedesaliva // Bordando el manto terrestre – Chill-out album of the year. Meditate, read, relax… or just listen to the sultry whispers with your eyes closed. They tickle.
Disappointments o’ the Year:
Soen // Imperial Memorial – Let me level with you, Lotus is a fantastic album and the pinnacle of a career for Soen, a band that has grown further away from the flourishes that make their music interesting. Lush production? Humming Hammond overlays? Joel Ekelöf spreading sweet nothings over the course of an urgent and chunky build? Who needs any of that when you can write worse choruses over the same riff and people continue to latch onto it. Soen almost remembers their strengths (“Fortress,”5 “Tragedian,” “Vitals”), and it is admirable that Ekelöf tries to stretch his wings as a grittier vocalist while maintaining his Eurovision aspirations. But with a direction that’s even less dynamic than the uncharacteristically narrow master that Memorial shows, I’ve got little to reason believe that this is a direction that Soen should continue. Not good. Not good at all.
Einar Solberg // 16 – After Aphelion wiped away the hope I had left for Leprous, I looked to this solo outing from Mr. Solberg as a chance for him to find a way back to a good tune. It seems that it did help him reclaim a somber and less ahhAAAahhAAAaahaah character to his voice, and drummer Keli Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco, notable Leprous-like act) really helps a few bright moments shine (“Remember Me,” “Blue Light”). However, Solberg did not have to take his play at Jamiroquai (“Home”) nor include a guest rapper (also “Home”) nor include his sister (for what effect on “Where All the Twigs Broke”) nor include his brother-in-law for a growled guest spot on a trip-hoppy track (that’s Ihsahn on “Splitting the Soul”) nor give us seventy minutes of whatever you want to wrap this up as. Sadboi art pop perhaps? Skippable in any case.
Best Thing I Missed in 2022:
Polterguts // Gods Over Broken People – I haven’t heard an album this seriously fucking pissed off since Admiral Angry’s Buster, but the level of frustration here rings just a touch less sexual and frustrated—it’s defeated. The malaise that Gods captures renders itself in lyrics that spout from a voice fed on apathy and gravel: “I used to pray for my friends/I used to hurt when they hurt/I used to love without expecting any love in return” (“Skullbowl”), “I like it here at the bottom where they know me by name/I used to think I wanted out, but now I’m begging to stay” (“Buckle the Spine”), “I’m not strong enough to hold it together, but It breaks my heart to watch you struggle for air/I’m sorry I couldn’t get both of us out, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t there” (“Injury”). As harrowing as that is to read, it’s even more brutal to hear. And I suspect for those stuck in the same kind of recursive, small-town Midwest drain from which this attitude grows, this would hit even harder. One part Meshuggah, one part Chat Pile, and another part its own punished deathcore, Polterguts holds in one hand my aching heart and in another its own, stained and hollow.
Songs o’ the Year:

Why give you one when I can give you twenty-seven? Why twenty-seven? That’s my secret. Now, I’ve talked enough, go out there and enjoy some music, friends. And enjoy this photo of my dogs.

Kiwi (top) and Coconut (bottom).

Ferox
I got my own big boy list! AMG Industries: where doing an adequate job on the free work you’ve been assigned leads to opportunities for more free work. I wouldn’t have it any other way–I love this place, even if the prospect of making this list fills me with anxiety and imposter syndrome. I am generally not given to best-of lists, or year-end reflection. But we’ve got a fake job to do, so let’s get stuck in!
2023 was a weird one. It began with a case of long-ish Covid that saw me coughing uncontrollably every time I laughed, segued into a writer’s strike that shut down my industry for six months, and ended with a faint and collision between the Ferox noggin and a concrete floor. That last one put me in bed recovering for the better part of a month and seriously fucked with my workout goals. Despite all this, it was an incredible year! My family flourished, I snuck a couple of projects into production at my day job, and I had a blast writing here as much as I could. The only complaint I could possibly muster is that it’s all flying past way too quickly.
As for AMG… this is that rare place that improves the lives of all who touch it (Rodeö bands excepted). It did that for me when I lurked as a reader, and it continues to do so now that I cling to a staff position. How does a place this positive place exist? On the internet?! I’m grateful to Steel for providing real leadership at my fake job, to my fellow members of the AMG Class of ’21 for being good eggs and excellent writers, and to everyone I’ve met through a gig that makes life richer and more fun. Maybe the real 2023 was the bollocks we talked along the way.

#ish. Spirit Possession // Of the Sign… – Do you guys like Nifelheim? I sure as heckfire do, and this album that captures some of their defiant spirit stole my heart in the waning moments of 2023. The reprobates of Nifelheim aren’t the only point of departure here. Portland’s Spirit Possession is a borderline tribcore act that aims to capture the feel of an era more than the work of one particular band. Here you’ll find echoes of Bathory, Hellhammer, and Venom. Sometimes a project like this works so well that the music transcends the lack of originality baked into these sorts of things. Of the Sign… is one such album; it may well have landed in my top ten if I had had more time with it before Listurnalia.
#10. Horrendous // Ontological Mysterium – Horrendous, already on a very short list of the best metal bands so far this century, bolsters their legacy with the concise and intoxicating Ontological Mysterium. The quartet has carved out a take on progressive death metal that is entirely their own, one that is melodic, wonky, and sweeping all at once. They’ve never been more engaging than they are on Ontological Mysterium. The album wends its way through nine tracks in less than forty minutes–Ontological Mysterium defies its run time by taking you on a journey that feels epic, but releases you before fatigue sets in. Only closer “The Death Knell Ringeth,” an inexplicable dud that can scarcely walk and chew gum at the same time, keeps Ontological Mysterium from ascending to loftier heights.
#9. Wormhole // Almost Human – Wormhole’s take on brutal death metal is at once savage but cheerful, and stöopid without being remotely dumb. I am fully on board with any band that uses the low art of the slample to describe their own sound, as Wormhole does with a sunny interjection of “Tech Slam!” on the title track of their latest. The AMG staff would have you believe that it’s necessary to choose between Wormhole and Afterbirth, the band’s peer in innovative and excellent brutal death metal. That is nonsense; appreciate the Slam-aissance in all its glory, as these two remarkable outfits elevate one of metal’s least-loved subgenres to new heights.
#8. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – Sodomisery makes life hard on themselves with an atrocious name that is way too persnickety about the respectable pursuit of sodomy. Some folks just need to play the game on difficult mode, I guess. If the hideous moniker is what it takes to spur Sodomisery to this kind of work, then the outfit should keep indulging themselves. Mazzaroth is an endlessly replayable slab of genre-bending excellence. Symphonic flourishes and well-placed clean vocals accent the band’s hybrid of black metal, death metal, and melodeath. Mazzaroth is big fun, an album that effortlessly synthesizes a cornucopia of influences into something that feels both classic and new.
#7. Xoth // Exogalactic – A late-in-the-game remaster unleashed the power of a fully operational Exogalactic. The album finds the pan-genre madlads of Xoth playing in the margins, expanding their sound here and there while defending their Party Lovecraft turf. Across eight engaging tracks, the excellent songwriting of Exogalactic is augmented by audacious technical what-the-fuck-ery. The album’s forty minutes fly past, and while Xoth’s sound might not be the revelation it was on Invasion of the Tentacube and Interdimensional Invocations, this Seattle quartet remains very much on top of their game. Play a song, any song, and joy will invade your earholes. That’s the Xoth promise, and Exogalactic delivers.
#6. Gridlink // Coronet Juniper – I could go on about the pleasures of Coronet Juniper, but chances are Dolphin Whisperer already has you cornered and is doing just that. My list buddy extolled the virtues of this grind funhouse to the point where I finally just pretended he was saying “BREEEEEEEEEEEEE” and tuned him out. Then I played the album a month or so later in the gym, and Gridlink rocketed me to a dimension of pure fun. Coronet Juniper is a grind joyride, so confident in its songwriting that the band includes a run of instrumental “karaoke versions” at the end of the album that is every bit as playable as the so-called official tracklist.
#5. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – Outer Heaven understands both the virtues and the confines of old-school death metal. Infinite Psychic Depths gives the subgenre a glow-up by taking us on a tour of everything that still works, while adding a few new wrinkles. The album never plays as mere pastiche; like some kind of Quentin Tarantino of death metal, Outer Heaven refreshes old tropes by building something new from a pile of familiar elements. I haven’t dug much into the high concept that underlies Infinite Psychic Depths, but that’s because I don’t need to. The music stands on its own. Already a highlight of 2023, Infinite Psychic Depths feels like one that could grow in esteem with time. It could well be underrated in my fifth slot.
#4. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – Here’s one that roared out of the gate back in January and absolutely refused to cede any ground. The Weight of Remembrance runs classic doom through both an orchestral and a death metal filter. The various genre flourishes enhance the strong songwriting–“Of Creeping Moss and Crumbling Stone” is so incredible that it became a workout staple despite its plodding pace, and nearly earned a spot on this year’s Heavy Moves Heavy playlist. The highlights don’t stop there. They don’t stop until The Weight of Remembrance has run its course. The Debut o’ The Year also happens to be one of the very best albums of 2023.
#3. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche. A relief, then, that Warcrab is anything but complacent on The Howling Silence. These seven tracks roar past, the stifling atmosphere pierced on occasion by icepick solos that showcase the Guitar Tone o’ The Year. This one was a grower for me. The Howling Silence initially did little to distinguish itself from previous slab Damned in Endless Night. But my lizard brain heard layers that my ears weren’t processing, and the album kept earning spins. Layers of excellence kept revealing themselves, and before I knew it this piece of heavy artillery blasted its way to the upper echelons of my list.
#2. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – This rollicking slab of tech death earned a 4.0 from me back in early February, and I do believe I sold these Swedes short by half a point. Visions of Infinihility was a mainstay of my 2023. The album remained close at hand throughout both a long strike and a stretch of vertigo-induced bedrest. If I’m not tired of it yet, I probably never will be. And what’s not to like here? Every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening. The site’s top writer summed it up most precisely: “It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt–Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.”
#1. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – Long Island’s Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes as it goes. The first half of In But Not Of stays planted in the brutal death genre that Afterbirth had a hand in creating. The second departs for distant parsecs, fusing elements of post-metal, alt-rock, and even ambient music onto death metal songs. The experiments work seamlessly, and I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of. “Devils With Dead Eyes,” “Autoerotic Amputation,” “In But Not Of,” and “Angels Feast on Flies” are the standout tracks–any one of the four could credibly lay claim to Song o’ The Year. Colin Marston’s production showcases and elevates the material. My favorite critic said it best: “This is music to concuss you and then heal your battered brain… [In But Of] is an album to savor and return to again and again, a companion piece to Four Dimensional Flesh that manages to equal if not surpass its predecessor.” Also: revel in that gorgeous album art by Alex Eckman-Lawn, a sci-fi Frankenstein’s monster that perfectly encapsulates the record. My top score of 2023 is an easy choice for Ferox‘s Album o’ The Year.
Honorable Mentions
- Autopsy // Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts– Ashes, Organs, Blood, and Crypts plays like Autopsy’s Basement Tapes, a collection of feral death metal songs that also somehow comes off as loose and ramshackle. It stands among the band’s best post-comeback work.
  Gorod // The Orb – The French masters of tech death hold serve with the predictably excellent The Orb.
  Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – I came up with the genre tag “funereal doom” to describe Convocation’s latest to myself. The band accesses the majesty of funeral doom without the tedious repetition. It’s a potent approach that’s been honed to near-perfection on No Dawn for the Caliginous Night.
  Tomb Mold // The Enduring Spirit – The Toronto outfit pulled off a tricky shift, surprising fans of their inventive take on old-school death with this proggy slab. I sure wouldn’t have minded another Planetary Clairvoyance, but I wound up thrilled by this new direction.
  Serpent Corpse // Blood Sabbath – 2023 delivered an abundance of old-school death delights, but Montreal’s Serpent Corpse move to the head of the class with debut Blood Sabbath.
  Fabricant // Drudge to the Thicket – A trio of virtuoso musicians keep their debut album juuust barely on the “death metal” side of the prog-death divide. Drudge to the Thicket is a load of unpredictable fun from an immensely promising outfit.
  Omnicidal // The Omnicidalist – Omnicidal takes a huge leap forward with a sophomore album that injects hints of melodeath and black thrash into an already nasty cocktail. In spite of Gardenstale‘s rave, this excellent effort seemed to get lost in the 2023 shuffle. I kept it spinning all year.
  Gravesend // Gowanus Death Stomp – This second offering of urban nightmare deathgrind from Gravesend improves on Methods of Human Disposal. An album that conjures genuinely unsettling images and one that will leave its boot marks all over your body,
  Dripping Decay // Festering Grotesqueries— Another exceptional death metal debut, Festering Grotesqueries inspired an epic run of putrid imagery in Steel‘s review. These Portland knuckle-draggers are worthy of all the filthy poetry the Apeman can muster.
Song o’ the Year: Afterbirth – “In But Not Of”
Disappointment o’ the Year
- Immortal // War Against All – After the improbably incredible Northern Chaos Gods, I was PUMPED for Immortal’s Second Coming of Demonaz Era. Cue the record scratch, because the follow-up is generic and pretty much just sucks through and through.
#2023 #Afterbirth #Anachronism #Anareta #Angra #Aphotic #Autarkh #Autopsy #BlogPost #Carnosus #Convocation #DolphinWhispererSAndFeroxSTopTenIshOf2023 #DrippingDecay #EinarSolberg #Fabricant #Gorod #Gravesend #Gridlink #healthyliving #Horrendous #Immortal #JarheadFertilizer #KENMode #Lists #Listurnalia #MaudTheMothTrajedesaliva #OkGoodnight #Omnicidal #OuterHeaven #Polterguts #PupilSlicer #SerpentCorpse #SlumberingSun #Sodomisery #Soen #SpiritPossession #TombMold #Tongues #Tribunal #VanishingKids #VvonDogmaI #Warcrab #WorldSEndGirlfriend #Wormhole #Xoth
#xoth #wormhole #worldsendgirlfriend #warcrab #vvondogmai #vanishingkids
Andy Arthur - Threadinburgh @[email protected] · 2023-07-10 · 15:23 UTC
Indian Peter’s Penny Post: the thread about Edinburgh first local postal service, house numbers and street directories

This thread is a write-up of a talk given for the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust in June 2023. It has been split across multiple sections for ease of reading.
This vacance is a heavy doom
On Indian Peter’s Coffee Room,
For a’ his china pigs are toom;
Nor do we see
In wine the sicker bisket’s soom
As light’s a flee.
The Rising of the Session, Robert Fergusson

In this verse, the “lights” that Robert Fergusson refers to are the men of law of the Court of Session in 18th century Edinburgh, fleeing the city in the summer to their country houses, away from the stench of the Old Town. Indian Peter’s Coffee Room was a small establishment within the Parliament Hall itself, the outer house of the Court of Session, Scotland’s supreme civil court, it’s patrons being the men of the law who conducted their business there. The “china pigs” are the drinks vessels and are empty now the customers are gone, and the “sicker biskets soom” is the dipping of small, sweet biscuits into the wine.
Part 1. Indian Peter.
So who was “Indian Peter”? Before we can go any further in our story it is very important to understand some of his long and complex life history, as it is relevant to his character and his motivations in later life. Indian Peter was Peter Williamson, born 1730 in Aberdeenshire. He was the son of a farmer and as a boy was sent to live with an aunt in Aberdeen. Aged 13, while hanging around the quayside in that city, he was tricked aboard a ship under false pretences and imprisoned. Not long thereafter he was part of a cargo of 70 abducted boys and girls who were taken to North America on board the ship Planter to be sold as a slave labour. On arrival in the New World, the vessel was shipwrecked, and the children were abandoned to their fate. When it was clear that they had survived, their captors returned and took them for sale. Peter was sold for £16 to a Scots settler who had arrived in America by the same method he had. He was as fortunate as his circumstances could allow him and his new master treated him well and schooled him.
The master died when Peter was aged 17, leaving him his horse, saddle and £120. With little reason to return to Scotland, Williamson settled down to farm and marry. His wife’s family were planters of some means and he was given a good property to work by his father-in-law. His recent good fortune however took a turn for the worse in 1754 when the farm was raided and burnt to the ground by the native Lenape people: the Delaware Indians. His wife was absent at the time but Peter was taken captive and forced to carry off his best possessions as booty. He spent some time as a captive with the Delaware, acting as a porter. During this experience he claimed to have been tortured and to have seen other settlers tortured or killed, but also picked up some of their customs (which he would later adopt and which would personify him in Edinburgh).

“The Indian Threatens Peter Williamson”, from The Red True Story Book, 1895, an illustration by H. J. Ford
After 4 months of captivity, Williamson seized a night time opportunity and escaped under the cover of the noise and activity of wild hogs and managed to return to the planter community. Tragically he found that his wife had died two months previously. Motivated by loss or revenge, he joined a British regiment in the Seven Years War to fight against the French and their Indian allies, serving for 18 months before being captured and imprisoned for the third time in his life in 1756 at the Battle of Oswego.
The Battle of Fort Oswego, where a French, Canadian and Indian force overwhelmed British defenders. Photogravure by John Henry Walker, 1877, from Journal de Montréal
Wounded, he was sent to a camp in Quebec he was soon fortunate to be repatriated to Britain in a prisoner exchange and that same year landed a broken man in Plymouth. Paid off from the army due to injury with a paltry sum, he headed for “home” in Aberdeen but ran out of his funds in York. It was here he ingratiated himself with some gentlemen who published an account of his life’s adventure in a book called “French and Indian Cruelty”. The book was a success and with the money he made from it he was able to return to Aberdeen, intending to sell his book and settle down. However the Aberdeen magistrates, who he had accused of being complicit in his abduction as a boy (and that of hundreds of other children) had other ideas and had him arrested and his books impounded. To secure his release, he had to agree to sign a retraction of his story and accusations, to pay a fine of 10 shillings, and to have his books publicly burned by the town executioner.
Spurned by his home town, he headed south to Edinburgh where he ingratiated himself amongst some men of the law. Appalled by his tale, they agreed to help him sue the Magistrates of Aberdeen. Williamson was able to build up a convincing legal case, supported by many witnesses, and surprised everyone by winning. He was awarded £100 in damages and his expenses. The magistrates, represented by one Walter Scott (the father of Sir Walter Scott) appealed, and lost. Settling in Edinburgh with his award, he re-published his book and set himself up as a tavern keeper on the Parliament Square. A sign over the door of his establishment reputedly read “PETER WILLIAMSON, VINTNER FROM THE OTHER WORLD“. When business was slow, he would don the guise of a Delaware Indian which he had managed to procure and perform a “war dance” in the High Street. Thus he became an accepted eccentric in the city’s social scene as “Indian Peter“, “Peter Williamson of the Mohawk Nation” and the “King of the Indians“.
He moved his business into the Parliament Hall as a coffee house, with the men of the law being his primary clientèle. He was also popular amongst the literary men and as well as Fergusson his shop was patronised by James Boswell and Sir Walter Scott and he was a correspondent with Ben Franklin.
“The Parliament Close and Public Characters of Edinburgh, Fifty Years Since”, in the style of John Kay, 1849, the bustling legal heart of the city in Williamson’s time
Indian Peter was not content to just live the life of a coffee house keeper and local celebrity however, and showed an irrepressible entrepreneurial streak. During a visit to London, he bought a portable printing press, which he returned to Edinburgh. Unable to break the closed ranks of the city’s printers for training, he instead taught himself how to operate it and went into business as a printer, publisher and book seller. At times he also ran a small bank (offering to exchange bank notes for “ready money, books or coffee” and even ran a lottery offering two squirrels as the prize!
Transcription of one of Williamson’s bank notes, which was probably more of a joke and gimmick amongst his friends than a serious business proposition
The name “Ready Money Bank” was a jibe aimed at some of the Scottish banks, which at this time issued “option clause” notes, where your note, when presented for redemption, was at risk of being paid out not in cash but for a note of another bank.
Peter Williamson. A caricature by John Kay from 1791 called “Travells eldest son talks with a Cherokee chief” © Edinburgh City Libraries
But it was in 1773 where Williamson’s two greatest contributions to the City are made; he establishes a Penny Post (only the second such service in the British Isles) and he began compiling and publishing street directories of the city and its principal residents. It is now that our story really begins. So why are these innovations of his so important? Firstly, they allowed anyone to send communications within the city, quickly, reliably and (relatively) cheaply and they told you to whom to send it and where! It is the beginning of a modern communication network within the city, a city which was just beginning to break free of the ancient confines of the Old Town and across the Nor’ Loch valley to the opportunities, space and clear air of the New Town. The Postal Museum states “in particular, the Edinburgh Penny Post [was] influential in establishing the pattern for the Provincial English Penny Posts that followed.“

Part 2. The Edinburgh Penny Post
Before the advent of the Edinburgh Penny Post, messages were carried around the city by your own servants or you could hire a Caddie (the town’s licensed class of porters and messengers) or pay a trustworthy child to run the errand. It was also the job of the Caddie to know everyone and everything, they acted as an informal news, communications and intelligence network.
An Edinburgh Caddie, by David Allan. Note the numbered badge of his trade, his licence to work, worn on the jacket breast. CC-by-NC National Galleries Scotland
The first Penny Post was established in London by William Dockwra in 1680, but he quickly fell foul of the General Post Office (GPO) monopoly and the fact his service was thought to be carrying seditious letters, it was seized from him, his patent forfeit and was ordered to pay £2,000 compensation. But you can’t keep a good idea down, and in 1765 an act was passed (Postage Act 1765) permitting licensed Penny Posts in provincial towns and cities. Although Williamson established his post in 1773, it was not until 1776 that he was formally granted permission from the Postmaster General for his service. His network in the city operated from 9AM to 9PM each day and for an English penny (paid up front, or on delivery) you could send a letter or small packet within one English mile of the Mercat Cross, north, south, east or west, and to Leith. The service to the latter, the city’s port, operated 8 times a day in both directions, between 8AM and 7PM.
Williamson’s Penny Post stamps, for mail sent payment on delivery (left) or paid in advance (right). These stamps are thought to have been made by Williamson himself from his experience of his printing press.
Four postmen were employed, who carried a hand bell to advertise their presence and wore a service cap with the name “Williamson’s Penny Post” painted or embroidered on it in silver and who were paid 4 shilling and 6 pence per week. The story goes that the caps were numbered 1, 4, 8 and 16 to make it appear as if the business was 4 times bigger than it really was. Knowing Williamson’s inventive abilities for self promotion, this does not seem that far fetched to be true. Of only one of the postmen do we have any sort of an insight, a highlander by the name of Donald Mackintosh who hailed from the vicinity of from near Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie. Mackintosh would have been in his thirties at this time and his task was described as a “his “useful though humble vocation”. He would later rise to prominence in his own right as an Episcopalian clergyman and a scholar of Scottish Gaelic.
Illustration by Will Nickless, 1962, purporting to show one of Williamson’s Penny Post men delivering a letter.
It was not only the four postmen who collected letters, they could also be dropped off at a network of 18 “receiving houses” in the city and Leith, which were pre-existing shops that Williamson had convinced to act as post offices. His carriers would call at them on their rounds to collect any deposited letters for onward delivery. He listed these in the directory, making it relatively easy to plot them to a map. At this stage the New Town could be served by a single receiving house on St. Andrew Street, the Canongate and southern suburbs both each by a single house too. The 1775 directory had a slightly refined network, with the concentration in the centre of the High Street reduced, additional houses in each of the Canongate and Southside and an additional house in Leith.
Williamson’s network of receiving houses in 1773-74, as listed in his directory. The red triangle is the GPO on North Bridge. Overlaid on Kincaid’s plan of Edinburgh (1784) and Wood’s plan of Leith (1777), both reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Much of the business for the Penny Post came from the men of the law that Williamson was already ingratiated with – reflected in the concentration of receiving houses around the Parliament Square – as it was they who had a business need to communicate quickly and frequently across the city. They knew him well: he was both in their fold but an outsider in the city hierarchy; he had long overheard their intimate business discussions in his tavern and coffee house without making a nuisance of himself. He was therefore a man to be trusted with their secrets.
A letter sent by Williamson’s Penny Post, to Mr William Brodie at Mr Robert Donaldson’s, Writer to the Signet, New Town
But it was not just the city’s lawyers and merchants who found use for the Penny Post. It offered an important new opportunity to women, as for the first time they could begin to converse privately through writing, away from the prying eyes of the servants who up until that time would have been entrusted with carrying letters. One exceptional romance is recorded as taking place discretely though Williamson’s delivery network; that of Robert Burns and Agnes Maclehose, known either as his Nancy, or Clarinda. In all, this flourishing written courtship amounted to 88 letters, carried by the Penny Post, and what Sir Walter Scott described as “the most extraordinary mixture of sense and nonsense, and of love human and divine, that was ever exposed to the eye of the world“. Burns, bedridden at the time after injuring his leg, was lodgning near the St. Andrew Street receiving house in the New Town and Nancy was but a short distance from the branch on Chapel Street, just beyond the Potterrow. On some days the couple would exchange as many as two letters each, in both directions.
Mrs Agnes McLehose, c. 1840s, Artist unknown. CC-by-NC National Galleries Scotland
Even at this early stage, in a relatively small city, the correct addressing of mail was an issue for the Penny Post and Williamson had to print begging notices in his directories pleading for letters to be clearly and non-ambiguously addressed.
To The Public, a notice in Williamson’s directory asking for mail to be clearly addressed
One of Williamson’s receiving houses was the premises of John Wilson, a bookseller who had one of the shops in the colonnade in front of the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers). Wilson also sold Williamson’s directories and happened to be his father-in-law. He is absent from the later versions of the list of Receiving Houses. This is with good reason; Williamson had separated for his wife – Jean Wilson – having accused her both of serial adultery and also of interfering with the Penny Post and misappropriating its profits. She had also cut him off from access to his children, including the eldest daughter who made a reasonable addition to the family income as a mantua maker (specialising in making ladies’ mantles) and with her father had set up a rival operation to try and run Peter out of business! But if the story so far has taught us anything, it is that when he was down, Peter Williamson was never out, and he would come back fighting. Once more he turned to his friends in the legal establishment and he built up an indestructible case against his wife. He cited nineteen different servants, doctors and lawyers as witnesses; she put up none in defence. She tried to get Williamson to pay for her legal defence, the court found that she had left him in forma pauperis (in the manner of a pauper; unable to pay) which further damaged her reputation. Williamson was granted divorce in his favour in March 1789 and regained control of his businesses and custody of his children. To recoup his losses from this case, he published a sensational account of his wife’s “crimes” against him, which having been proven in court he had no need to worry about being sued over.
In all, Williamson would run his Penny Post successfully for 19 years, it returning him on average a profit of £50 per annum (about £6,500 in 2023). However the reality was that he was ageing, and his energy for self promotion, fighting off the competition and keeping his postmen in check was waning. In 1790 Francis Freeling, the secretary to the Postmaster General, visited Edinburgh and observed the Penny Post in action. Suitably impressed, on his return to London he recommended to his superior that the GPO should take the service over and run it for itself. A younger Williamson may have tried to resist, but he sensibly acquiesced to authority and in 1793 the GPO took over the service. But true to form, he did not hand it over before overstating both his age and his financial dependence on the Post in a letter to the Postmaster General, ensuring he received a pension of £25 for life in return for relinquishing control.
We have also to beg your Lordships permission to authorise us to allow Mr. Williamson of Edinburgh £25 per annum, he having long had the profits of 1d. a letter on certain letters forwarded through his receiving house in Edinburgh, which he will lose by our having established a penny post there.
Passage from a letter from the Postmaster General to the Treasury, requesting Williamson’s pension, 17th July 1793
A Victorian postman of the GPO in 1820, from the cover of the sheet music for a popular song “The Postman’s Knock”.
The GPO quickly adapted the service to their own practices, cutting down both the number of receiving houses – from 18 to 9, the number of collections to 5 per day and the number of deliveries to 3; but at relatively fixed times of morning 98AM), early evening and late evening (7PM). They increased the number of postmen to 20 and by 1817 there were 30.

Part 3. Williamson’s Postal Directories
Williamson’s other great innovation in 1773-74 was the collation and publication of a postal directory for the city. (You can view this directory for yourself here, on the website of the National Library of Scotland.) He described it himself thusly:
An alphabetical list of the names and places of abode of the members of the college of justice; public and private gentlemen; merchants, and other eminent traders; mechanics and all persons in public business; where at one view you have a plain Direction, pointing out the Streets, Wynds, Closes, Lands and other Places of their Residence, in and about this Metropolis. Together with Separate Lists of the Magistrates, Court of Session and Court of Exchequer, the Constables of Edinburgh, Canongate and Leith, Carriers, etc.
Descriptive preface to Williamson’s first postal directory
This was the first comprehensive directory of anyone who was anyone in the city, what they did and where they were based. Williamson also includes useful information such as the boundaries of parishes, the members of the town council, the constables, and lists of carriers, the days they depart and where they operated from and to, and of course a list of his own Penny Post receiving houses. He operated this as a vertically-integrated business; he gathered the contents, published and printed it on his own presses, used it to advertise his Penny Post system and sold it himself at his own bookshop.
An extract of the first 4 pages of entries under the letter A for Williamson’s first Postal Directory of Edinburgh, 1773-74. CC-by 4.0 National Library of Scotland
To produce the publication, Williamson claimed to have visited every address in the city to compile details of the occupants and their professions. Many were suspicious of his motives and would not consent to give their details, which resulted in an incomplete listing that has a large appendix of late additions, which made it hard to use. A unique and cumbersome feature of the first directory was that within each letter of the alphabet, he sub-organised the contents by profession. While this makes it harder to find what you are looking for, it is a fascinating insight into the rigid social and professional hierarchies of the city at this time and perhaps the relative esteem with which Williamson himself held each class of profession. In all, the directory lists 3,914 individuals and 130 different occupations, some of which I have grouped together for convenience (e.g. shoemakers and clogmakers; barbers, wigmakers and hairdressers). The table below ranks professions with the the highest 15 and lowest 15 positions in the directory in the 1773-74 directory.
Rank“Highest 15” professionsRank“Lowest 15” professions1Advocates (barristers)15Baxters (bakers)2Clerks/ Writers to the Signet14Fleshers (butchers)3Lords’ and Advocates’ Clerks13Barbers, Wigmakers & Hairdressers4Writers (solicitors)12Candlemakers5Procurators (prosecutors)11Shoe & Clogmakers6Exchequer10Taylors & staymakers7Physicians9Weavers8Ministers8School masters, teachers, academics9Noblemen, Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlewomen7Milliners & Mantua-makers10Bankers6Excisemen11Merchants5Stablers12Grocers4Engravers13Ship-masters3Bookbinders14Surgeons2Confectioners15Brewers1Room setters (letting agents) & boarders
The contents of this directory also allow us to easily total up the relative frequency of the different occupations amongst the entries and plot them as a chart (below). From this we can observe that a full quarter of the entries are for the Incorporated Trades (i.e. the officially recognised and established trade and craft associations of the city, such as bakers, butchers, goldsmiths, taylors, weavers etc.). A further fifth are the men of the law, and a tenth are the merchants. This is fully unsurprising for a city built upon the prosperity and power of these groups. We can see that the nobility, by volume, are a relatively small component, and while print, medicine and education are relatively small contributions, these are three industries that will flourish in Edinburgh in the next 100 years and that the city will become synonymous with.
There are no street numbers in any of Williamson’s Directories until 1784. Prior to this, locations are simple, relatively vague and purely descriptive such as “head of Baillie Fyfe’s Close” or “Grassmarket, south side“. The introduction of numbers at first was just for the New Town and small parts of the Southside of the city (Nicolson Street and Chapel Street), the exception being James’ Court, which at the time was an exclusive address.
Although he originally intended to produce only a single directory, in the end they were such a success that Williamson published them for 17 years. For his final directory, that for a two year period of 1790-92, he subcontracted the printing out to Campbell Denovan, but retained the rights to sell a certain volume of copies exclusively. From 1794 the Edinburgh directories would be published by Thomas Aitchison, and then again the Denovans in 1804 before the Post Office itself took over in 1805 (although the printing was still local in Edinburgh). These later directories conform very closely to the style and structure first set out by Williamson, a testament to his ability to bring a systematic and ordered approach to what was a very chaotic city.
Williamson exercised this latter talent in what is a remarkable document, known either as “Williamson’s Broadside” or “An Accurate View of All the Streets, Wynds, Squares, and Closes of the City of Edinburgh, Suburbs, and Canongate, on both sides of the High-street, from the Castle to Holyrood-house, agreeable to the names they are at present known by, together with those in the New Town and Leith.”. This large printed page was a comprehensive list of all the closes and streets of the city and Leith, and their relative order and position to each other and the principal landmarks. An invaluable reference then, it is even more so now for modern eyes interested in where the old streets and closes were located and what names were in use. Ever the man with an eye on business, the corners of the page advertise other products and services sold by Williamson such as his Penny Post, stamps for marking books and linen, printed funeral announcement cards, and a form of fortune-telling cards he printed.
Williamson’s Broadside, folded up. You can view the full sheet at the below link to the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club.
You can view the full broadside for yourself in a chapter that starts on Page 261 of volume 22 (original series) of the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, published in 1939, which is digitised online here.
With his Penny Posts in the hands of the GPO and his directories with Campbell Denovan, Peter Williamson retired with his pension and what was left of his profits from these businesses (he claimed his wife and father-in-law had robbed him of fully three quarters of the latter) and took up a tavern in the Lawnmarket. He died in January 1799, and was buried in “The full panoply of a Delaware chief” in the grave of Mr. J. Scott, some distance north-east of William Nicol, beneath a stone surmounted by an urn.

Part 4. Street Numbering and Re-Numbering
Street numbering in Edinburgh started in the early 1780s, Williamson’s directories first reflecting it in 1784. It progressed as the New Town itself expanded, and the practice slowly began to spread to other parts of the city. Streets with only one side were simply numbered in a series from one upwards. However at this time there was no agreed manner by which to number doors in streets with two sides (which was most of them!) Three principal methods existed and all were implemented and existed side-by-side with no consistent approach – indeed the New Town used all three!
- The first method used is that with which we are familiar today: one side of a street has even numbers and the other has odd numbers, and the numbers increase in series as you move along the street.
- The second method was a “there and back again” method, whereby numbering progressed in an increasing series of odd and even numbers from number 1, up one side of the street, to the end, and then back down the other side. This meant that the highest and lowest numbers of the street were opposite each other. Nicolson Street was one street that used this method of numbering.
Nicolson Street on a map of Edinburgh by John Ainslie, 1804. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
- The third method was that of “northside / southside”. In this system, the street sides were named north and south (or east and west) and each side was numbered from 1 upwards in a continuous series. As a result, each number was duplicated, No. 1 North Side and No. 1 South Side were opposite each other, and without specifying which side of the street a letter was intended for or an advert was referring to one could easily end up with the wrong door.
A section of George Street on a map of Edinburgh by John Ainslie, 1804. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
By 1811 the system (if you could call it that) was in chaos, as not only was there no consistent methodology but demolitions, new buildings and subdivisions had caused numbering sequences to become haphazard and out of sequence. Something had to be done, and done it was. Despite a curious lack of historical record in either the City Archives or contemporary newspapers, on Whitsunday 1811 there was a wholesale and systematic renumbering of much of the City which had been numbered up to that point. The Caledonian Mercury contains one of the few examples evidencing this wholesale change:
Caledonian Mercury – Saturday 27 April 1811
The new numbering system split the city into quadrants, using the east-west axis of the High Street and the north-south axis of the Bridges and St. Andrew Street (shown as the yellow line on the map below). Within each of these quadrants, streets with two sides would be numbered with odd doors on one side and evens on the other, and the number series would increase as you moved away from the axis (shown by the blue lines on the map below) – so in theory the numbers always increase as you move away from the centre point of the quadrants. The system placed the odd numbered doors on your right and the even numbered doors on your left as you walked along any street in the direction of increasing numbers.
The street re-numbering axes and directions of increasing numbers, overlaid on a map of Edinburgh by John Ainslie, 1804. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
There were of course exceptions to the system. The Grassmarket ran in the “wrong” direction, retaining its former door numbering order which increased towards the axis. The Cowgate passes underneath the South Bridge axis, so one half of it (the western end) was inevitably not going to be able to conform. The east west axis – the “Royal Mile” of the Canongate, High Street, Lawn Market and Castle Hill – was numbered in two sequences. The first was the Canongate, uphill from the palace of Holyroodhouse to old burgh boundary with Edinburgh at the Netherbow. The High Street, Lawnmarket and Castle Hill were numbered into one continuous uphill sequence from the Netherbow. It is for this reason that to this day, the Lawnmarket street numbers start at 300 (evens) and 435 (odds), and there are no numbers 2 to 298 or 1 to 433 Lawnmarket. Similarly the numbering on the Castlehill starts at 348 (evens) and 525 (odds). Other oddities include Great King Street, where the evens are on your right instead of the odds, and South Bridge, which retained the old “there and back again” numbering and still does to this day (this is despite the North Bridge and Nicolson Street, its northern and southern extensions, being re-numbered)
The street numbering of the South Bridge, on Ainslie’s Town Plan of 1804. The map has been rotated by 90 degrees for clarity. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
The First New Town of Edinburgh, that part planned out by James Craig and that existed prior to 1811, conforms almost perfectly to the rules of the 1811 numbering system. On the map below, the red arrows show the street numbers ascend in the correct directions. The squares of Charlotte and St. Andrew are ordered in a clockwise manner. The Northern or Second New Town, the section north of Queen Street Gardens was developed from 1800 onwards so conformed to the scheme too (with the exception of the already noted Great King Street). The “Moray Feu” extension of the New Town, shown in the blue arrows, was developed from 1822 and conformed with the 1811 scheme, with the anomaly of Great Stuart Street, which is interrupted by Ainslie Place, so you have to pass through the latter to get to the other side of the former.
Edinburgh map by Bartholomew, 1891. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
The West End (green arrows on the map above) was feud from the estate of Walker of Coates from 1813 onwards and took its own, haphazard approach as it developed in a piecemeal manner. Queensferry Street is numbered in a “there and back again” nature; the numbers on some streets ascend in the right direction, but with the odds and evens on the wrong sides; Drumsheugh Gardens increases in an anti-clockwise manner, and towards the Dean Bridge; the street is Lynedoch Place on one side and Randolph Cliff on the other, each with its own numbering sequence. Princes Street in the First New Town posed an interesting test for the system. We think of it as being only a street built on one side, but there is of course a single block built on the south side at its eastern end. This was originally individual properties and prior to 1811 these were numbered in their own series as “Princes Street South Side”. The principal, northern side of the street did not need the geographic qualifier.
The east end of Prince’s Street as shown on Kincaid’s Town Plan of 1784. Note numbers 1-5 on the south side, and 1 upwards on the north. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
The 1811 re-numbering decided to treat the street as if it had a single side, with numbers 1-9 allocated to the south side, and the northern side numbered from 10 upwards. This arrangement was broken in 1898 when the block to the south was demolished to make way for the North British Railway Hotel (now The Balmoral), which took the number 1; numbers 2 to 9 Princes Street have therefore never existed ever since.
East End of Princes Street, as shown on Kirkwood’s Town Plan of 1819. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
In 1826 it was reported in the local press that a wholesale renumbering of the “suburbs” has been completed, that street names had now been painted on the corners and that a move was being made to begin painting up the names of the closes of the Old Town. The considered order of this new system was not to last however. By 1826, properties on Princes Street were plagued with subdivision of the original houses into commercial premises, requiring the Town Council to approve the use of A, B, C etc. to distinguish each new door from its original number. By 1856, the Cowgate was said to be in “a most hopeless state of darkness” and in 1869 the Lawnmarket was “greatly confused and unintelligible”. However a systematic approach was never taken again, and renumbering thereafter took place on a case-by-case basis, approved by a special council committee. Exceptions and curiosities still prevail however. Summerhall Place, for instance, was re-numbered as 5 to 13 Causewayside in 1935. However the uproar this provoked in its residents caused it to be renamed back to Summerhall Place, but with the numbers in the Causewayside sequence retained: to this day the latter street still starts its numbering of odd doors at number 15.

Part 5. Street Naming and Re-Naming
Street names, even those we are most familiar with, do not always remain the same forever and some change before they are even built. An early copy of James Craig’s original printed plan of the New Town from 1767 has the streets we know now as Princes, George and Queen referred to instead as simply the South, Principal and North; the names were yet to be decided.
Copy of James Craig’s 1767 New Town Plan © City of Edinburgh Council
A later copy of the same year, which James Craig apparently took to London, had named these streets as St. Giles Street (after the patron saint of the City), George Street (for the King, George III) and Forth Street, an unofficial innovation of Craig’s own doing, probably on account of the views it commanded towards that body of water. The magistrates of the city were unhappy with Forth Street and the King – who was shown the copy during Craig’s visit to London – was displeased with St. Giles, as he associated that name with the London district of the same name which had a reputation as a slum, hardly befitting his glorious new capital of North Britain.
A poor quality facsimile of an engraving of 1767 of Craig’s New Town Plan, showing unfamiliar street names. Thank you to Rob Ralston for helping to source this grainy copy in an 1971 paper in an obscure journal.
The King’s Scottish physician – Sir John Pringle – sent a letter expressing the displeasure and making some suggestions for improvement to Lord Provost Laurie, and a new copy was made, with George Street central, flanked by Queen Street to the north, and Prince’s Street to the south for George, Prince of Wales. With the cross-streets including Hanover and Frederick (the second son), the King approved and this new trend of naming streets in the city – to the glory of the reigning dynasty – was instituted. Prior to this, nearly all the street names in the city had been functional, describing the builder, owner or principal occupant(s). . An old saying amongst Edinburgh schoolboys – to help them remember – went; “The Queen and the Prince, the Rose and the Thistle, and King George in the Middle”.
You may have noticed in these earlier maps that illustrate Princes Street that some use the form “Prince’s Street” and that others use the more familiar “Princes”. So which is it? The simple answer is both, but never Princes’ Street! The table below gives the varieties used for Princes Street and George Street from the first royally approved plans of 1767 to 1831. The matter was finally settled in 1846 for Princes Street when the GPO street directories finally abandoned the original form of Prince’s Street. That Princes Street was named for two Princes is categorically not the case, it is not a plural, it is a possessive case, it is one where the apostrophe has been lost over time; it was for Prince George and Prince George alone, his brother Prince Frederick got Frederick Street.
MapmakerYearForm of Princes Street UsedForm of George Street UsedJames Craig1767Prince’s GeorgeJohn Andrews1771 Princes GeorgeAndrew Bell1773 Princes GeorgesJohn Ainslie1780Prince’s GeorgeAlexander Kincaid1784Prince’sGeorge’sDaniel Lizars1787Prince’s GeorgeT. Brown & J. Watson1793 PrincesGeorge’sThomas Aitchison1794Prince’s GeorgeJohn Ainslie1804 Princes GeorgesRobert Scott1805 Princes GeorgeGPO1807Prince’s GeorgeRobert Kirkwood1817 Princes GeorgeThomas Brown1818 Princes GeorgesRobert Kirkwood1819 Princes GeorgeRobert Kirkwood1821Prince’s GeorgeRobert Scott1822 Princes GeorgeJohn Wood1823 Princes GeorgeJames Knox1825Prince’s GeorgeJohn Wood1831 Princes GeorgeTable showing the spelling of Princes and George Street used from 1767 to 1831 on maps of the city.
Another change in the planned New Town streetnames affected the Northern explansion around 1806; the streets planned with the Latin names of Caledonia Street, Hibernia Street and Anglia Street were Anglicised to Scotland, Dublin and London Streets respectively before any shovels were in the ground. At the same time, a planned Albion Row was merged with the start of Albany Street and took the latter name.
Ainslies’ town plan of 1804 showing planned Caledonia, Hibernia, Anglia Streets and Albion Row. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
An opposite issue to renaming a street occurred in 1803, when Mrs Maxwell of Carriden (Mary Charlotte Bouverie) complained that her house was on a street with no name! She lived at the extreme west end of the First New Town, where the as-yet unnamed street to the west of Charlotte Square met Princes Street. A disagreement with the Moray Estate over land boundaries meant that the original planned street on the west side of Charlotte Square was never built, and what had been constructed had been given no name. This was resolved by Christening this portion Hope Street, after Charles Hope of Granton, Lord Advocate and the local MP (this is the explanation given by Stuart Harris. An explanation may be that it was for Admiral Sir George Hope of Carriden, a 2nd cousin of Lord Granton). The following year we find a Miss Blair in the Post Office directory for Hope Street.
Kincaid’s Town Plan (left) of 1784, showing the never built western side of Charlotte Square (then still planned as St. George’s Square) and Ainslie’s Town Plan (right) of 1804, showing the compromised updated designs for the west side of Charlotte Square, with the southwest portion now known as Hope Street. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
An idiosyncrasy of some Edinburgh streets is where the road has one name, but the street addresses along it have another. This is normally the result of a planned or pre-existing street being built along in a piecemeal, protracted manner. A good example of this is London Road, a planned new roadway into the city from the east formed around 1819, but where development along it took around 80 years to complete. Individual street blocks of houses were named by their landowner or builder, after themselves, family connections, royalty, battles, topography, pre-existing local names and more, with opposite sides of the same road frequently having different addresses. In its 1.4 mile Length, there are 19 different street addresses, with London Road itself being the address for relatively few premises.
1944 OS Town Plan of London Road overlaid with the street addresses of the premises along it. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
Another point in case is Leith Walk, a historic walking route between Edinburgh and its port that was only very gradually developed into a carriageway and built along. From the very top (the south or Edinburgh end) of “the Walk” – beginning at current Picardy Place, the facing “pairs” of places on opposite sides of the road went Union Place / Greenside Place; Antigua Street / Baxters Place; Gayfield Place & Haddington Place / Elm Row; Croall Place / Brunswick Place; Albert Place / Shrub Place; George Place / Crichton Place. At this point we reach the Leith and Edinburgh boundary at Pilrig Street.
The Leith end of Leith Walk, Pilrig Street north (down) towards the Foot of the Walk. From Old & New Edinburgh by James Grant.
Continuing down into Leith, the historic addresses went Fyfe Place; Kings Place; Orchardfield / Heriot Buildings; Springfield; Ronaldson’s Buildings; Stead’s Place / Anderson Place; Allison’s Place; Whitfield’s Place / Macneill’s Place; Cassell’s Place / Queen’s Place. In 1933, the council street naming committee made a proposal to merge Leith Walk and Leith Street into a continuous numbering sequence and to remove all the older intermediate addresses. Options included calling the whole length simply “Leith Walk”; splitting it into a “Leith Walk South” and “Leith Walk North”; extending Leith Street north to London Road, with everything north of that being Leith Walk. This proposal was never taken forward, and it is only on the Leith half of Leith Walk (i.e. north of Pilrig Street) where the houses are named and numbered as Leith Walk. On the Edinburgh side, the traditional names remains to this day, even though the roadway itself is formally called Leith Walk.
Street renaming generally took place on a case-by-case basis, usually to remove a duplicate name. An exception was a wholesale renaming and de-duplication exercise undertaken in a systematic way between 1965-69 upon the introduction of Post Codes for sending mail. This caused an issue where the traditional use of the old post towns or burghs to disambiguate between streets in the formerly separate burghs of Edinburgh, Leith and Portobello was superseded by simply using “Edinburgh” and the post code. At least 56 streets were renamed in this period, with the general practice being that the Edinburgh name was kept and any duplicates in Leith or Portobello (or both!) were renamed. This resulted in 15 old Leith street names and 8 in Portobello being lost and changed. There were exceptions however, and 5 Edinburgh names were changed where they conflicted with Leith, 4 Leith names were changed where they conflicted with Portobello and 3 Portobello names were changed where they conflicted with Leith.
Amongst others, Edinburgh lost its Pitt Street (to Dundas Street), Duke Street (to Dublin Street), Chapel Lane (to Cathedral Lane), Mitchell Street (to Peffer Place). Leith lost its George Street (to North Fort Street), Queen Street (to Shore Place), Albany Street (to Portland Street), Bank Street (to Seaport Street). Portobello lost its Hope Street (to Rosefield Street), Ramsay Lane (to Beach Lane), Melville Street (to Bellfield Street), Pitt Street (to Pittville Street). The village of Newhaven lost its St. Andrew’s Square (to Fishmarket Square) to avoid confusion with St. Andrew Square in Edinburgh, and it lost its Parliament Square (to Great Michael Square) for the same reason. Across the city as a whole, multiple streets with “Church” or “Hope” in their name were also altered to avoid potential duplicates or ambiguity.
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Bryan King @[email protected] · 2026-05-06 · 11:30 UTC
The Broken Mesh: Why the Fight Between Meshtastic and MeshCore Matters

2,734 words, 14 minutes read time.
The fracture between the Meshtastic and MeshCore projects is a warning that you cannot ignore. For years, people thought a simple, off-grid data net was the answer for when the main lines go down. But now, the community is divided. This is not just a small fight over code. It is a total disagreement on how to handle communication when things get ugly. If you think you are ready just because you bought a cheap radio board and did not bother to learn how the software actually works, you are just a hobbyist playing with toys. The rift between Meshtastic and MeshCore shows how fragile these systems are and why you need to know your gear inside and out. A mesh net is only as good as its weakest link. If you do not master the tech, you are just a dead node in a silent town. We are seeing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must choose your tools based on the reality of the physics, not the popularity of the app. Demand that your firmware be an efficient tool for data transmission, not a bloated social media platform for the 915 MHz band. If you do not take the time to understand the modulation, the packet structure, and the routing logic of the software you flash onto your hardware, you are just a child playing with a walkie-talkie while the grown-ups are trying to build a grid. Mastery of the radio spectrum is not an option; it is a requirement for anyone who claims to be prepared. This split is the first real test of whether civilian mesh can survive the chaos of its own success. You either learn to navigate the airwaves or you signal your own failure. Every packet you send without understanding the cost is a round wasted in a firefight. Stop treating your emergency comms like a smartphone app and start treating it like the life-support system it is. This technical mastery is the difference between a working link and a radio that does nothing but drain your battery in the dark.
Troubleshooting LoRa Mesh Protocol Inefficiency and Network Congestion
The fight between Meshtastic and MeshCore comes down to how they use the radio waves and the small chips that run them. Meshtastic has been the big name for a long time. It uses a flooding method where every radio repeats every message it hears. In the woods, that is fine. In a city with a hundred users, it is a train wreck. The air gets crowded, messages hit each other, and the whole system jams itself. MeshCore did not start because people wanted a new app. It started because the old way is inefficient. The core of the split is about the overhead—the extra data that hitches a ride on every message. Meshtastic adds a lot of features, but those features take up space. MeshCore wants to strip everything down to the bone so the network stays stable. When you have very little room to send data, every extra bit is a mistake. This is a battle between lots of features and it just has to work. If your software is fighting your hardware, you lose. The divergence between Meshtastic and MeshCore is rooted in the physics of the 900 MHz ISM band and the limitations of the ESP32 and nRF52 chipsets. As the node count grows, the airwaves become a chaotic mess of collisions and retransmissions, effectively jamming the very frequency the operators are trying to utilize. While Meshtastic has focused on a feature-rich user experience with a heavy reliance on a specific structure, MeshCore proponents argue for a leaner, more modular approach that prioritizes the stability of the underlying mesh over the bells and whistles of the interface. When you are operating on a low-bandwidth, high-latency medium like LoRa, every byte of overhead is a liability. You either master the protocol or you become a dead node. The math does not lie even if the marketing does. If your network protocol consumes more than ten percent of your bandwidth for heartbeats, your network is dying. Every extra feature in the code is another potential point of failure when the signal gets weak. You have to decide if you want a chat app or a survival tool. The flooding algorithm used by Meshtastic is a blunt instrument that was never meant for high-density urban deployment. It works by simply re-broadcasting every unique packet received until a hop limit is reached. In a sparse environment, this ensures the message gets through by any means necessary. But as the number of nodes increases, the probability of two nodes transmitting at the same time goes up. This leads to packet collisions where neither message is readable. MeshCore attempts to solve this by moving toward a more structured routing system. This means the software tries to figure out the best path for a message instead of just yelling it to everyone. This shift requires a level of technical discipline that many casual users find frustrating. It means the network is less plug-and-play and more of a precision tool. If you want a network that survives a real crisis, you have to move away from the chaos of flooding. You have to understand how the Media Access Control layer handles traffic. You have to know how to set your timing parameters so you are not stepping on your own neighbors. The split is a clear line in the sand between those who want ease of use and those who want engineering reliability. You cannot hide from the physics of the airwaves. Either your packets move or they die in the dirt. Stop assuming the software will fix your bad placement. Fix the engineering or get off the air.
Physics of LoRa Packet Collisions and Signal to Noise Ratio Analysis
To understand this split, you have to look at how these radios actually talk. They use a low-power system called LoRa. It is built for long range, but it is slow. There are strict rules on how long you can broadcast before you have to shut up and let others speak. Because Meshtastic repeats everything, adding more people makes the problem worse fast. This is not a glitch. It is physics. MeshCore was built to change how messages find their path through the net. Instead of everyone yelling at once, it wants a smarter way to move data that does not waste airtime. The split happened because one group likes the safety of repeating everything, while the other wants a clean, quiet network. If your radio is spending eighty percent of its power just saying I am here, you are not communicating—you are just making noise. The split proves that the current path is heading for a crash where no one can get a message through. LoRa is designed for long-range, low-power communication, but it is inherently limited by the Duty Cycle regulations of the FCC Part 15 and similar international bodies. Meshtastic’s current implementation of the flooding protocol means that as you add more users, the probability of packet storms increases exponentially. MeshCore was conceptualized to address the need for a more rigid, perhaps even more disciplined, routing logic that could potentially mitigate the hidden node problem and reduce the airtime usage per packet. The technical fallout between the two development paths stems from a disagreement on how to manage the limited airtime of the ISM band. One camp believes in the resilience of redundant flooding, while the other seeks a more surgical, routed approach to data delivery. This is a matter of Spectral Efficiency. If your mesh is using the majority of its available airtime just to say it exists, you have failed as an operator and an engineer. You are polluting the spectrum with digital noise. This noise prevents emergency traffic from getting through. It creates a false sense of security where people think they have a working link when they actually have a jammed one. You must look at the duty cycle of your own node. If you are transmitting more than one percent of the time in the 900 MHz band, you are likely part of the problem. MeshCore is an attempt to force the network into a more responsible state. It prioritizes the survival of the link over the convenience of the user. This is a hard truth that many do not want to hear. Physics does not care about your feelings or your user interface. It only cares about the signal-to-noise ratio. If your signal is lost in the noise of your own network, you have built nothing but a very expensive paperweight. Every packet sent is a risk. In a real-world scenario, a long transmission can be used to find your location. Flooding makes this risk much higher because your message is repeated over and over by every node in the area. A routed system like what MeshCore aims for reduces this risk by limiting the number of times a message is sent. This is not just about efficiency; it is about security. You have to understand that the airwaves are a shared resource. If you treat them like your own personal garbage dump, you will find yourself alone and unheard when the time comes to actually send a call for help. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a debate over the very future of private, off-grid data. One side wants to make it accessible to everyone, while the other wants to make it work when nothing else does. You have to decide which side of that line you stand on. If you are not monitoring your packet loss and your noise floor, you are not an operator. You are just a passenger in a system that is bound to fail. Stop looking at the colorful screens and start looking at the spectrum. The truth is in the waterfall, not the icons. The physics of 915 MHz demand respect that a plug and play mindset cannot provide.
Off-Grid Communication Solutions and Technical Radio Discipline
The result of this fight is a mess where gear running one software will not talk to gear running the other. For you, that means your radio is a brick if your neighbor is on the other side of the fence. This is how a mesh net dies. A mesh needs everyone to speak the same language. When the builders split, the network breaks. This should wake up anyone who thinks they can just download a file and be safe. The hard truth is that we are seeing a new tech grow too fast for the people using it. You have to pick your tools based on facts, not what looks cool. Demand software that moves data fast and clean. If you do not know how your radio sends a packet or why some settings work better than others, you have no business relying on this in a pinch. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of radio, there are no shortcuts. For the operator in the field, this means your gear might be useless if the person three blocks away is running a different branch of the protocol. This is the death of a mesh. A mesh requires a common language, a shared set of timing parameters, and a unified understanding of frequency hopping and spreading factors. When the developers split, the network breaks. This should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they can outsource their emergency communications to a GitHub repository they do not understand. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of RF, there are no shortcuts. If you cannot explain the difference between a Spreading Factor of seven and twelve, or why a 125kHz bandwidth is preferable over 250kHz in a high-noise environment, you have no business relying on these tools. The hard truth is that we are witnessing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must take personal responsibility for your station. This means testing your range with real-world obstacles. It means understanding how your antenna height and gain affect your local mesh. It means being able to re-flash your firmware in the dark while the rain is pouring down. If you cannot do these things, you are not prepared. You are just a collector of electronic gadgets. The discipline of the amateur radio spirit must be applied to these new digital modes. We are losing the technical edge that made the license worth having in the first place. The split is a chance to reset. It is a chance to move away from the appliance operator mindset and back toward the engineering mindset. You should be auditing your own mesh. Look at the traffic logs. See how many packets are being dropped. See how many of your traffic is just node discovery overhead. If you find that your network is inefficient, do not wait for a developer to fix it. Change your settings. Educate your neighbors. If the split leads to a better, more efficient protocol, then it was worth the friction. But if it just leads to two broken networks instead of one, then we have all lost. The practical application of this knowledge is simple: test everything. Do not assume your mesh will work because the light on the board is green. Prove it. Send data over the longest possible path. Monitor the battery drain. Watch the spectrum on an analyzer if you have one. If you do not have the tools to verify your network, you do not have a network. You have a hope. And hope is not a plan for communication. Secure your nodes, harden your protocol, and stop relying on software you have never bothered to read. The day is coming when the only thing between you and the void is the connection you built yourself. Don’t let it be a connection built on laziness. Clean up your messy node or accept that you will be silent when it matters.
Conclusion: The Future of Decentralized Mesh Networks and User Mastery
The discipline of the old-school radio operator has to be applied here or the whole thing will fail. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a call to stop being a lazy user and start being a real operator. We do not have time for good enough when the grid is down. Check your gear, learn the rules of the airwaves, and be ready for a future where the channels are full and the software is broken. Build your setup expecting things to break. There is no room for being soft. Learn the math, understand your range, and make sure every message you send is worth the airtime. The grid is weak, the airwaves are crowded, and your own lack of knowledge is the only thing truly blocking your signal. Fix your gear, learn the system, and stop waiting for someone else to save you. The grid is fragile, the spectrum is finite, and your ignorance is the only thing standing between you and a total blackout. Fix your station, fix your protocol, and stop waiting for someone else to secure your link. The time for playing games with digital toys is over. Mastery is the only way forward. Master the code, master the RF, or stay off the air. This hobby demands engineers, not appliance operators. Be the asset the network needs, not the QRM that kills it. Finalize your build, test the link, and maintain the discipline required to keep the airwaves open for those who truly need them.
Call to Action
Join the Network and Master Your Comms Before the Grid Goes Dark. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a wake-up call for every operator. You cannot afford to be a passive user when the lines of communication are at stake. Whether you choose the feature-rich path or the lean efficiency of the core, the responsibility for a working link lies with you. Don’t wait for a crisis to realize your nodes are misconfigured or your protocol is inefficient. Start auditing your setup today by getting out in the field to find your real-world limits, diving into the spreading factors to clear the noise, and educating your local mesh to ensure your neighborhood stays connected. The airwaves belong to those who master them. Secure your hardware, flash your firmware, and become a reliable node in the decentralized future. Join the conversation, build the grid, and stay off the silent list.
SUPPORTSUBSCRIBECONTACT ME
D. Bryan King

Sources
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

Related Posts

Rate this:
#915MHz #airtimeOptimization #AmateurRadio #antennaGain #bandwidthManagement #communicationSecurity #communityMesh #constrainedNodes #dataTransmission #DecentralizedNetworks #digitalModes #DisasterRecovery #dutyCycle #emergencyComms #ESP32 #FCCPart15 #firmwareFlashing #floodingProtocol #gridDownComms #hiddenNodeProblem #IoTScalability #ISMBand #linkBudget #LoRa #LoRaWAN #meshNetworking #MeshCore #Meshtastic #networkCongestion #nodeDensity #nRF52840 #offGridCommunication #packetCollisions #packetLoss #protocolOverhead #radioDiscipline #radioFrequency #RFEngineering #RFInterference #routingLogic #signalPropagation #SignalToNoiseRatio #SNR #spectralEfficiency #spreadingFactor #survivalTech #SX1262 #TacticalComms #wirelessProtocols
#915mhz #airtimeoptimization #amateurradio #antennagain #bandwidthmanagement #communicationsecurity
Bryan King @[email protected] · 2026-05-06 · 11:30 UTC
The Broken Mesh: Why the Fight Between Meshtastic and MeshCore Matters

2,734 words, 14 minutes read time.
The fracture between the Meshtastic and MeshCore projects is a warning that you cannot ignore. For years, people thought a simple, off-grid data net was the answer for when the main lines go down. But now, the community is divided. This is not just a small fight over code. It is a total disagreement on how to handle communication when things get ugly. If you think you are ready just because you bought a cheap radio board and did not bother to learn how the software actually works, you are just a hobbyist playing with toys. The rift between Meshtastic and MeshCore shows how fragile these systems are and why you need to know your gear inside and out. A mesh net is only as good as its weakest link. If you do not master the tech, you are just a dead node in a silent town. We are seeing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must choose your tools based on the reality of the physics, not the popularity of the app. Demand that your firmware be an efficient tool for data transmission, not a bloated social media platform for the 915 MHz band. If you do not take the time to understand the modulation, the packet structure, and the routing logic of the software you flash onto your hardware, you are just a child playing with a walkie-talkie while the grown-ups are trying to build a grid. Mastery of the radio spectrum is not an option; it is a requirement for anyone who claims to be prepared. This split is the first real test of whether civilian mesh can survive the chaos of its own success. You either learn to navigate the airwaves or you signal your own failure. Every packet you send without understanding the cost is a round wasted in a firefight. Stop treating your emergency comms like a smartphone app and start treating it like the life-support system it is. This technical mastery is the difference between a working link and a radio that does nothing but drain your battery in the dark.
Troubleshooting LoRa Mesh Protocol Inefficiency and Network Congestion
The fight between Meshtastic and MeshCore comes down to how they use the radio waves and the small chips that run them. Meshtastic has been the big name for a long time. It uses a flooding method where every radio repeats every message it hears. In the woods, that is fine. In a city with a hundred users, it is a train wreck. The air gets crowded, messages hit each other, and the whole system jams itself. MeshCore did not start because people wanted a new app. It started because the old way is inefficient. The core of the split is about the overhead—the extra data that hitches a ride on every message. Meshtastic adds a lot of features, but those features take up space. MeshCore wants to strip everything down to the bone so the network stays stable. When you have very little room to send data, every extra bit is a mistake. This is a battle between lots of features and it just has to work. If your software is fighting your hardware, you lose. The divergence between Meshtastic and MeshCore is rooted in the physics of the 900 MHz ISM band and the limitations of the ESP32 and nRF52 chipsets. As the node count grows, the airwaves become a chaotic mess of collisions and retransmissions, effectively jamming the very frequency the operators are trying to utilize. While Meshtastic has focused on a feature-rich user experience with a heavy reliance on a specific structure, MeshCore proponents argue for a leaner, more modular approach that prioritizes the stability of the underlying mesh over the bells and whistles of the interface. When you are operating on a low-bandwidth, high-latency medium like LoRa, every byte of overhead is a liability. You either master the protocol or you become a dead node. The math does not lie even if the marketing does. If your network protocol consumes more than ten percent of your bandwidth for heartbeats, your network is dying. Every extra feature in the code is another potential point of failure when the signal gets weak. You have to decide if you want a chat app or a survival tool. The flooding algorithm used by Meshtastic is a blunt instrument that was never meant for high-density urban deployment. It works by simply re-broadcasting every unique packet received until a hop limit is reached. In a sparse environment, this ensures the message gets through by any means necessary. But as the number of nodes increases, the probability of two nodes transmitting at the same time goes up. This leads to packet collisions where neither message is readable. MeshCore attempts to solve this by moving toward a more structured routing system. This means the software tries to figure out the best path for a message instead of just yelling it to everyone. This shift requires a level of technical discipline that many casual users find frustrating. It means the network is less plug-and-play and more of a precision tool. If you want a network that survives a real crisis, you have to move away from the chaos of flooding. You have to understand how the Media Access Control layer handles traffic. You have to know how to set your timing parameters so you are not stepping on your own neighbors. The split is a clear line in the sand between those who want ease of use and those who want engineering reliability. You cannot hide from the physics of the airwaves. Either your packets move or they die in the dirt. Stop assuming the software will fix your bad placement. Fix the engineering or get off the air.
Physics of LoRa Packet Collisions and Signal to Noise Ratio Analysis
To understand this split, you have to look at how these radios actually talk. They use a low-power system called LoRa. It is built for long range, but it is slow. There are strict rules on how long you can broadcast before you have to shut up and let others speak. Because Meshtastic repeats everything, adding more people makes the problem worse fast. This is not a glitch. It is physics. MeshCore was built to change how messages find their path through the net. Instead of everyone yelling at once, it wants a smarter way to move data that does not waste airtime. The split happened because one group likes the safety of repeating everything, while the other wants a clean, quiet network. If your radio is spending eighty percent of its power just saying I am here, you are not communicating—you are just making noise. The split proves that the current path is heading for a crash where no one can get a message through. LoRa is designed for long-range, low-power communication, but it is inherently limited by the Duty Cycle regulations of the FCC Part 15 and similar international bodies. Meshtastic’s current implementation of the flooding protocol means that as you add more users, the probability of packet storms increases exponentially. MeshCore was conceptualized to address the need for a more rigid, perhaps even more disciplined, routing logic that could potentially mitigate the hidden node problem and reduce the airtime usage per packet. The technical fallout between the two development paths stems from a disagreement on how to manage the limited airtime of the ISM band. One camp believes in the resilience of redundant flooding, while the other seeks a more surgical, routed approach to data delivery. This is a matter of Spectral Efficiency. If your mesh is using the majority of its available airtime just to say it exists, you have failed as an operator and an engineer. You are polluting the spectrum with digital noise. This noise prevents emergency traffic from getting through. It creates a false sense of security where people think they have a working link when they actually have a jammed one. You must look at the duty cycle of your own node. If you are transmitting more than one percent of the time in the 900 MHz band, you are likely part of the problem. MeshCore is an attempt to force the network into a more responsible state. It prioritizes the survival of the link over the convenience of the user. This is a hard truth that many do not want to hear. Physics does not care about your feelings or your user interface. It only cares about the signal-to-noise ratio. If your signal is lost in the noise of your own network, you have built nothing but a very expensive paperweight. Every packet sent is a risk. In a real-world scenario, a long transmission can be used to find your location. Flooding makes this risk much higher because your message is repeated over and over by every node in the area. A routed system like what MeshCore aims for reduces this risk by limiting the number of times a message is sent. This is not just about efficiency; it is about security. You have to understand that the airwaves are a shared resource. If you treat them like your own personal garbage dump, you will find yourself alone and unheard when the time comes to actually send a call for help. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a debate over the very future of private, off-grid data. One side wants to make it accessible to everyone, while the other wants to make it work when nothing else does. You have to decide which side of that line you stand on. If you are not monitoring your packet loss and your noise floor, you are not an operator. You are just a passenger in a system that is bound to fail. Stop looking at the colorful screens and start looking at the spectrum. The truth is in the waterfall, not the icons. The physics of 915 MHz demand respect that a plug and play mindset cannot provide.
Off-Grid Communication Solutions and Technical Radio Discipline
The result of this fight is a mess where gear running one software will not talk to gear running the other. For you, that means your radio is a brick if your neighbor is on the other side of the fence. This is how a mesh net dies. A mesh needs everyone to speak the same language. When the builders split, the network breaks. This should wake up anyone who thinks they can just download a file and be safe. The hard truth is that we are seeing a new tech grow too fast for the people using it. You have to pick your tools based on facts, not what looks cool. Demand software that moves data fast and clean. If you do not know how your radio sends a packet or why some settings work better than others, you have no business relying on this in a pinch. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of radio, there are no shortcuts. For the operator in the field, this means your gear might be useless if the person three blocks away is running a different branch of the protocol. This is the death of a mesh. A mesh requires a common language, a shared set of timing parameters, and a unified understanding of frequency hopping and spreading factors. When the developers split, the network breaks. This should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they can outsource their emergency communications to a GitHub repository they do not understand. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of RF, there are no shortcuts. If you cannot explain the difference between a Spreading Factor of seven and twelve, or why a 125kHz bandwidth is preferable over 250kHz in a high-noise environment, you have no business relying on these tools. The hard truth is that we are witnessing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must take personal responsibility for your station. This means testing your range with real-world obstacles. It means understanding how your antenna height and gain affect your local mesh. It means being able to re-flash your firmware in the dark while the rain is pouring down. If you cannot do these things, you are not prepared. You are just a collector of electronic gadgets. The discipline of the amateur radio spirit must be applied to these new digital modes. We are losing the technical edge that made the license worth having in the first place. The split is a chance to reset. It is a chance to move away from the appliance operator mindset and back toward the engineering mindset. You should be auditing your own mesh. Look at the traffic logs. See how many packets are being dropped. See how many of your traffic is just node discovery overhead. If you find that your network is inefficient, do not wait for a developer to fix it. Change your settings. Educate your neighbors. If the split leads to a better, more efficient protocol, then it was worth the friction. But if it just leads to two broken networks instead of one, then we have all lost. The practical application of this knowledge is simple: test everything. Do not assume your mesh will work because the light on the board is green. Prove it. Send data over the longest possible path. Monitor the battery drain. Watch the spectrum on an analyzer if you have one. If you do not have the tools to verify your network, you do not have a network. You have a hope. And hope is not a plan for communication. Secure your nodes, harden your protocol, and stop relying on software you have never bothered to read. The day is coming when the only thing between you and the void is the connection you built yourself. Don’t let it be a connection built on laziness. Clean up your messy node or accept that you will be silent when it matters.
Conclusion: The Future of Decentralized Mesh Networks and User Mastery
The discipline of the old-school radio operator has to be applied here or the whole thing will fail. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a call to stop being a lazy user and start being a real operator. We do not have time for good enough when the grid is down. Check your gear, learn the rules of the airwaves, and be ready for a future where the channels are full and the software is broken. Build your setup expecting things to break. There is no room for being soft. Learn the math, understand your range, and make sure every message you send is worth the airtime. The grid is weak, the airwaves are crowded, and your own lack of knowledge is the only thing truly blocking your signal. Fix your gear, learn the system, and stop waiting for someone else to save you. The grid is fragile, the spectrum is finite, and your ignorance is the only thing standing between you and a total blackout. Fix your station, fix your protocol, and stop waiting for someone else to secure your link. The time for playing games with digital toys is over. Mastery is the only way forward. Master the code, master the RF, or stay off the air. This hobby demands engineers, not appliance operators. Be the asset the network needs, not the QRM that kills it. Finalize your build, test the link, and maintain the discipline required to keep the airwaves open for those who truly need them.
Call to Action
Join the Network and Master Your Comms Before the Grid Goes Dark. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a wake-up call for every operator. You cannot afford to be a passive user when the lines of communication are at stake. Whether you choose the feature-rich path or the lean efficiency of the core, the responsibility for a working link lies with you. Don’t wait for a crisis to realize your nodes are misconfigured or your protocol is inefficient. Start auditing your setup today by getting out in the field to find your real-world limits, diving into the spreading factors to clear the noise, and educating your local mesh to ensure your neighborhood stays connected. The airwaves belong to those who master them. Secure your hardware, flash your firmware, and become a reliable node in the decentralized future. Join the conversation, build the grid, and stay off the silent list.
SUPPORTSUBSCRIBECONTACT ME
D. Bryan King

Sources
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

Related Posts

Rate this:
#915MHz #airtimeOptimization #AmateurRadio #antennaGain #bandwidthManagement #communicationSecurity #communityMesh #constrainedNodes #dataTransmission #DecentralizedNetworks #digitalModes #DisasterRecovery #dutyCycle #emergencyComms #ESP32 #FCCPart15 #firmwareFlashing #floodingProtocol #gridDownComms #hiddenNodeProblem #IoTScalability #ISMBand #linkBudget #LoRa #LoRaWAN #meshNetworking #MeshCore #Meshtastic #networkCongestion #nodeDensity #nRF52840 #offGridCommunication #packetCollisions #packetLoss #protocolOverhead #radioDiscipline #radioFrequency #RFEngineering #RFInterference #routingLogic #signalPropagation #SignalToNoiseRatio #SNR #spectralEfficiency #spreadingFactor #survivalTech #SX1262 #TacticalComms #wirelessProtocols
#915mhz #airtimeoptimization #amateurradio #antennagain #bandwidthmanagement #communicationsecurity
Bryan King @[email protected] · 2026-05-06 · 11:30 UTC
The Broken Mesh: Why the Fight Between Meshtastic and MeshCore Matters

2,734 words, 14 minutes read time.
The fracture between the Meshtastic and MeshCore projects is a warning that you cannot ignore. For years, people thought a simple, off-grid data net was the answer for when the main lines go down. But now, the community is divided. This is not just a small fight over code. It is a total disagreement on how to handle communication when things get ugly. If you think you are ready just because you bought a cheap radio board and did not bother to learn how the software actually works, you are just a hobbyist playing with toys. The rift between Meshtastic and MeshCore shows how fragile these systems are and why you need to know your gear inside and out. A mesh net is only as good as its weakest link. If you do not master the tech, you are just a dead node in a silent town. We are seeing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must choose your tools based on the reality of the physics, not the popularity of the app. Demand that your firmware be an efficient tool for data transmission, not a bloated social media platform for the 915 MHz band. If you do not take the time to understand the modulation, the packet structure, and the routing logic of the software you flash onto your hardware, you are just a child playing with a walkie-talkie while the grown-ups are trying to build a grid. Mastery of the radio spectrum is not an option; it is a requirement for anyone who claims to be prepared. This split is the first real test of whether civilian mesh can survive the chaos of its own success. You either learn to navigate the airwaves or you signal your own failure. Every packet you send without understanding the cost is a round wasted in a firefight. Stop treating your emergency comms like a smartphone app and start treating it like the life-support system it is. This technical mastery is the difference between a working link and a radio that does nothing but drain your battery in the dark.
Troubleshooting LoRa Mesh Protocol Inefficiency and Network Congestion
The fight between Meshtastic and MeshCore comes down to how they use the radio waves and the small chips that run them. Meshtastic has been the big name for a long time. It uses a flooding method where every radio repeats every message it hears. In the woods, that is fine. In a city with a hundred users, it is a train wreck. The air gets crowded, messages hit each other, and the whole system jams itself. MeshCore did not start because people wanted a new app. It started because the old way is inefficient. The core of the split is about the overhead—the extra data that hitches a ride on every message. Meshtastic adds a lot of features, but those features take up space. MeshCore wants to strip everything down to the bone so the network stays stable. When you have very little room to send data, every extra bit is a mistake. This is a battle between lots of features and it just has to work. If your software is fighting your hardware, you lose. The divergence between Meshtastic and MeshCore is rooted in the physics of the 900 MHz ISM band and the limitations of the ESP32 and nRF52 chipsets. As the node count grows, the airwaves become a chaotic mess of collisions and retransmissions, effectively jamming the very frequency the operators are trying to utilize. While Meshtastic has focused on a feature-rich user experience with a heavy reliance on a specific structure, MeshCore proponents argue for a leaner, more modular approach that prioritizes the stability of the underlying mesh over the bells and whistles of the interface. When you are operating on a low-bandwidth, high-latency medium like LoRa, every byte of overhead is a liability. You either master the protocol or you become a dead node. The math does not lie even if the marketing does. If your network protocol consumes more than ten percent of your bandwidth for heartbeats, your network is dying. Every extra feature in the code is another potential point of failure when the signal gets weak. You have to decide if you want a chat app or a survival tool. The flooding algorithm used by Meshtastic is a blunt instrument that was never meant for high-density urban deployment. It works by simply re-broadcasting every unique packet received until a hop limit is reached. In a sparse environment, this ensures the message gets through by any means necessary. But as the number of nodes increases, the probability of two nodes transmitting at the same time goes up. This leads to packet collisions where neither message is readable. MeshCore attempts to solve this by moving toward a more structured routing system. This means the software tries to figure out the best path for a message instead of just yelling it to everyone. This shift requires a level of technical discipline that many casual users find frustrating. It means the network is less plug-and-play and more of a precision tool. If you want a network that survives a real crisis, you have to move away from the chaos of flooding. You have to understand how the Media Access Control layer handles traffic. You have to know how to set your timing parameters so you are not stepping on your own neighbors. The split is a clear line in the sand between those who want ease of use and those who want engineering reliability. You cannot hide from the physics of the airwaves. Either your packets move or they die in the dirt. Stop assuming the software will fix your bad placement. Fix the engineering or get off the air.
Physics of LoRa Packet Collisions and Signal to Noise Ratio Analysis
To understand this split, you have to look at how these radios actually talk. They use a low-power system called LoRa. It is built for long range, but it is slow. There are strict rules on how long you can broadcast before you have to shut up and let others speak. Because Meshtastic repeats everything, adding more people makes the problem worse fast. This is not a glitch. It is physics. MeshCore was built to change how messages find their path through the net. Instead of everyone yelling at once, it wants a smarter way to move data that does not waste airtime. The split happened because one group likes the safety of repeating everything, while the other wants a clean, quiet network. If your radio is spending eighty percent of its power just saying I am here, you are not communicating—you are just making noise. The split proves that the current path is heading for a crash where no one can get a message through. LoRa is designed for long-range, low-power communication, but it is inherently limited by the Duty Cycle regulations of the FCC Part 15 and similar international bodies. Meshtastic’s current implementation of the flooding protocol means that as you add more users, the probability of packet storms increases exponentially. MeshCore was conceptualized to address the need for a more rigid, perhaps even more disciplined, routing logic that could potentially mitigate the hidden node problem and reduce the airtime usage per packet. The technical fallout between the two development paths stems from a disagreement on how to manage the limited airtime of the ISM band. One camp believes in the resilience of redundant flooding, while the other seeks a more surgical, routed approach to data delivery. This is a matter of Spectral Efficiency. If your mesh is using the majority of its available airtime just to say it exists, you have failed as an operator and an engineer. You are polluting the spectrum with digital noise. This noise prevents emergency traffic from getting through. It creates a false sense of security where people think they have a working link when they actually have a jammed one. You must look at the duty cycle of your own node. If you are transmitting more than one percent of the time in the 900 MHz band, you are likely part of the problem. MeshCore is an attempt to force the network into a more responsible state. It prioritizes the survival of the link over the convenience of the user. This is a hard truth that many do not want to hear. Physics does not care about your feelings or your user interface. It only cares about the signal-to-noise ratio. If your signal is lost in the noise of your own network, you have built nothing but a very expensive paperweight. Every packet sent is a risk. In a real-world scenario, a long transmission can be used to find your location. Flooding makes this risk much higher because your message is repeated over and over by every node in the area. A routed system like what MeshCore aims for reduces this risk by limiting the number of times a message is sent. This is not just about efficiency; it is about security. You have to understand that the airwaves are a shared resource. If you treat them like your own personal garbage dump, you will find yourself alone and unheard when the time comes to actually send a call for help. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a debate over the very future of private, off-grid data. One side wants to make it accessible to everyone, while the other wants to make it work when nothing else does. You have to decide which side of that line you stand on. If you are not monitoring your packet loss and your noise floor, you are not an operator. You are just a passenger in a system that is bound to fail. Stop looking at the colorful screens and start looking at the spectrum. The truth is in the waterfall, not the icons. The physics of 915 MHz demand respect that a plug and play mindset cannot provide.
Off-Grid Communication Solutions and Technical Radio Discipline
The result of this fight is a mess where gear running one software will not talk to gear running the other. For you, that means your radio is a brick if your neighbor is on the other side of the fence. This is how a mesh net dies. A mesh needs everyone to speak the same language. When the builders split, the network breaks. This should wake up anyone who thinks they can just download a file and be safe. The hard truth is that we are seeing a new tech grow too fast for the people using it. You have to pick your tools based on facts, not what looks cool. Demand software that moves data fast and clean. If you do not know how your radio sends a packet or why some settings work better than others, you have no business relying on this in a pinch. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of radio, there are no shortcuts. For the operator in the field, this means your gear might be useless if the person three blocks away is running a different branch of the protocol. This is the death of a mesh. A mesh requires a common language, a shared set of timing parameters, and a unified understanding of frequency hopping and spreading factors. When the developers split, the network breaks. This should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they can outsource their emergency communications to a GitHub repository they do not understand. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of RF, there are no shortcuts. If you cannot explain the difference between a Spreading Factor of seven and twelve, or why a 125kHz bandwidth is preferable over 250kHz in a high-noise environment, you have no business relying on these tools. The hard truth is that we are witnessing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must take personal responsibility for your station. This means testing your range with real-world obstacles. It means understanding how your antenna height and gain affect your local mesh. It means being able to re-flash your firmware in the dark while the rain is pouring down. If you cannot do these things, you are not prepared. You are just a collector of electronic gadgets. The discipline of the amateur radio spirit must be applied to these new digital modes. We are losing the technical edge that made the license worth having in the first place. The split is a chance to reset. It is a chance to move away from the appliance operator mindset and back toward the engineering mindset. You should be auditing your own mesh. Look at the traffic logs. See how many packets are being dropped. See how many of your traffic is just node discovery overhead. If you find that your network is inefficient, do not wait for a developer to fix it. Change your settings. Educate your neighbors. If the split leads to a better, more efficient protocol, then it was worth the friction. But if it just leads to two broken networks instead of one, then we have all lost. The practical application of this knowledge is simple: test everything. Do not assume your mesh will work because the light on the board is green. Prove it. Send data over the longest possible path. Monitor the battery drain. Watch the spectrum on an analyzer if you have one. If you do not have the tools to verify your network, you do not have a network. You have a hope. And hope is not a plan for communication. Secure your nodes, harden your protocol, and stop relying on software you have never bothered to read. The day is coming when the only thing between you and the void is the connection you built yourself. Don’t let it be a connection built on laziness. Clean up your messy node or accept that you will be silent when it matters.
Conclusion: The Future of Decentralized Mesh Networks and User Mastery
The discipline of the old-school radio operator has to be applied here or the whole thing will fail. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a call to stop being a lazy user and start being a real operator. We do not have time for good enough when the grid is down. Check your gear, learn the rules of the airwaves, and be ready for a future where the channels are full and the software is broken. Build your setup expecting things to break. There is no room for being soft. Learn the math, understand your range, and make sure every message you send is worth the airtime. The grid is weak, the airwaves are crowded, and your own lack of knowledge is the only thing truly blocking your signal. Fix your gear, learn the system, and stop waiting for someone else to save you. The grid is fragile, the spectrum is finite, and your ignorance is the only thing standing between you and a total blackout. Fix your station, fix your protocol, and stop waiting for someone else to secure your link. The time for playing games with digital toys is over. Mastery is the only way forward. Master the code, master the RF, or stay off the air. This hobby demands engineers, not appliance operators. Be the asset the network needs, not the QRM that kills it. Finalize your build, test the link, and maintain the discipline required to keep the airwaves open for those who truly need them.
Call to Action
Join the Network and Master Your Comms Before the Grid Goes Dark. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a wake-up call for every operator. You cannot afford to be a passive user when the lines of communication are at stake. Whether you choose the feature-rich path or the lean efficiency of the core, the responsibility for a working link lies with you. Don’t wait for a crisis to realize your nodes are misconfigured or your protocol is inefficient. Start auditing your setup today by getting out in the field to find your real-world limits, diving into the spreading factors to clear the noise, and educating your local mesh to ensure your neighborhood stays connected. The airwaves belong to those who master them. Secure your hardware, flash your firmware, and become a reliable node in the decentralized future. Join the conversation, build the grid, and stay off the silent list.
SUPPORTSUBSCRIBECONTACT ME
D. Bryan King

Sources
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

Related Posts

Rate this:
#915MHz #airtimeOptimization #AmateurRadio #antennaGain #bandwidthManagement #communicationSecurity #communityMesh #constrainedNodes #dataTransmission #DecentralizedNetworks #digitalModes #DisasterRecovery #dutyCycle #emergencyComms #ESP32 #FCCPart15 #firmwareFlashing #floodingProtocol #gridDownComms #hiddenNodeProblem #IoTScalability #ISMBand #linkBudget #LoRa #LoRaWAN #meshNetworking #MeshCore #Meshtastic #networkCongestion #nodeDensity #nRF52840 #offGridCommunication #packetCollisions #packetLoss #protocolOverhead #radioDiscipline #radioFrequency #RFEngineering #RFInterference #routingLogic #signalPropagation #SignalToNoiseRatio #SNR #spectralEfficiency #spreadingFactor #survivalTech #SX1262 #TacticalComms #wirelessProtocols
#915mhz #airtimeoptimization #amateurradio #antennagain #bandwidthmanagement #communicationsecurity
Bryan King @[email protected] · 2026-05-06 · 11:30 UTC
The Broken Mesh: Why the Fight Between Meshtastic and MeshCore Matters

2,734 words, 14 minutes read time.
The fracture between the Meshtastic and MeshCore projects is a warning that you cannot ignore. For years, people thought a simple, off-grid data net was the answer for when the main lines go down. But now, the community is divided. This is not just a small fight over code. It is a total disagreement on how to handle communication when things get ugly. If you think you are ready just because you bought a cheap radio board and did not bother to learn how the software actually works, you are just a hobbyist playing with toys. The rift between Meshtastic and MeshCore shows how fragile these systems are and why you need to know your gear inside and out. A mesh net is only as good as its weakest link. If you do not master the tech, you are just a dead node in a silent town. We are seeing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must choose your tools based on the reality of the physics, not the popularity of the app. Demand that your firmware be an efficient tool for data transmission, not a bloated social media platform for the 915 MHz band. If you do not take the time to understand the modulation, the packet structure, and the routing logic of the software you flash onto your hardware, you are just a child playing with a walkie-talkie while the grown-ups are trying to build a grid. Mastery of the radio spectrum is not an option; it is a requirement for anyone who claims to be prepared. This split is the first real test of whether civilian mesh can survive the chaos of its own success. You either learn to navigate the airwaves or you signal your own failure. Every packet you send without understanding the cost is a round wasted in a firefight. Stop treating your emergency comms like a smartphone app and start treating it like the life-support system it is. This technical mastery is the difference between a working link and a radio that does nothing but drain your battery in the dark.
Troubleshooting LoRa Mesh Protocol Inefficiency and Network Congestion
The fight between Meshtastic and MeshCore comes down to how they use the radio waves and the small chips that run them. Meshtastic has been the big name for a long time. It uses a flooding method where every radio repeats every message it hears. In the woods, that is fine. In a city with a hundred users, it is a train wreck. The air gets crowded, messages hit each other, and the whole system jams itself. MeshCore did not start because people wanted a new app. It started because the old way is inefficient. The core of the split is about the overhead—the extra data that hitches a ride on every message. Meshtastic adds a lot of features, but those features take up space. MeshCore wants to strip everything down to the bone so the network stays stable. When you have very little room to send data, every extra bit is a mistake. This is a battle between lots of features and it just has to work. If your software is fighting your hardware, you lose. The divergence between Meshtastic and MeshCore is rooted in the physics of the 900 MHz ISM band and the limitations of the ESP32 and nRF52 chipsets. As the node count grows, the airwaves become a chaotic mess of collisions and retransmissions, effectively jamming the very frequency the operators are trying to utilize. While Meshtastic has focused on a feature-rich user experience with a heavy reliance on a specific structure, MeshCore proponents argue for a leaner, more modular approach that prioritizes the stability of the underlying mesh over the bells and whistles of the interface. When you are operating on a low-bandwidth, high-latency medium like LoRa, every byte of overhead is a liability. You either master the protocol or you become a dead node. The math does not lie even if the marketing does. If your network protocol consumes more than ten percent of your bandwidth for heartbeats, your network is dying. Every extra feature in the code is another potential point of failure when the signal gets weak. You have to decide if you want a chat app or a survival tool. The flooding algorithm used by Meshtastic is a blunt instrument that was never meant for high-density urban deployment. It works by simply re-broadcasting every unique packet received until a hop limit is reached. In a sparse environment, this ensures the message gets through by any means necessary. But as the number of nodes increases, the probability of two nodes transmitting at the same time goes up. This leads to packet collisions where neither message is readable. MeshCore attempts to solve this by moving toward a more structured routing system. This means the software tries to figure out the best path for a message instead of just yelling it to everyone. This shift requires a level of technical discipline that many casual users find frustrating. It means the network is less plug-and-play and more of a precision tool. If you want a network that survives a real crisis, you have to move away from the chaos of flooding. You have to understand how the Media Access Control layer handles traffic. You have to know how to set your timing parameters so you are not stepping on your own neighbors. The split is a clear line in the sand between those who want ease of use and those who want engineering reliability. You cannot hide from the physics of the airwaves. Either your packets move or they die in the dirt. Stop assuming the software will fix your bad placement. Fix the engineering or get off the air.
Physics of LoRa Packet Collisions and Signal to Noise Ratio Analysis
To understand this split, you have to look at how these radios actually talk. They use a low-power system called LoRa. It is built for long range, but it is slow. There are strict rules on how long you can broadcast before you have to shut up and let others speak. Because Meshtastic repeats everything, adding more people makes the problem worse fast. This is not a glitch. It is physics. MeshCore was built to change how messages find their path through the net. Instead of everyone yelling at once, it wants a smarter way to move data that does not waste airtime. The split happened because one group likes the safety of repeating everything, while the other wants a clean, quiet network. If your radio is spending eighty percent of its power just saying I am here, you are not communicating—you are just making noise. The split proves that the current path is heading for a crash where no one can get a message through. LoRa is designed for long-range, low-power communication, but it is inherently limited by the Duty Cycle regulations of the FCC Part 15 and similar international bodies. Meshtastic’s current implementation of the flooding protocol means that as you add more users, the probability of packet storms increases exponentially. MeshCore was conceptualized to address the need for a more rigid, perhaps even more disciplined, routing logic that could potentially mitigate the hidden node problem and reduce the airtime usage per packet. The technical fallout between the two development paths stems from a disagreement on how to manage the limited airtime of the ISM band. One camp believes in the resilience of redundant flooding, while the other seeks a more surgical, routed approach to data delivery. This is a matter of Spectral Efficiency. If your mesh is using the majority of its available airtime just to say it exists, you have failed as an operator and an engineer. You are polluting the spectrum with digital noise. This noise prevents emergency traffic from getting through. It creates a false sense of security where people think they have a working link when they actually have a jammed one. You must look at the duty cycle of your own node. If you are transmitting more than one percent of the time in the 900 MHz band, you are likely part of the problem. MeshCore is an attempt to force the network into a more responsible state. It prioritizes the survival of the link over the convenience of the user. This is a hard truth that many do not want to hear. Physics does not care about your feelings or your user interface. It only cares about the signal-to-noise ratio. If your signal is lost in the noise of your own network, you have built nothing but a very expensive paperweight. Every packet sent is a risk. In a real-world scenario, a long transmission can be used to find your location. Flooding makes this risk much higher because your message is repeated over and over by every node in the area. A routed system like what MeshCore aims for reduces this risk by limiting the number of times a message is sent. This is not just about efficiency; it is about security. You have to understand that the airwaves are a shared resource. If you treat them like your own personal garbage dump, you will find yourself alone and unheard when the time comes to actually send a call for help. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a debate over the very future of private, off-grid data. One side wants to make it accessible to everyone, while the other wants to make it work when nothing else does. You have to decide which side of that line you stand on. If you are not monitoring your packet loss and your noise floor, you are not an operator. You are just a passenger in a system that is bound to fail. Stop looking at the colorful screens and start looking at the spectrum. The truth is in the waterfall, not the icons. The physics of 915 MHz demand respect that a plug and play mindset cannot provide.
Off-Grid Communication Solutions and Technical Radio Discipline
The result of this fight is a mess where gear running one software will not talk to gear running the other. For you, that means your radio is a brick if your neighbor is on the other side of the fence. This is how a mesh net dies. A mesh needs everyone to speak the same language. When the builders split, the network breaks. This should wake up anyone who thinks they can just download a file and be safe. The hard truth is that we are seeing a new tech grow too fast for the people using it. You have to pick your tools based on facts, not what looks cool. Demand software that moves data fast and clean. If you do not know how your radio sends a packet or why some settings work better than others, you have no business relying on this in a pinch. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of radio, there are no shortcuts. For the operator in the field, this means your gear might be useless if the person three blocks away is running a different branch of the protocol. This is the death of a mesh. A mesh requires a common language, a shared set of timing parameters, and a unified understanding of frequency hopping and spreading factors. When the developers split, the network breaks. This should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they can outsource their emergency communications to a GitHub repository they do not understand. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of RF, there are no shortcuts. If you cannot explain the difference between a Spreading Factor of seven and twelve, or why a 125kHz bandwidth is preferable over 250kHz in a high-noise environment, you have no business relying on these tools. The hard truth is that we are witnessing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must take personal responsibility for your station. This means testing your range with real-world obstacles. It means understanding how your antenna height and gain affect your local mesh. It means being able to re-flash your firmware in the dark while the rain is pouring down. If you cannot do these things, you are not prepared. You are just a collector of electronic gadgets. The discipline of the amateur radio spirit must be applied to these new digital modes. We are losing the technical edge that made the license worth having in the first place. The split is a chance to reset. It is a chance to move away from the appliance operator mindset and back toward the engineering mindset. You should be auditing your own mesh. Look at the traffic logs. See how many packets are being dropped. See how many of your traffic is just node discovery overhead. If you find that your network is inefficient, do not wait for a developer to fix it. Change your settings. Educate your neighbors. If the split leads to a better, more efficient protocol, then it was worth the friction. But if it just leads to two broken networks instead of one, then we have all lost. The practical application of this knowledge is simple: test everything. Do not assume your mesh will work because the light on the board is green. Prove it. Send data over the longest possible path. Monitor the battery drain. Watch the spectrum on an analyzer if you have one. If you do not have the tools to verify your network, you do not have a network. You have a hope. And hope is not a plan for communication. Secure your nodes, harden your protocol, and stop relying on software you have never bothered to read. The day is coming when the only thing between you and the void is the connection you built yourself. Don’t let it be a connection built on laziness. Clean up your messy node or accept that you will be silent when it matters.
Conclusion: The Future of Decentralized Mesh Networks and User Mastery
The discipline of the old-school radio operator has to be applied here or the whole thing will fail. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a call to stop being a lazy user and start being a real operator. We do not have time for good enough when the grid is down. Check your gear, learn the rules of the airwaves, and be ready for a future where the channels are full and the software is broken. Build your setup expecting things to break. There is no room for being soft. Learn the math, understand your range, and make sure every message you send is worth the airtime. The grid is weak, the airwaves are crowded, and your own lack of knowledge is the only thing truly blocking your signal. Fix your gear, learn the system, and stop waiting for someone else to save you. The grid is fragile, the spectrum is finite, and your ignorance is the only thing standing between you and a total blackout. Fix your station, fix your protocol, and stop waiting for someone else to secure your link. The time for playing games with digital toys is over. Mastery is the only way forward. Master the code, master the RF, or stay off the air. This hobby demands engineers, not appliance operators. Be the asset the network needs, not the QRM that kills it. Finalize your build, test the link, and maintain the discipline required to keep the airwaves open for those who truly need them.
Call to Action
Join the Network and Master Your Comms Before the Grid Goes Dark. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a wake-up call for every operator. You cannot afford to be a passive user when the lines of communication are at stake. Whether you choose the feature-rich path or the lean efficiency of the core, the responsibility for a working link lies with you. Don’t wait for a crisis to realize your nodes are misconfigured or your protocol is inefficient. Start auditing your setup today by getting out in the field to find your real-world limits, diving into the spreading factors to clear the noise, and educating your local mesh to ensure your neighborhood stays connected. The airwaves belong to those who master them. Secure your hardware, flash your firmware, and become a reliable node in the decentralized future. Join the conversation, build the grid, and stay off the silent list.
SUPPORTSUBSCRIBECONTACT ME
D. Bryan King

Sources
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

Related Posts

Rate this:
#915MHz #airtimeOptimization #AmateurRadio #antennaGain #bandwidthManagement #communicationSecurity #communityMesh #constrainedNodes #dataTransmission #DecentralizedNetworks #digitalModes #DisasterRecovery #dutyCycle #emergencyComms #ESP32 #FCCPart15 #firmwareFlashing #floodingProtocol #gridDownComms #hiddenNodeProblem #IoTScalability #ISMBand #linkBudget #LoRa #LoRaWAN #meshNetworking #MeshCore #Meshtastic #networkCongestion #nodeDensity #nRF52840 #offGridCommunication #packetCollisions #packetLoss #protocolOverhead #radioDiscipline #radioFrequency #RFEngineering #RFInterference #routingLogic #signalPropagation #SignalToNoiseRatio #SNR #spectralEfficiency #spreadingFactor #survivalTech #SX1262 #TacticalComms #wirelessProtocols
#wirelessprotocols #tacticalcomms #sx1262 #survivaltech #spreadingfactor #spectralefficiency
Bryan King @[email protected] · 2026-05-06 · 11:30 UTC
The Broken Mesh: Why the Fight Between Meshtastic and MeshCore Matters

2,734 words, 14 minutes read time.
The fracture between the Meshtastic and MeshCore projects is a warning that you cannot ignore. For years, people thought a simple, off-grid data net was the answer for when the main lines go down. But now, the community is divided. This is not just a small fight over code. It is a total disagreement on how to handle communication when things get ugly. If you think you are ready just because you bought a cheap radio board and did not bother to learn how the software actually works, you are just a hobbyist playing with toys. The rift between Meshtastic and MeshCore shows how fragile these systems are and why you need to know your gear inside and out. A mesh net is only as good as its weakest link. If you do not master the tech, you are just a dead node in a silent town. We are seeing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must choose your tools based on the reality of the physics, not the popularity of the app. Demand that your firmware be an efficient tool for data transmission, not a bloated social media platform for the 915 MHz band. If you do not take the time to understand the modulation, the packet structure, and the routing logic of the software you flash onto your hardware, you are just a child playing with a walkie-talkie while the grown-ups are trying to build a grid. Mastery of the radio spectrum is not an option; it is a requirement for anyone who claims to be prepared. This split is the first real test of whether civilian mesh can survive the chaos of its own success. You either learn to navigate the airwaves or you signal your own failure. Every packet you send without understanding the cost is a round wasted in a firefight. Stop treating your emergency comms like a smartphone app and start treating it like the life-support system it is. This technical mastery is the difference between a working link and a radio that does nothing but drain your battery in the dark.
Troubleshooting LoRa Mesh Protocol Inefficiency and Network Congestion
The fight between Meshtastic and MeshCore comes down to how they use the radio waves and the small chips that run them. Meshtastic has been the big name for a long time. It uses a flooding method where every radio repeats every message it hears. In the woods, that is fine. In a city with a hundred users, it is a train wreck. The air gets crowded, messages hit each other, and the whole system jams itself. MeshCore did not start because people wanted a new app. It started because the old way is inefficient. The core of the split is about the overhead—the extra data that hitches a ride on every message. Meshtastic adds a lot of features, but those features take up space. MeshCore wants to strip everything down to the bone so the network stays stable. When you have very little room to send data, every extra bit is a mistake. This is a battle between lots of features and it just has to work. If your software is fighting your hardware, you lose. The divergence between Meshtastic and MeshCore is rooted in the physics of the 900 MHz ISM band and the limitations of the ESP32 and nRF52 chipsets. As the node count grows, the airwaves become a chaotic mess of collisions and retransmissions, effectively jamming the very frequency the operators are trying to utilize. While Meshtastic has focused on a feature-rich user experience with a heavy reliance on a specific structure, MeshCore proponents argue for a leaner, more modular approach that prioritizes the stability of the underlying mesh over the bells and whistles of the interface. When you are operating on a low-bandwidth, high-latency medium like LoRa, every byte of overhead is a liability. You either master the protocol or you become a dead node. The math does not lie even if the marketing does. If your network protocol consumes more than ten percent of your bandwidth for heartbeats, your network is dying. Every extra feature in the code is another potential point of failure when the signal gets weak. You have to decide if you want a chat app or a survival tool. The flooding algorithm used by Meshtastic is a blunt instrument that was never meant for high-density urban deployment. It works by simply re-broadcasting every unique packet received until a hop limit is reached. In a sparse environment, this ensures the message gets through by any means necessary. But as the number of nodes increases, the probability of two nodes transmitting at the same time goes up. This leads to packet collisions where neither message is readable. MeshCore attempts to solve this by moving toward a more structured routing system. This means the software tries to figure out the best path for a message instead of just yelling it to everyone. This shift requires a level of technical discipline that many casual users find frustrating. It means the network is less plug-and-play and more of a precision tool. If you want a network that survives a real crisis, you have to move away from the chaos of flooding. You have to understand how the Media Access Control layer handles traffic. You have to know how to set your timing parameters so you are not stepping on your own neighbors. The split is a clear line in the sand between those who want ease of use and those who want engineering reliability. You cannot hide from the physics of the airwaves. Either your packets move or they die in the dirt. Stop assuming the software will fix your bad placement. Fix the engineering or get off the air.
Physics of LoRa Packet Collisions and Signal to Noise Ratio Analysis
To understand this split, you have to look at how these radios actually talk. They use a low-power system called LoRa. It is built for long range, but it is slow. There are strict rules on how long you can broadcast before you have to shut up and let others speak. Because Meshtastic repeats everything, adding more people makes the problem worse fast. This is not a glitch. It is physics. MeshCore was built to change how messages find their path through the net. Instead of everyone yelling at once, it wants a smarter way to move data that does not waste airtime. The split happened because one group likes the safety of repeating everything, while the other wants a clean, quiet network. If your radio is spending eighty percent of its power just saying I am here, you are not communicating—you are just making noise. The split proves that the current path is heading for a crash where no one can get a message through. LoRa is designed for long-range, low-power communication, but it is inherently limited by the Duty Cycle regulations of the FCC Part 15 and similar international bodies. Meshtastic’s current implementation of the flooding protocol means that as you add more users, the probability of packet storms increases exponentially. MeshCore was conceptualized to address the need for a more rigid, perhaps even more disciplined, routing logic that could potentially mitigate the hidden node problem and reduce the airtime usage per packet. The technical fallout between the two development paths stems from a disagreement on how to manage the limited airtime of the ISM band. One camp believes in the resilience of redundant flooding, while the other seeks a more surgical, routed approach to data delivery. This is a matter of Spectral Efficiency. If your mesh is using the majority of its available airtime just to say it exists, you have failed as an operator and an engineer. You are polluting the spectrum with digital noise. This noise prevents emergency traffic from getting through. It creates a false sense of security where people think they have a working link when they actually have a jammed one. You must look at the duty cycle of your own node. If you are transmitting more than one percent of the time in the 900 MHz band, you are likely part of the problem. MeshCore is an attempt to force the network into a more responsible state. It prioritizes the survival of the link over the convenience of the user. This is a hard truth that many do not want to hear. Physics does not care about your feelings or your user interface. It only cares about the signal-to-noise ratio. If your signal is lost in the noise of your own network, you have built nothing but a very expensive paperweight. Every packet sent is a risk. In a real-world scenario, a long transmission can be used to find your location. Flooding makes this risk much higher because your message is repeated over and over by every node in the area. A routed system like what MeshCore aims for reduces this risk by limiting the number of times a message is sent. This is not just about efficiency; it is about security. You have to understand that the airwaves are a shared resource. If you treat them like your own personal garbage dump, you will find yourself alone and unheard when the time comes to actually send a call for help. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a debate over the very future of private, off-grid data. One side wants to make it accessible to everyone, while the other wants to make it work when nothing else does. You have to decide which side of that line you stand on. If you are not monitoring your packet loss and your noise floor, you are not an operator. You are just a passenger in a system that is bound to fail. Stop looking at the colorful screens and start looking at the spectrum. The truth is in the waterfall, not the icons. The physics of 915 MHz demand respect that a plug and play mindset cannot provide.
Off-Grid Communication Solutions and Technical Radio Discipline
The result of this fight is a mess where gear running one software will not talk to gear running the other. For you, that means your radio is a brick if your neighbor is on the other side of the fence. This is how a mesh net dies. A mesh needs everyone to speak the same language. When the builders split, the network breaks. This should wake up anyone who thinks they can just download a file and be safe. The hard truth is that we are seeing a new tech grow too fast for the people using it. You have to pick your tools based on facts, not what looks cool. Demand software that moves data fast and clean. If you do not know how your radio sends a packet or why some settings work better than others, you have no business relying on this in a pinch. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of radio, there are no shortcuts. For the operator in the field, this means your gear might be useless if the person three blocks away is running a different branch of the protocol. This is the death of a mesh. A mesh requires a common language, a shared set of timing parameters, and a unified understanding of frequency hopping and spreading factors. When the developers split, the network breaks. This should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they can outsource their emergency communications to a GitHub repository they do not understand. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a reminder that in the world of RF, there are no shortcuts. If you cannot explain the difference between a Spreading Factor of seven and twelve, or why a 125kHz bandwidth is preferable over 250kHz in a high-noise environment, you have no business relying on these tools. The hard truth is that we are witnessing the growing pains of a decentralized technology that is outstripping the discipline of its users. You must take personal responsibility for your station. This means testing your range with real-world obstacles. It means understanding how your antenna height and gain affect your local mesh. It means being able to re-flash your firmware in the dark while the rain is pouring down. If you cannot do these things, you are not prepared. You are just a collector of electronic gadgets. The discipline of the amateur radio spirit must be applied to these new digital modes. We are losing the technical edge that made the license worth having in the first place. The split is a chance to reset. It is a chance to move away from the appliance operator mindset and back toward the engineering mindset. You should be auditing your own mesh. Look at the traffic logs. See how many packets are being dropped. See how many of your traffic is just node discovery overhead. If you find that your network is inefficient, do not wait for a developer to fix it. Change your settings. Educate your neighbors. If the split leads to a better, more efficient protocol, then it was worth the friction. But if it just leads to two broken networks instead of one, then we have all lost. The practical application of this knowledge is simple: test everything. Do not assume your mesh will work because the light on the board is green. Prove it. Send data over the longest possible path. Monitor the battery drain. Watch the spectrum on an analyzer if you have one. If you do not have the tools to verify your network, you do not have a network. You have a hope. And hope is not a plan for communication. Secure your nodes, harden your protocol, and stop relying on software you have never bothered to read. The day is coming when the only thing between you and the void is the connection you built yourself. Don’t let it be a connection built on laziness. Clean up your messy node or accept that you will be silent when it matters.
Conclusion: The Future of Decentralized Mesh Networks and User Mastery
The discipline of the old-school radio operator has to be applied here or the whole thing will fail. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a call to stop being a lazy user and start being a real operator. We do not have time for good enough when the grid is down. Check your gear, learn the rules of the airwaves, and be ready for a future where the channels are full and the software is broken. Build your setup expecting things to break. There is no room for being soft. Learn the math, understand your range, and make sure every message you send is worth the airtime. The grid is weak, the airwaves are crowded, and your own lack of knowledge is the only thing truly blocking your signal. Fix your gear, learn the system, and stop waiting for someone else to save you. The grid is fragile, the spectrum is finite, and your ignorance is the only thing standing between you and a total blackout. Fix your station, fix your protocol, and stop waiting for someone else to secure your link. The time for playing games with digital toys is over. Mastery is the only way forward. Master the code, master the RF, or stay off the air. This hobby demands engineers, not appliance operators. Be the asset the network needs, not the QRM that kills it. Finalize your build, test the link, and maintain the discipline required to keep the airwaves open for those who truly need them.
Call to Action
Join the Network and Master Your Comms Before the Grid Goes Dark. The split between Meshtastic and MeshCore is a wake-up call for every operator. You cannot afford to be a passive user when the lines of communication are at stake. Whether you choose the feature-rich path or the lean efficiency of the core, the responsibility for a working link lies with you. Don’t wait for a crisis to realize your nodes are misconfigured or your protocol is inefficient. Start auditing your setup today by getting out in the field to find your real-world limits, diving into the spreading factors to clear the noise, and educating your local mesh to ensure your neighborhood stays connected. The airwaves belong to those who master them. Secure your hardware, flash your firmware, and become a reliable node in the decentralized future. Join the conversation, build the grid, and stay off the silent list.
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D. Bryan King

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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

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- Stories By DBW - @[email protected] · 2025-01-13 · 21:26 UTC

(MLE) Natural Allies CH. 6
The crunch of snow beneath their boots echoed through the dense, snow-laden Silverwood forest. Alaric led the way, his piercing blue eyes scanning the foreboding landscape ahead. Crystalline breaths hung in the crisp winter air, the only sign of life amidst the skeletal trees draped in icy cloaks of white.
As they ventured forth, a sudden vibration emanated from Alaric’s satchel. He reached inside, retrieving the small magical communication device. S’vyrra’s voice crackled through, urgent and strained. “Alaric, news from the eastern shore expedition. Rivlet reports strange disturbances and unnatural weather patterns. They request further guidance.”
Alaric’s brow furrowed, the weight of this new development settling upon his shoulders like an unwelcome burden. He tucked the device away, his jaw clenched with determination. “We press on,” he declared, his voice rumbled steadily despite the mounting concerns. “Elyria’s fate depends on us.”
The group trudged onward, their steps heavier now, laden with the knowledge of the challenges that lay ahead. The forest seemed to close in around them, the twisted branches reaching out like gnarled fingers, eager to ensnare and entrap.
Suddenly, a shimmering mist began to swirl and coalesce before them. Ancient forms emerged, their bark-encrusted bodies blending seamlessly with the surrounding trees. The Ethereal Treants stood tall and imposing, their faces etched with the wisdom of centuries.
“Greetings, travelers,” the largest Treant rumbled, its voice deep and resonant, like the groaning of ancient timbers. “We have watched your progress through our domain. However, A darkness spreads, corrupting the very heart of these woods.”
Alaric stepped forward, his hand resting upon the hilt of his sword. “We seek to rid these lands of the evil that is spreading from the east, ancient ones. What aid can you offer us in this quest?”
The Treant’s eyes, glowing like embers in the depths of its wooden visage, fixed upon Alaric. “Our strength is yours, young king, but we too require assistance. The corruption gnaws at our roots, threatening to consume us all. Help us purge this malevolence, and only then shall we stand with you against the coming storm.”
Alaric nodded solemnly, the weight of this new alliance settling upon his shoulders. He turned to his companions, their faces etched with determination and resolve. “We have much to discuss,” he said, his voice low but filled with purpose. “The fate of Elyria hangs in the balance.”
As the group gathered around the Treants, the ancient beings began to share their knowledge, their words painting a grim picture of the challenges that lay ahead. Alaric listened intently, his mind racing with strategies and plans, even as the icy tendrils of fear threaded through his heart.
In the depths of the Silverwood forest, amidst the snow-laden boughs and the whispers of ancient magic, a new chapter in their quest had begun. The path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, but with the wisdom of the Treants and the strength of their bond, Alaric and his companions stood ready to face whatever trials awaited them in the coming days.
While the group was traveling down a well beaten path, Lysandra’s eyes narrowed as she spotted a familiar figure among the small traveling group they just stumbled across deep within the Silverwood forest. The man’s features, though weathered by time and hardship, were etched into her memory like a scar that refused to fade. Her heart quickened, a tumultuous mix of anger and unresolved emotions surging through her veins.
She stepped forward, her hand instinctively reaching for the blade at her hip. “Roran,” she called out, her voice tinged with bitterness. “I never thought I’d see your face again.”
The man’s eyes widened in recognition, a flicker of fear dancing across his face before being quickly masked by a façade of nonchalance. “Lysandra,” he replied, his tone even. “It’s been a long time.”
Gareth tensed beside her, sensing the unspoken history between them. He glanced at Lysandra, concern etched into his features, but remained silent, allowing her to take the lead.
Lysandra closed the distance between them, her emerald eyes blazing with intensity. “Not long enough,” she spat, her words laced with venom. “You have some nerve showing your face after what you did.”
Roran held up his hands in a placating gesture, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Now, now, Lysandra. Let’s not dwell on the past. We both did what we had to do to survive.”
A mirthless laugh escaped her lips. “Is that what you call it? Survival? You betrayed me, Roran. You sold me out for a handful of coins.”
The revelation hung heavy in the air, the weight of her words pressing down upon them all. Gareth’s jaw clenched, a flash of anger crossing his face as he understood the depth of Roran’s treachery.
Roran’s gaze darted between Lysandra and her companions, calculating his next move. “It was nothing personal, love. Just business.”
Lysandra’s hand tightened around the hilt of her blade, the leather of her gloves creaking with the force of her grip. She wanted nothing more than to make him pay for his betrayal, to watch him suffer as she had suffered. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw a flicker of something else—regret, perhaps, or a hint of the man she had once loved.
She released her grip on the blade, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Leave,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Leave now, and pray our paths never cross again.”
Roran hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on Lysandra’s face. Then, with a curt nod, he turned and signaled to his traveling companions. They melted back into the forest, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.
Lysandra stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the spot where Roran had stood. Gareth stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asked softly, his voice laced with concern.
She shook her head, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. “No,” she admitted, her voice barely audible over the rustling of the leaves. “But I will be.”
As they turned to rejoin their companions, Lysandra felt the weight of her past bearing down upon her. The betrayal still stung, a wound that had never truly healed. But as she looked at Gareth, at the unwavering support and understanding in his eyes, she knew that she was no longer alone. Together, they would face whatever challenges lay ahead, their bond stronger than any betrayal from the past.
Gareth’s heart ached as he watched Lysandra’s shoulders sag, the weight of her past visible in the slump of her posture. He wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms, to shield her from the pain that haunted her emerald eyes. But he held back, unsure of how she would react, afraid of crossing a line that might shatter the fragile bond between them.
Lysandra took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as she turned to face the group. “We should keep moving,” she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil Gareth knew she must be feeling. “The Treants are waiting for us.”
Alaric nodded, his piercing blue eyes softening with understanding. “Lead the way,” he said, gesturing for Lysandra to take point.
As they trekked deeper into the Silverwood forest, Gareth found himself gravitating towards Lysandra, his steps falling in sync with hers. He searched for the right words, wanting to offer comfort but unsure of how to broach the subject.
“You know,” he began, his voice low and gentle, “if you ever need to talk about… anything, I’m here for you.”
Lysandra glanced at him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “I appreciate the offer,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, “but I’m fine, Gareth. Really.”
Gareth raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. “Are you sure about that?” he asked, his tone laced with a hint of dry sarcasm. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re carrying the weight of the world on those shoulders of yours.”
Lysandra’s eyes widened, a blush creeping up her neck at Gareth’s bold words. She opened her mouth to retort, but Gareth held up a hand, his expression softening.
“I’m not trying to pry,” he said, his voice earnest. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to face this alone. We’re a team, Lysandra. We’ve got your back, no matter what.”
For a moment, Lysandra was silent, her gaze searching Gareth’s face. Then, with a sigh, she nodded. “Thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I… I’ll keep that in mind.”
Gareth smiled, swelling with a mixture of relief and affection. He knew that Lysandra was not one to easily accept help, but the fact that she had acknowledged his offer meant more to him than he could express.
As they continued their journey, Gareth found himself stealing glances at Lysandra, admiring the way the dappled sunlight played across her chestnut hair, the determined set of her jaw as she navigated the treacherous terrain. He knew that his feelings for her were growing stronger with each passing day, but he also knew that now was not the time to act on them. Lysandra needed a friend, not a lovesick fool pining after her.
Unbeknownst to Gareth, Eadric had been observing the exchange between him and Lysandra with a knowing smile. The silver-haired scholar fell into step beside Gareth, his voice low and conspiratorial.
“You know,” he said, his brown eyes twinkling with mischief, “I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
Gareth’s head snapped towards Eadric, his eyes wide with surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his voice gruff.
Eadric chuckled, shaking his head. “Of course you don’t,” he said, his tone teasing. “But let me give you a piece of advice, my friend. Life is too short to waste time denying your heart’s desires.”
Gareth opened his mouth to protest, but Eadric held up a hand, his expression turning serious. “Trust me,” he said, his eyes distant with memory. “I know a thing or two about regret. Don’t let fear hold you back, Gareth. Embrace the moment, for you never know when it might slip away never to return.”
With those words, Eadric clapped Gareth on the shoulder and strode ahead, leaving the swordsman to ponder his advice. Gareth’s gaze drifted back to Lysandra. Perhaps Eadric was right. Perhaps it was time to stop hiding from his feelings and take a chance on someone.
But for now, they had a mission to complete, a kingdom to save. Gareth squared his shoulders, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Whatever the future held, he would face it head-on, with Lysandra by his side and the strength of their bond to guide them through the darkness.
Meanwhile, Alaric found himself seeking out Eadric’s counsel, the weight of his responsibilities heavy on his shoulders. The silver-haired scholar smiled as the king approached along the path, his brown eyes warm with understanding.
“What troubles you, my liege?” Eadric asked, his voice gentle.
Alaric sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “Everything,” he admitted, his voice low. “The fate of Elyria rests on our shoulders, and I fear that I am not strong enough to bare the burden this time.”
Eadric placed a hand on Alaric’s shoulder, his touch comforting. “You are not alone in this, Alaric,” he said, his voice firm. “You have the support of your people, the loyalty of your companions, and the wisdom of those who came before you.”
Alaric’s brow furrowed, his blue eyes searching Eadric’s face. “You speak of my father,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Eadric nodded, a wistful smile playing across his lips. “Your father was a great man,” he said, his voice distant with memory. “He faced many challenges during his reign, but he never lost sight of what truly mattered: the well-being of his people and the strength of his convictions.”
Alaric’s shoulders slumped, the weight of his father’s legacy bearing down upon him. “I fear that I will never live up to his example,” he confessed, his voice raw with emotion.
Eadric shook his head, his expression fierce. “You are not your father, Alaric,” he said, his voice strong and sure. “You are your own man, with your own strengths and your own path to forge. Your father would be proud of the leader you have become, of the courage and compassion you show in the face of adversity.”
Alaric’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, his throat tight with emotion. “Thank you, Eadric,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Your words mean more to me than you can know.”
Eadric smiled, his brown eyes soft with understanding. “I am here for you, my liege,” he said, his voice warm. “Always.”
As they continued their journey through the Silverwood forest, Alaric felt a renewed sense of purpose.
The ancient trees of Silverwood loomed above them, their gnarled branches reaching out like twisted fingers. Eadric’s brow furrowed as he studied the tome in his hands, Kaelithorne’s intricate script glimmering in the dappled sunlight. The book was a trove of knowledge, a guide through the treacherous terrain that lay ahead.
“The King of Dragons speaks of hidden paths,” Eadric murmured, his finger tracing the faded ink. “Trails that wind through the heart of the forest, known only to those who bear the mark of the ancient ones.”
Alaric stepped closer, his eyes scanning the dense undergrowth. “Can you decipher the riddles?” he asked, his voice low and urgent.
Eadric nodded, his gaze still fixed on the pages. “I believe so,” he said, his mind already working through the cryptic clues. “The first marker should be just ahead, a stone carved with the symbol of the moon.”
As they ventured deeper into the woods, Eadric took the lead, his keen eyes searching for the signs described in Kaelithorne’s tome. The group followed close behind, their senses heightened and their weapons at the ready.
Suddenly, a flurry of movement caught their attention. Tiny, luminous creatures darted through the air, their wings a blur of iridescent color. The Sprites hovered before them, their eyes glittering with mischief and mystery.
“Beware, travelers,” one of the Sprites whispered, its voice like the rustling of leaves. “The path ahead is fraught with danger, with traps that snare the unwary and creatures that hunger for flesh.”
Lysandra’s hand tightened on the hilt of her dagger, her eyes narrowing. “What sort of dangers?” she asked, her voice edged with suspicion.
The Sprite tilted its head, a cryptic smile playing across its delicate features. “The forest hides many secrets,” it replied, its voice a haunting melody. “Some are ancient, some are dark, and some are best left undisturbed.”
With those enigmatic words, the Sprites vanished, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air.
During a brief respite, Alaric stepped away from the group, his hand reaching for the magical communication device tucked beneath his tunic. The crystal pulsed with a soft, blue light as he activated it, his thoughts already reaching out to S’vyrra and the others left behind.
“S’vyrra,” he murmured, his voice low and urgent. “What news from the east?”
The device hummed, and S’vyrra’s voice echoed in his mind, her words tinged with concern. “My King,” she replied, her tone formal yet strained. “Ithic and Rivlet are preparing for their journey to the eastern shore. They have gathered a small group of our most skilled warriors, but the reports from the coast grow more troubling by the day.”
Alaric frowned, his brow furrowed. “What have you learned?” he asked, his grip tightening on the device.
“The darkness spreads,” S’vyrra said, her voice heavy with worry. “Villages have fallen silent, and strange creatures have been spotted along the shoreline. We must act quickly, my King, before the evil takes root.”
Alaric nodded, his jaw clenched with determination. “Understood,” he said, his voice firm. “Tell Ithic and Rivlet to proceed with caution, but to waste no time. We will continue our quest here, but the fate of the kingdom rests on their success. Once we finish our quest, we will regroup and meet up with Rivlet and his Regiment.”
As the connection faded, Alaric turned back to the group, his eyes shadowed with urgency. “We must press on,” he said, his voice ringing with authority. “The dangers we face here pale in comparison to the threat that looms on the eastern shore.”
The group waded through the snow-laden forest, their boots sinking into the soft carpet of powdery white that blanketed the ground. The underbrush was dense, the trees towering overhead, casting long shadows over the trail. The air was crisp and biting, carrying with it the fresh scent of pine needles and frosty breaths. The silence was deafening, broken only by the crunch of snow underfoot and the occasional whispered exchange between the members.
As they trudged deeper into the woods, a sense of foreboding began to settle over them like a heavy cloak. The path ahead was obscured by thick fog, swirling and dancing around the trees like ethereal ghosts. The air grew colder still as they pushed onward; an icy chill creeping up their spines despite the warmth from their coats and firewood packs.
Suddenly there was movement ahead; something large crashing through the underbrush towards them. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they readied their weapons and peered into the foggy gloom ahead. Whatever it was, it was coming straight for them – fast!
The silence was shattered by a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the forest. Out of the darkness, a horde of twisted creatures emerged, their distorted forms illuminated by the dim light of the moon. Their bodies were grotesque, resembling a fusion of rotting flesh and bone, with jagged protrusions jutting out at odd angles. The stench of decay and rot was overwhelming, making it difficult to breathe. As they advanced towards the group, their eyes glowed with a malevolent green light, reflecting their hunger and malice. Their claws scraped against the trees, leaving behind trails of slime and gore in the snow. You could hear the low growls emanating from their throats. These monstrous beings that seemed to have emerged from the depths of hell itself.
Lysandra not hesitating moved like a blur, her daggers flashing in the dappled sunlight. She danced among the creatures, her movements graceful and deadly as she teleported in and out, striking at their weak points with ruthless precision.
Gareth’s heart raced as he charged through the thick of the battle, his Holy sword slicing through the air with a resounding clang. The corrupted swarm writhed before him, their twisted flesh offering little resistance against his powerful strikes. He could feel the heat emanating from his sword as it cleaved deeper into the putrid mass, releasing an acrid stench that burned his nostrils.
Despite the ferocity of the onslaught, Gareth stood tall, his powerful holy magic and imposing frame serving as a bulwark against the relentless assault. However, there were just to many. The creatures landed heavy blows upon him, their claws tearing into his armor and leaving gashes in his flesh. But each time they struck, he shrugged off the pain with a grunt of determination, leaving behind bruises and cuts that only served to fuel his rage.
With every step forward, Gareth could feel the ground shake beneath him as he pressed deeper into the heart of darkness. His mind was focused on one thing alone – to end this abomination once and for all. And with each swing of his sword, he drew closer to achieving that goal.
Eadric’s voice boomed above the chaos, resonating with a demonic power. His hands moved in intricate patterns, tracing symbols that glimmered with ethereal light. The air around him crackled with energy as he chanted under his breath, weaving a tapestry of magic.
Suddenly, walls of flame erupted from the ground, forming a fiery barrier that shielded his companions from the onslaught of monstrous creatures. The heat was palpable, searing the skin and singeing hair. The smell of burning flesh and sulfur filled the air, mingling with the sound of screeching beasts and clashing steel. the ground smoked from the intense flash of fire.
In response to the flames, bolts of lightning danced across the sky, illuminating the battlefield in brilliant flashes. They struck down violently upon the monsters, leaving scorch marks in their wake. The thunderous booms echoed through the hills, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.
Despite the ferocity of the attack, Eadric remained calm and focused. His eyes glowed with an devilish determination as he continued to weave his spellwork. With each passing moment, the creatures grew more desperate, their attacks becoming more frenzied. But still they were no match for the power of Eadric’s magic.
Meanwhile Alaric was fighting with a grim resolve, his two swords dancing through the air in a deadly ballet of steel and blood. The battlefield was a chaotic mess of screams and clashing blades, but he moved through it like a ghost, his nimble footwork allowing him to dodge and weave past the grasping claws and snapping jaws of the monstrous creatures that assailed him. His eyes were fierce orbs of determination, scanning the battlefield for any sign of weakness or opportunity.
His voice cut through the din of battle, a commanding roar that rallied his companions to greater heights. They followed him into the fray, their swords and axes echoing his rhythm as they struck true against their foes. Together, they formed a wall of steel and courage, holding back the overwhelming tide of darkness that threatened to engulf them all.
The battle raged on, the air filled with the clash of steel and the howls of the twisted beasts. The group fought with a desperate ferocity, their skills pushed to the limit as they struggled to hold back the tide of corruption.
Just when it felt like the evil horde would overwhelm them, a thunderous crash echoed through the trees. The forest guardians had arrived, crashing into the fray with ferocity. Their presence turned the tide of battle, providing a much-needed reprieve for Gareth and his companions.
The final blow echoed through the battlefield as the last creature collapsed, its lifeless form disintegrating into a thick, malodorous sludge that oozed into the cracked earth beneath their feet. The air was heavy with the acrid stench of death and decay, mingling with the metallic tang of freshly drawn blood. The group stood in silence, their heaving chests rising and falling in unison as they struggled to catch their breath. Sweat dripped from their brows, stinging their eyes as they surveyed the carnage around them. Their weapons and armor were caked with the dark, viscous residue of their enemies, each groove and crevice bearing testament to the ferocity of the battle they had just survived. and just as fast as the Forest Guardians appeared they vanished into thin air leaving behind specks of flickering golden light for a moment as they vanished.
Lysandra’s body sagged against the rough bark of the tree, her eyes glazed over with fatigue. Each breath she took was heavy as if she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. A deep gash carved through her armor, exposing a raw and bloody wound on her outer upper thigh. The metallic scent of blood mingled with the earthy smell of freshly turned soil, making it difficult for Gareth to swallow past the lump forming in his throat. He limped towards her, his own injuries momentarily forgotten as he reached out to steady her trembling form.
“Are you alright?” he asked gruffly, his brow furrowed with concern.
Lysandra managed a weak smile. “I’ve had worse,” she quipped, but the pain in her eyes belied her casual tone.
Eadric moved among the group, his hands glowing with a soft, golden light as he tended to their wounds. The magic knitting flesh and soothing aches. Yet even as he worked, a deep unease settled over him.
“This is only the beginning,” he murmured, his gaze distant. “The corruption spreads like a cancer, tainting all it touches. We must find a way to stop it, before it consumes everything.”
Alaric nodded grimly, his face etched with weariness. He pulled a small vile from his pack and threw it back. slowly his wounds started to close up. “We’ll take a few days to rest and gather our strength,” he said, his voice heavy and worn. “Then we press on. We cannot falter, not now.”
The group made camp in a small clearing, tending to their injuries and repairing their gear. The mood was somber, the reality of their quest settling over them like a shroud.
Lysandra sat by the fire, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames. Her mind wandered to the stranger they had encountered earlier, the one who had stirred up old memories and unresolved feelings. She shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside. There was no time for distractions she thought.
Gareth watched Lysandra from across the camp, unsure if he should talk to her. He knew that their mission demanded all of their focus, all of their strength. Yet in moments like these, when the shadows closed in and the future seemed so uncertain, he couldn’t help but wonder what might have been.
As the day passed and their wounds fully healed, the group repacked their gear ready to continue the quest. They knew that the road ahead would be long and perilous, that the forces arrayed against them were vast and terrible. But they also knew that they had each other, and that together, they just might stand a chance.
Gareth approached Lysandra, his steps slow and measured. He sat down beside her, the warmth of the fire a welcome respite from the chill that had settled in his bones. For a moment, they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” Gareth said at last, his voice low and gruff. “For earlier. I shouldn’t have…”
Lysandra looked at Gareth dead eyed for a moment then shook her head, a rueful smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “No, it’s not your fault. I just… I have a lot of baggage, you know? Things I’ve done. It’s not easy to let that go. Nor is it easy to explain it.”
Gareth nodded, his eyes fixed on the flames. “We all have our secrets, our regrets. But that’s not who you are, not anymore. You’re one of us now, an Iron Guardian, and we’ve got your back, no matter what.”
Lysandra felt a warmth bloom in her stomach, a feeling she’d thought long dead. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I kinda figured that back at that creepy abandoned town though.” she said as she looked at the fire slowly grabbing Gareth’s hand and gently holding it with hers as they sat.
They sat like that for a while, their fingers intertwined, the crackling of the fire the only sound in the stillness of the night. Lysandra felt a tension building between them, a yearning that she knew they could never act upon. Not now, not with so much at stake.
As if sensing her thoughts, Gareth cleared his throat and stood up slowly, his armor clinking softly. “I should get some rest,” he said, his voice gruff once more. “The Treants said they had something to show us in the morning.”
Lysandra nodded, pushing herself to her feet. She knew that whatever lay ahead, they would face it together, bound by a bond stronger than any magic.
As dawn broke over Silverwood Forest, an ethereal chill swept through the camp. The Treants stood at its edge, their eyes glistening with a pale light that danced in the early morning mist. One of them spoke, its voice rustling like leaves in autumn winds.
“You have done us a great service,” they said solemnly. “In return for your help saving our home, we offer you a clear path – a way forward through this darkness. It will not be safe, nor will it be quick.”
With a powerful gesture that caused the air around them to shimmer and shift like water rippling on a pond, they revealed a hidden trail that wound deeper into the heart of the forest – towards Snowmelt Trade City. But this was no ordinary path; it was fraught with more danger – corruption spread like a plague here; creatures twisted by its influence lurked in every shadowy corner. The Treants warned them to be vigilant and brave as they embarked on this perilous journey – their survival depended on it…
Alaric stepped forward, his eyes hard with determination. “This darkness, this evil has spread faster than I imagined. We understand the risks, that’s why we’re hear” he said, his voice steady. “But we have no choice. We must press on, no matter the cost.”
The Treant nodded, its branches swaying in the breeze. “Then go with our blessing, and may the gods watch over you.”
As the group gathered their gear and prepared to set out, Lysandra caught Gareth’s eye. In that moment, a silent understanding passed between them – a promise that no matter what lay ahead, they would face it together, bound by a love that could never be spoken aloud.
With a final nod to the Treants, they stepped onto the hidden path, the unknown stretching out before them like a vast and uncharted sea. The Silverwood forest closed in around them, its secrets whispering in the wind, and they knew that their journey had only just begun.
The crunch of snow beneath their boots echoed through the stillness of the forest as they moved forward, the ancient trees looming over them like silent sentinels. Alaric led the way, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of danger.
Behind him, Lysandra and Gareth walked side by side, their shoulders brushing with each step. The tension between them was palpable, a crackling energy that seemed to dance in the air like static.
Eadric was bringing up the rear, looking back as the path entrance sealed up.
“Do you think we’ll make it to Snowmelt before winter sets in fully?” Gareth asked, his deep voice cutting through the silence.
Alaric glanced back over his shoulder, his brow furrowed. “It’s hard to say,” he replied. “The Treants warned us that the path is treacherous, and we have no way of knowing what obstacles we may face.”
Eadric nodded, his expression grave. “We must be prepared for anything,” he said, his fingers tightening around his staff. “The corruption that plagues these woods is not to be underestimated. It will only grow stronger the closer we get to the source of the magic.” he said just above a whisper, cautiously with a look of unease in his eyes.
As they pressed deeper into the forest, the trees seemed to close in around them, their branches reaching out like grasping fingers. The air grew colder, and a thin mist began to swirl around their feet, obscuring the path ahead.
Lysandra shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. She could feel the weight of the forest’s gaze upon her, as if the very trees were watching their every move. Beside her, Gareth’s hand brushed against hers, and she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her veins.
“Are you alright?” Gareth murmured, his voice low and intimate.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The memory of their earlier conversation hung between them, the unspoken words thick in the air.
Suddenly, a twig snapped in the undergrowth, and the group froze, their hands flying to their weapons. Alaric held up a hand, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the surrounding trees.
“What was that?” Lysandra whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.
Gareth shook his head, his jaw clenched. “I don’t know,” he replied, his voice tense. “But whatever it is, it’s close.”
They waited, barely daring to breathe, as the seconds ticked by. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the only sound the distant cry of a raven.
And then, without warning, the attack came.
Spellwork crackled through the air, a volatile energy pulsing with each casting. The creatures lunged and snarled, their vicious attacks growing more frenzied by the moment. Eadric stood firm, his magic a shield against their onslaught.
In the heart of the chaos, Alaric moved with lethal grace, his blades a symphony of death in the tumultuous dance of battle. The clang of steel and roar of beasts blended into a cacophony around him, but he remained a ghostly figure, dodging and striking with precision.
“Watch your left, Alaric!” Lysandra’s voice cut through the clamor as she fought back-to-back with Gareth, their movements synchronized in a deadly rhythm. Their weapons flashed in the dim light, each strike finding its mark.
Gareth let out a grunt as he swung his massive sword, his muscles bulging with each blow. “Just hold them back for a moment!” He yelled to Lysandra, his voice strained. Quickly, he dropped down onto one knee and drove his sword into the ground.
“Alaric, behind you!” Eadric’s warning came just in time as Alaric spun to parry a massive clawed strike, his swords ringing out in protest against the creature’s hide.
“Stay focused! We can do this!” Alaric bellowed, his voice a commanding presence amidst the chaos. His companions rallied around him, their resolve unwavering.
Lysandra dancing around Gareth throwing dagger after dagger faster and faster trying to keep up with the unsightly creatures. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she parried another blow from an unseen foe before spinning away just in time to avoid being impaled upon some foul creature’s tusk or talon – sweat glistening on skin already slick with blood from earlier wounds sustained during this never-ending dance through hell itself where death lurked around every corner waiting patiently for its next meal
“I CAST YOU FROM THIS PLANE!” Gareth commanded at the creatures. With a flick of his wrist, a faint blue glow emanated from the weapon before a powerful burst of energy exploded outward vaporizing anything evil within it.
#ActionAndAdventure #actionAdventure #adventure #chapter6 #dbw #Elyria #epicFantasy #fantasy #fiction #kingAlaric #landOfElyria #MysticalLandOfElyria #shortStory #storiesByDbw

#actionandadventure #actionadventure #adventure #chapter6 #dbw #elyria
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2024-12-27 · 13:00 UTC
Thus Spoke and Maddog’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By Steel Druhm
Thus Spoke
My second AMG End-of-Year piece?! Didn’t I just get here? This is my typical reaction to life’s happenings. I’m blindsided by everything. You’ll probably notice that many of the below list entries ‘snuck up on me’ in how much I liked them, compared to everything else. The fact that we’re now halfway through the 2020s makes me feel a bit nauseous. I keep telling people I ‘just moved’ into the home I bought this year, but I’ve been in it since April. And that huge milestone—for which I feel immensely grateful and privileged to have achieved this side of 30—would have solely dominated my year were it not for two other facts: 1) I was finally diagnosed with and very recently started medication for ADHD; 2) 2024 has got to have been the strongest year of the decade so far for metal. So, time to talk about the music rather than myself.
My overoptimistic prediction that Ulcerate would release new music came true,1 and there was, in general, a particular influx of excellent material from the darker, more dissonant, and extreme sides of death and black metal. This was also the year I finally reconnected with my love of doom after a long period of lukewarm engagement. But I wouldn’t have known about half of it were it not for this gig, and the amazing people I share it with. Whether it was Dear Hollow, Kenstrosity, or Mystikus Hugebeard pinging across something they thought I might like, or a particularly potent review penned by a colleague, a commenter chipping in with some gem, or the group buzz around an album I might otherwise never have considered, there’s no better place to find and discuss metal. And speaking of community, if I ever needed a confirmation that this right here is the loveliest place on the internet, the rallying response to Ken‘s plight earlier this year from staff and readers was it.2 I couldn’t ask for better company.
I said as much last year, but I’ll probably say it every year: having this opportunity is wild and I feel so blessed. To be able to send my thoughts about music into the world where people read and consider them, that’s mad. Bumping into an AMG fan in the wild was also an affirming and heartwarming experience reminding me that there are actually real people out there who know who we are; and let me say, however enthusiastic and grateful you might be for us, the feeling is mutual. So to everyone reading this, to all the folks at AMG who make it possible for me to continually wax lyrical about stuff I love (and stuff I don’t love so much) and put up with all my overrating, to all of you: thank you. Shout out also to my list buddy Maddog, whose EOY write-up is bound to be more br00tal and much less flowery than mine, and whose in-person company I continue to have the pleasure of enjoying whenever he deigns to visit our little island up here. Oh, and thank you to the original creator and to Kenstrosity for my new avatar! I asked and you delivered. And if you actually read this far down, thank you for indulging me. But now, finally, it’s list time.

#ish. Pillar of Light // Caldera – I unintentionally ended my reviewing year on a high with Pillar of Light. Or perhaps a low, if we consider mood. When a record evokes a genuine emotional response in me,3 as Caldera does, it deserves more than an Honorable Mention. So here it is. It’s one of those albums you experience that forever afterward remains tied to your particular life situation when you were first immersed, and for that reason, its longevity is increased and its impact amplified. Given how “Leaving” and “Infernal Gaze” leave me in pieces, it’s probably a good thing the misery comes down from 11 at other times. But on the next album, who knows? I’ll be ready at least.
#10. Replicant // Infinite Mortality – Much like Kenstrosity, author of the review, I have not historically been Replicant’s hugest fan. For some reason their music never stuck with me; I just didn’t get it. Infinite Mortality has been the enlightenment I needed. It’s undeniably fantastic. Brilliantly technical and ruthlessly efficient in execution, it manages to also be ridiculously groovy in a way that you wouldn’t expect from this flavor of extreme death metal. Suited, evidently, to desk sessions and gym sessions alike, given the range of play it got from me since its release, its balance of skronk and style proved why I should, long ago, have been paying attention to Replicant. Ken himself struggled to find a negative and so do I. Even interlude “SCN9A” is great, especially as it leads into monster “Pain Enduring.” Only the superlative strength of other contenders causes this to fall so low on the list.
#9. ColdCell // Age of Unreason – In a rare case of me underrating something, my review of Age of Unreason did not quite do justice to its strength. Not only have I revisited it often, but I have of late been struck ever deeper by its profundity. The honest, vulnerable lamentations on inequality (“Solidarity or Solitude”), hatred (“Discord”), and human selfishness (“Dead to the World”) go far beyond a jaded misanthropy and strike a real chord. In wrapping this up in an insidiously simple package of compelling, devastating black metal with a distinctive voice, ColdCell have made, I now recognize, a true masterpiece. Brutal in its own way, and beautiful in many more, this is a record I hardly realized had made such a strong impact on me until I saw just how many times I’d spun it. This year may have seen black metal that goes harder, or with more powerful atmospheres, but none that are as memorable as Age of Unreason.
#8. Spectral Voice // Sparagmos – What a behemoth. It’s hard to believe that—just for a little while—Sparagmos slipped my mind many months after its February release. Relistening brought it all back into horrifying clarity. This record throws a veil over the sun, stares at you with unseeing, ecstatic eyes of Dionysian worship, and forces you into terrified awe. I’m still blown away by how crushingly heavy and immersive it is; how it still manages to blindside me with sudden turns from ominous crawling into chaotic, chthonic tremolos and clustered, hideous vocals. A masterclass in patient, predatory ambush. Nothing else this year was like it, which is partially why I’ve had to return so often to its dark embrace. Every nightmarish track was at some point in the runnings for the Song of the Year playlist. In the end, only one could make it, and it is, as I said in my review, “as inexorable as death.”
#7. Hamferð // Men Guðs hond er sterk – I’m surprised as well. Before Men Guðs hond er sterk, I had never laid ears on Hamferð and I was quite stunned to find how instantly I loved them. It’s not often an album by a band you’d previously never spent time with claims a spot on your year-end list after one listen, but this was one of those rare occasions. Something about the sorrowful, yet also soaring, melodies delivered through the interplays of resonant chords and gentle plucks, and between caustic growls and clear, ardent cleans just transports me. I feel the solemnity, the fear, and the grief in alternately forceful and graceful heaviness thanks to these intricately woven compositions and ardent performances that make the fact the lyrics are all in Faroese completely irrelevant. And Hamferð cover breadth with such ease, the slowly rolling wave of doom rising with tremolos into new intensity; and yet still controlled, still patient. The closer and it’s sample used to bother me, but I’m long past that now. In short, as the Angry Metal Guy himself said, “the record’s flow is impeccable,” and “the writing is subtle but addictive”. He’s not kidding about that last part, I really can’t stop listening to it.
#6. Föhn // Condescending – I was not prepared for what Condescending would do to me. Like any funeral doom worth its salt, it’s massive, but its presence is not smothering, it does not suffocate. Instead, it dampens the sound of anything else, so that the lugubrious chords, vocals, and fraught, lamenting refrains reverberate inside your mind, alone. This presence is redoubled by the heart-rending devastation of the compositions it centers—lyrically and musically. Bleakly beautiful, crushing doom in all its low, slow, cavernous hell leads you into an almost blissful moroseness, just in time for the veil to tear and your spirit to crumble as haunting melodies spill in from impossibly delicate sources of saxophone, synth, or ringing strings. Condescending will not leave my mind, and as broken and misty-eyed as these songs make me—”A Day After” and “Persona” especially—I’ll keep returning to experience it again and again. Maybe I can only speak for myself; maybe you’re sensing a theme wherein I like albums that make me feel sad. Whatever the case, Föhn took my breath away, and I don’t want it back.
#5. Cave Sermon // Divine Laughter – It’s pretty irresponsible of me to put this in the list at all, let alone in this position, considering how late in the day I discovered it. But I’m not really known for being ‘responsible’ around these parts, so, what the hell. What some might pigeonhole as just wonky death metal, or blackened post-hardcore—or even post-metal, as Metal Archives confusingly stamp it—is really much more complex, deep, and unique. Gripping and strange, in a way that struck me on my very first listen, Divine Laughter is responsible for me going from never having heard of Cave Sermon to being an ardent fan in one afternoon. Every listen gives me my new favorite part and uncovers more and more of its treasures. Savage and beautiful and with unnervingly easy flow, large parts of it are total perfection (“Liquid Gol, “The Paint of An Invader”). I cannot get enough. It’s so good, actually, that it’s made me feel a bit anxious about how much I’ve still missed this year, though I am very glad that this made it to my ears, even at the 11th hour. Divine Laughter is simply one of the greatest things I’ve heard in 2024, and it’s a crime that more people aren’t talking about it.
#4. Devenial Verdict // Blessing of Despair – I was waiting for Blessing of Despair since January, and as it always is with things we have high expectations for, part of me was preparing for disappointment. That preparation proved unnecessary once I finally got my hands on this in the Autumn. Devenial Verdict delivered. This time, they amped up all their unique little idiosyncrasies that made me fall in love with Ash Blind, and added a criminally heavy helping of groove. This thing is atmospheric and punchy, providing soundscapes that are just as haunting and mysterious(TM) as they are stomping and cutthroat. Either way, these riffs will make you shiver. “Garden of Eyes”! “Solus”! Ahhhh! Even “Counting Silence” and “A Curse Made Flesh,” which I initially dismissed as a little understated, have this delicious melancholic presence I just want to be immersed in 24/7. Devenial Verdict’s slick mixture of mournful melody and menacing, barked growls; neck-snapping flicks of cymbal, and those resonant, aggressive chord progressions make for—almost—my favorite take on death metal that exists. The sole reason Blessing of Despair wasn’t my most-played album of 2024 is that I only started in September.4
#3. Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions – Back in 2017 or so, I was struck by what at the time I considered the most gorgeous opening guitar on any song ever. It was “…Of Solitary Ramblings,” the first track on Selbst’s self-titled debut.5 From that day forward I was enamoured. The undercurrents of lamenting melodrama and a black metal interwoven with a distinctive style of flowing, weeping strums continue to make Selbst very special. But if I had thought that their depths of emotional poignancy and stirring, multi-layered compositions had been reached, Despondency Chord Progressions showed they had not. Cleans that some wrote off as unsavory, rather bring—in my opinion—a new vulnerability, and their rawness compounds the pathos of already intensely cathartic compositions. The album’s title is, as I noted, an apt descriptor for the musical themes, but really undersells the cry of grief and despair that erupts from the music with every shuddering, tremolo-shaken, surge and every plaintive, somber quietude. I stand by what I said back in April, that “[t]his is black metal at its most stirring, entrancingly beautiful, and existentially affecting.” The sheer magnitude of its impassioned peaks (“Third World Wretchedness,” “Between Seclusion and Obsession”) and the sting of its humanity (“When true Loneliness is Experienced,” “Chant of Self Confrontation”) are like nothing else in the genre.
#2. Amiensus // Reclamation [Parts 1 & 2] – Take it up in the comments if you think this is cheating; Reclamation is one work in my eyes. And what a masterpiece. Each part a gorgeous, immersive side of one breathtaking journey that is best experienced together. I remain stunned by Amiensus’ mastery of musical storytelling through a flowing, intricate soundscape—at turns triumphant (“Vermillion Fog of War,” “Sólfarið”), sorrowful (“Reverie,” “Leprosarium”), and always stirring. Everything about Reclamation is graceful, which is another part of its magic because it’s not as though Amiensus left the black metal behind. Rather they seem to have found the deepest essence of the genre’s unique propensity for raw emotional expression, and moulded its elements into what is hands-down the most beautiful thing I’ve heard at least this year. It is, as I noted in my write-up of Part 1, a distillation of pure joy, and uplifting no matter how wistful (“Sun and Moon”), or suffused with bittersweet longing (“A Consciousness Throughout Time,” “Acquiescence”). And with so much of it—albeit, a time that flashes by with thrilling speed—it’s impossible not to get lost in. “Sun and Moon” was so close to being my favorite song of 2024, and in another year, it would have been. For that matter, in another year Reclamation itself would have claimed the top spot on this list.
#1. Ulcerate // Cutting the Throat of God – What else could it have been? I worry that by this point I may have used up all of the words that are possible to describe this pinnacle of excellence. In reality, though, I’m not sure I even have the words to express it in the first place, not for lack of trying. Ulcerate have long been a behemoth in their realm within the larger world of death metal, but while distinctive, they have never settled, continually carving up the template of dissonance with varyingly-sized blades of atmosphere and melody, moving between their most barbed and chaotic (Everything is Fire) to their most somber and moody (The Destroyers of All) in just one album. Later Shrines of Paralysis—my former favorite—saw a turn back towards the urgency and aggression, but with this new harmonic undercurrent in place. With hindsight, I can see now that the deeply atmospheric, disquieting Stare into Death and Be Still marked a turning point, paving the ground for what could be their magnum opus. Distilling the tension and the turmoil, into tidal forces of incredible rhythm, and dark, brilliant melody, with Cutting the Throat of God, Ulcerate reach transcendence. Dire (“The Dawn is Hollow”), deadly (“Transfiguration in and Out of Worlds”), devastating (“To See Death Just Once,” “Cutting the Throat of God”). Its intricacies only continue to reveal themselves to me; helped, no doubt, by a phenomenal live performance that bewitched me anew this October. I had to upgrade this album’s score to Iconic, because it is. This is atmospheric death metal perfected, and if genre-mates weren’t already looking in Ulcerate’s direction, there’s hardly any choice now. Cutting the Throat of God represents, in the greatest form, “the savagery, authenticity, and more recently, beauty that makes this icon of the dissonant death metal world who they are.”
Honorable Mentions:
Gaerea // Coma – Despite having calmed down considerably from my previous Gaerea overhype, there’s no denying that they’ve really got something. With a new vocalist, they retain their distinctively melodramatic and intense style, while incorporating a little more vulnerability via some genuinely really lovely cleans. A great record that just wasn’t great enough for the ridiculously high standard set by this year’s fare.
Eye Eater // Alienate – I am immensely grateful for Dolphin Whisperer for bringing this to my attention. Much of this album feels like it was written specifically for me, because it uses pretty much all of my favorite things in metal. It’s atmospheric and dissonant, like Ulcerate and others in that vein; it’s kind of post-death-y, and replete with minor melodies, and a particular kind of urgency my brain associates with specific kinds of ‘-core’. I just didn’t get quite enough time with it.
Songs of the Year
“To See Death Just Once” – Ulcerate
“Sun and Moon” – Amiensus
“Solus” – Devenial Verdict
“Terminal” – Vorga
“Third World Wretchedness” – Selbst
“The Paint of an Invader” – Cave Sermon
“A Day After” – Föhn
“Ábær” – Hamferð
“Inversion” – Endonomos
“Death’s Knell Rings in Eternity” – Spectral Voice
“Leaving” – Pillar of Light

Maddog
It’s been a weird year, and this is a weird list. Last December, I lamented the emotional hollowness of 2023’s metal output. If anything, 2024 fell even flatter. My most anticipated heavyweights were competent but inconsistent (Alcest, Julie Christmas), and few albums moved me. Unfazed, death metal picked up the slack and made this year a pleasure. Led by a flurry of excellent releases from genre titans, 2024 helped rekindle my love for cantankerous death metal.
Even so, the brutality of 2024’s output shocked me. Despite my worship of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, most brutal death metal releases of the last decade haven’t gripped me. But 2024 pulled me onto the brutal train with creativity and pizzazz. Both the techy and the knuckle-dragging corners of that subgenre thrived, including several artists that didn’t make my list (like Gigan, Iniquitous Savagery, and Nile). After tending toward more emotive music and other poseur nonsense in recent years, I took a long jump back in 2024.
As if that wasn’t enough, this was a banner year for dissonance. That’s a sentence I never expected to type; even dissonant death metal’s classics tend to be hit-or-miss with me. In 2024, the skronk finally broke through, aided by many avant-garde bands drifting toward a more accessible sound. This year’s screechy screeds were cogent enough to grab my arm and unhinged enough to rip it out of its socket. It’s been a jarring but eye-opening year.
This comment from the Brodequin review doubles as a summary of my 2024 music picks:
I wonder if I, we, they or all of us have a screw loose.
Heading into 2024, I craved immersive soundscapes and misty eyes. Instead, I was met with discordant gurgling. I didn’t expect it, but I don’t regret it.

#ish. Hypoxia // Defiance – Defiance never gets old. This old-school death metal behemoth has been around for ten months and hails from a subgenre that’s infamous for monotony. And yet, like Monstrosity’s best work, it blossoms on every spin. Defiance sports 2024’s fiercest harsh vocal performance, and riffwork so potent that it could revive the Selbst baby. I don’t have anything fancy to add, so I won’t try. Defiance is a rare death metal record that’s simple, thrilling, and well-written.
#10. Dawn Treader // Bloom & Decay – The thought sometimes crosses my mind: Why does atmospheric black metal even exist? The musical possibilities abound; who would pay $8 for tremolo scales recorded in a rest stop bathroom? Records like Bloom & Decay jolt me out of my pretension. Dawn Treader’s underground gem is both a product and a peddler of overpowering emotion. Ross Connell unleashes a tirade against violence and oppression using grief-stricken guitar melodies. On the flip side, Bloom & Decay’s heavy use of major keys—my second biggest fear—blurs the line between despair and tentative hope. Most impressive is the album’s flow, which Itchymenace described better than I ever could: “The majority of Bloom & Decay is instrumental, but you hardly notice because the music has such a storytelling quality.” Bloom & Decay’s 53-minute chokehold on my heart is ineffable but unyielding.
#9. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe – Germany’s nameless Noise has built up a remarkable CV – 7 years, 3 bands, 8 albums. While I’ve often enjoyed his music, I never fell under his spell. Die Urkatastrophe was the last straw. A pacifist tirade told through first-person WWI vignettes, Die Urkatastrophe depicts nationalist violence and its aftermath. Armed with a sharp-edged blackened death foundation and surging chorus melodies, Kanonenfieber provides rewarding fodder even for unfeeling riff addicts. However, its excellence lies in its raw emotion. Both Noise’s lyrics and his songwriting embrace a “show, don’t tell” approach that brings the album to life. As the narrator’s cavalry offensive meets with a hilltop ambush in “Gott mit der Kavallerie,” Kanonenfieber’s upbeat riffs transform into a sudden dirge followed by frantic black metal. The epic “Waffenbrüder” evokes the wide-eyed optimism of childhood friends, the pride of enlisting, the tragedy of losing a companion, and the regrets of a life wasted. Die Urkatastrophe is both a transformative album and exemplary storytelling.
#8. Defeated Sanity // Chronicles of Lunacy – Chronicles of Lunacy is essential listening for any fans of extreme metal. Its greatest triumph is its fine mix of Defeated Sanity’s signature ingredients. Chronicles excels as pure brutal death metal through punishing caveman riffs and a tasteful dose of slam. Vaughn Stoffey’s guitars elevate this to an art form using wily fretboard acrobatics and seamless jazzy breaks. Led by kit-meister Lille Gruber, Defeated Sanity’s off-kilter rhythms and heavy syncopation miraculously aid the album’s staying power rather than hindering it. Put simply, Chronicles of Lunacy is 2024’s most vivid reminder of why I love death metal. I love its unforgiving brutality; I love its dazzling technicality; I love its groove; I love its genre-bending creative expression; I love its rhythmic feats of strength; I love its intellect; I love its idiocy. In other words, I love Defeated Sanity.
#7. Ulcerate // Cutting the Throat of God – It’s a match made in heaven: Cutting the Throat of God is Ulcerate for dummies, and I’m a dummy. Ulcerate continues to march toward more accessible ground, leaving behind the merciless dissonance of Everything is Fire. Powerful melodic themes peek through the chaos and take time to shine, offering both souvenirs and footholds. Despite Cutting’s lowbrow appeal, Ulcerate’s inimitable signature remains. Unease pervades the record, and Ulcerate’s cohesive songwriting transforms it from a concept to an emotion. In Thus Spoke’s words, Jamie Saint Merat’s drums are “more body than skeleton,” using their distinctive start-stop style to guide the mood. The album’s climaxes alone justify a purchase, as hypnotic melodies and frenzied dissonance coalesce into a tsunami. In short, Cutting the Throat of God captured both my brain and my heart.
#6. Hippotraktor // Stasis – I first heard about Belgium’s Hippotraktor from an insistent coworker, long before I discovered GardensTale’s well-worded underrating. Psychonaut meets Karnivool meets The Ocean meets Meshuggah in this pounding, beautiful prog/post adventure. Stasis’ hard-won achievement is that it navigates through disparate ideas with fluidity and flair. Psychonaut-drenched sludge forms a jagged backbone that sways between meditative and explosive. Meanwhile, Hippotraktor’s mastery of melody catapults them into genre royalty. “Stasis” uses this superpower for peaceful guitar jams, “Echoes” uses it for soaring As I Lay Dying vocal lines, and “The Reckoning” uses it for haunting continuity across its eight minutes. The djenty interdjections are well-written and screwed in tight, packing a punch even for listeners with severe djent allerdjies. Stasis is a bold statement from a new band, and it’s jostled up my list posthaste.
#5. Hell:on // Shaman – Hell:on’s folk-infused take on death metal stands apart. Shaman’s diverse influences complement each other and flourish in isolation. Phrygian themes, throat singing, and driving sitars steer the album. But despite Shaman’s folk roots, it’s an excellent slab of death metal. Hell:on’s riffs recall the threatening leviathans of Nile’s Annihilation of the Wicked, while the narrative song structures feel like a roided-out Aeternam. Even among such storied company, Shaman’s melodies stand out. Over the record’s runtime, Hell:on’s guitars shred, soar, flail, and wallop, evolving smoothly and dragging the listener along. As icing on the cake, Holdeneye’s review of Shaman features the most sobering and most badass introductory story of 2024. Hell:on demanded my attention and earned it.
#4. Pyrrhon // Exhaust – I started warming up to Exhaust on my first listen, but it took a while to diagnose why. Pyrrhon’s earlier releases didn’t click with me, but Exhaust is a trailblazer and a paradox. Pyrrhon rewrites the textbook on riffs, displaying a mastery of groove even in their wildest moments. And the noisier cuts, which remind me most of Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and The Velvet Underground, are evocative narratives rather than lifeless technical exercises. The longer pieces intersperse hypnotic buildups with furious cacophony (“Out of Gas”), while the shorter tracks are simultaneously caustic and infectious. With a thick leading bass performance and a master that highlights every detail of the drums, Exhaust grows on me with every spin. Pyrrhon’s off-the-deep-end brand of experimental death metal isn’t my usual fare, but I can’t avert my ears this time. Both mellifluous and disgusting, both rifftastic and immersive, Exhaust is singular.
#3. Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions – My first toe dip into Selbst made a lasting impression. Shortly after Despondency Chord Progressions came out, I spun it at the office. In the final minute of the opener “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos,” I felt the involuntary tears start to flow, and I had to nuke the music and run to the bathroom to avoid worrying my desk neighbor. This embarrassing first encounter perfectly encapsulates the album. While it’s “merely” black metal, its gorgeous melodies and shrilling tremolos showcase the genre at its finest. Alternating between meditative dirges and howling chords, Selbst conveys both muffled sobs and hysterical bawling. Selbst’s fluid compositions captivated me at once and dug their claws even deeper over the ensuing months. The most heart-rending record of 2024, Despondency Chord Progressions showcases the paralyzing power of music.
#2. Noxis // Violence Inherent in the System – Noxis’ debut is a remarkable blend of old and new. The album’s stomping riffs and popping snare drum root it in 1990s brutal death metal. Conversely, its exuberantly grimy bass tone, its proggy rhythms, and its surprise woodwind extravaganza feel unabashedly modern. Much like last year’s Ohio death metal highlight, Violence Inherent in the System succeeds by ripping throughout, whether with a vile Dying Fetus riff or with an adventurous bass melody. Although this is the longest record in my top five, its 46 minutes fly by. Boasting momentum that would make Newton blush, Noxis keeps the energy high from the barnburner “Skullcrushing Defilement” to the proggy old-school “Emanations of the Sick.” After six months of scrutinizing and adoring Violence, I still can’t fathom that this is a debut album.
#1. Wormed // Omegon – I’ve already said my piece on this, and nothing has changed. Omegon feels as thrilling, as alien, as robotic, and as human as it did in July. In a year where brutality and dissonance thrived, Wormed maxed out both dimensions. Omegon is at once a painstakingly crafted work of art, an all-consuming atmosphere, and 2024’s punchiest death metal record.
Honorable Mentions:
- Oxygen Destroyer // Guardian of the Universe – Redefining Darkness strikes again. Oxygen Destroyer’s latest death-thrash opus is a concise half hour of exhilarating riffs. The album sounds one track, but I don’t care; it gains steam as it progresses, and it lodges deeper on every listen. There’s no excuse for missing this.
- Brodequin // Harbinger of Woe – Despite its morose title, Harbinger of Woe is straightforward and riotous. Brodequin has honed a sleek archetype of brutal death metal, far from the likes of Wormed. It doesn’t aim to innovate; it just aims for high impact. It succeeds.
- Kryptos // Decimator – India’s heavy metal kings dealt me an irreplaceable shot of adrenaline. Decimator is Kryptos’ most melodically inspired work to date, an absolute scorcher, and the most viscerally satisfying production job of 2024.
- Necrowretch // Swords of Dajjal – Somehow, despite competition from In Aphelion and Necrophobic themselves, Necrowretch churned out the best Necrophobic album of 2024.
Songs o’ the Year:
1. Julie Christmas – “The Lighthouse”
2. Hippotraktor – “The Reckoning”
3. Kanonenfieber – “Waffenbrüder”
4. Hypoxia – “Scorched and Skinned”
5. Kryptos – “Fall to the Spectre’s Gaze”
6. Wormed – “Protogod”
7. Alcest – “Améthyste”
8. Defeated Sanity – “Heredity Violated”
9. Andy Gillion – “Acceptance”
10. Selbst – “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos”
11. Pyrrhon – “Out of Gas”
12. Ulcerate – “Cutting the Throat of God”
13. Noxis – “Abstemious, Pious Writ of Life”
14. Keygen Church – “La Chiave del mio Amor”
#2024 #Amiensus #BlogPost #Brodequin #CaveSermon #ColdCell #DawnTreader #DefeatedSanity #DevenialVerdict #EyeEater #Föhn #Gaerea #Hamferð #HellOn #Hippotraktor #Hypoxia #Kanonenfeiber #Kryptos #Necrowretch #Noxis #OxygenDestroyer #PillarOfLight #Pyrrhon #Replicant #Selbst #SpectralVoice #ThusSpokeAndMaddogSTopTenIshOf2024 #Ulcerate #Wormed
#amiensus #blogpost #brodequin #cavesermon #coldcell #dawntreader
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2024-12-27 · 13:00 UTC
Thus Spoke and Maddog’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By Steel Druhm
Thus Spoke
My second AMG End-of-Year piece?! Didn’t I just get here? This is my typical reaction to life’s happenings. I’m blindsided by everything. You’ll probably notice that many of the below list entries ‘snuck up on me’ in how much I liked them, compared to everything else. The fact that we’re now halfway through the 2020s makes me feel a bit nauseous. I keep telling people I ‘just moved’ into the home I bought this year, but I’ve been in it since April. And that huge milestone—for which I feel immensely grateful and privileged to have achieved this side of 30—would have solely dominated my year were it not for two other facts: 1) I was finally diagnosed with and very recently started medication for ADHD; 2) 2024 has got to have been the strongest year of the decade so far for metal. So, time to talk about the music rather than myself.
My overoptimistic prediction that Ulcerate would release new music came true,1 and there was, in general, a particular influx of excellent material from the darker, more dissonant, and extreme sides of death and black metal. This was also the year I finally reconnected with my love of doom after a long period of lukewarm engagement. But I wouldn’t have known about half of it were it not for this gig, and the amazing people I share it with. Whether it was Dear Hollow, Kenstrosity, or Mystikus Hugebeard pinging across something they thought I might like, or a particularly potent review penned by a colleague, a commenter chipping in with some gem, or the group buzz around an album I might otherwise never have considered, there’s no better place to find and discuss metal. And speaking of community, if I ever needed a confirmation that this right here is the loveliest place on the internet, the rallying response to Ken‘s plight earlier this year from staff and readers was it.2 I couldn’t ask for better company.
I said as much last year, but I’ll probably say it every year: having this opportunity is wild and I feel so blessed. To be able to send my thoughts about music into the world where people read and consider them, that’s mad. Bumping into an AMG fan in the wild was also an affirming and heartwarming experience reminding me that there are actually real people out there who know who we are; and let me say, however enthusiastic and grateful you might be for us, the feeling is mutual. So to everyone reading this, to all the folks at AMG who make it possible for me to continually wax lyrical about stuff I love (and stuff I don’t love so much) and put up with all my overrating, to all of you: thank you. Shout out also to my list buddy Maddog, whose EOY write-up is bound to be more br00tal and much less flowery than mine, and whose in-person company I continue to have the pleasure of enjoying whenever he deigns to visit our little island up here. Oh, and thank you to the original creator and to Kenstrosity for my new avatar! I asked and you delivered. And if you actually read this far down, thank you for indulging me. But now, finally, it’s list time.

#ish. Pillar of Light // Caldera – I unintentionally ended my reviewing year on a high with Pillar of Light. Or perhaps a low, if we consider mood. When a record evokes a genuine emotional response in me,3 as Caldera does, it deserves more than an Honorable Mention. So here it is. It’s one of those albums you experience that forever afterward remains tied to your particular life situation when you were first immersed, and for that reason, its longevity is increased and its impact amplified. Given how “Leaving” and “Infernal Gaze” leave me in pieces, it’s probably a good thing the misery comes down from 11 at other times. But on the next album, who knows? I’ll be ready at least.
#10. Replicant // Infinite Mortality – Much like Kenstrosity, author of the review, I have not historically been Replicant’s hugest fan. For some reason their music never stuck with me; I just didn’t get it. Infinite Mortality has been the enlightenment I needed. It’s undeniably fantastic. Brilliantly technical and ruthlessly efficient in execution, it manages to also be ridiculously groovy in a way that you wouldn’t expect from this flavor of extreme death metal. Suited, evidently, to desk sessions and gym sessions alike, given the range of play it got from me since its release, its balance of skronk and style proved why I should, long ago, have been paying attention to Replicant. Ken himself struggled to find a negative and so do I. Even interlude “SCN9A” is great, especially as it leads into monster “Pain Enduring.” Only the superlative strength of other contenders causes this to fall so low on the list.
#9. ColdCell // Age of Unreason – In a rare case of me underrating something, my review of Age of Unreason did not quite do justice to its strength. Not only have I revisited it often, but I have of late been struck ever deeper by its profundity. The honest, vulnerable lamentations on inequality (“Solidarity or Solitude”), hatred (“Discord”), and human selfishness (“Dead to the World”) go far beyond a jaded misanthropy and strike a real chord. In wrapping this up in an insidiously simple package of compelling, devastating black metal with a distinctive voice, ColdCell have made, I now recognize, a true masterpiece. Brutal in its own way, and beautiful in many more, this is a record I hardly realized had made such a strong impact on me until I saw just how many times I’d spun it. This year may have seen black metal that goes harder, or with more powerful atmospheres, but none that are as memorable as Age of Unreason.
#8. Spectral Voice // Sparagmos – What a behemoth. It’s hard to believe that—just for a little while—Sparagmos slipped my mind many months after its February release. Relistening brought it all back into horrifying clarity. This record throws a veil over the sun, stares at you with unseeing, ecstatic eyes of Dionysian worship, and forces you into terrified awe. I’m still blown away by how crushingly heavy and immersive it is; how it still manages to blindside me with sudden turns from ominous crawling into chaotic, chthonic tremolos and clustered, hideous vocals. A masterclass in patient, predatory ambush. Nothing else this year was like it, which is partially why I’ve had to return so often to its dark embrace. Every nightmarish track was at some point in the runnings for the Song of the Year playlist. In the end, only one could make it, and it is, as I said in my review, “as inexorable as death.”
#7. Hamferð // Men Guðs hond er sterk – I’m surprised as well. Before Men Guðs hond er sterk, I had never laid ears on Hamferð and I was quite stunned to find how instantly I loved them. It’s not often an album by a band you’d previously never spent time with claims a spot on your year-end list after one listen, but this was one of those rare occasions. Something about the sorrowful, yet also soaring, melodies delivered through the interplays of resonant chords and gentle plucks, and between caustic growls and clear, ardent cleans just transports me. I feel the solemnity, the fear, and the grief in alternately forceful and graceful heaviness thanks to these intricately woven compositions and ardent performances that make the fact the lyrics are all in Faroese completely irrelevant. And Hamferð cover breadth with such ease, the slowly rolling wave of doom rising with tremolos into new intensity; and yet still controlled, still patient. The closer and it’s sample used to bother me, but I’m long past that now. In short, as the Angry Metal Guy himself said, “the record’s flow is impeccable,” and “the writing is subtle but addictive”. He’s not kidding about that last part, I really can’t stop listening to it.
#6. Föhn // Condescending – I was not prepared for what Condescending would do to me. Like any funeral doom worth its salt, it’s massive, but its presence is not smothering, it does not suffocate. Instead, it dampens the sound of anything else, so that the lugubrious chords, vocals, and fraught, lamenting refrains reverberate inside your mind, alone. This presence is redoubled by the heart-rending devastation of the compositions it centers—lyrically and musically. Bleakly beautiful, crushing doom in all its low, slow, cavernous hell leads you into an almost blissful moroseness, just in time for the veil to tear and your spirit to crumble as haunting melodies spill in from impossibly delicate sources of saxophone, synth, or ringing strings. Condescending will not leave my mind, and as broken and misty-eyed as these songs make me—”A Day After” and “Persona” especially—I’ll keep returning to experience it again and again. Maybe I can only speak for myself; maybe you’re sensing a theme wherein I like albums that make me feel sad. Whatever the case, Föhn took my breath away, and I don’t want it back.
#5. Cave Sermon // Divine Laughter – It’s pretty irresponsible of me to put this in the list at all, let alone in this position, considering how late in the day I discovered it. But I’m not really known for being ‘responsible’ around these parts, so, what the hell. What some might pigeonhole as just wonky death metal, or blackened post-hardcore—or even post-metal, as Metal Archives confusingly stamp it—is really much more complex, deep, and unique. Gripping and strange, in a way that struck me on my very first listen, Divine Laughter is responsible for me going from never having heard of Cave Sermon to being an ardent fan in one afternoon. Every listen gives me my new favorite part and uncovers more and more of its treasures. Savage and beautiful and with unnervingly easy flow, large parts of it are total perfection (“Liquid Gol, “The Paint of An Invader”). I cannot get enough. It’s so good, actually, that it’s made me feel a bit anxious about how much I’ve still missed this year, though I am very glad that this made it to my ears, even at the 11th hour. Divine Laughter is simply one of the greatest things I’ve heard in 2024, and it’s a crime that more people aren’t talking about it.
#4. Devenial Verdict // Blessing of Despair – I was waiting for Blessing of Despair since January, and as it always is with things we have high expectations for, part of me was preparing for disappointment. That preparation proved unnecessary once I finally got my hands on this in the Autumn. Devenial Verdict delivered. This time, they amped up all their unique little idiosyncrasies that made me fall in love with Ash Blind, and added a criminally heavy helping of groove. This thing is atmospheric and punchy, providing soundscapes that are just as haunting and mysterious(TM) as they are stomping and cutthroat. Either way, these riffs will make you shiver. “Garden of Eyes”! “Solus”! Ahhhh! Even “Counting Silence” and “A Curse Made Flesh,” which I initially dismissed as a little understated, have this delicious melancholic presence I just want to be immersed in 24/7. Devenial Verdict’s slick mixture of mournful melody and menacing, barked growls; neck-snapping flicks of cymbal, and those resonant, aggressive chord progressions make for—almost—my favorite take on death metal that exists. The sole reason Blessing of Despair wasn’t my most-played album of 2024 is that I only started in September.4
#3. Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions – Back in 2017 or so, I was struck by what at the time I considered the most gorgeous opening guitar on any song ever. It was “…Of Solitary Ramblings,” the first track on Selbst’s self-titled debut.5 From that day forward I was enamoured. The undercurrents of lamenting melodrama and a black metal interwoven with a distinctive style of flowing, weeping strums continue to make Selbst very special. But if I had thought that their depths of emotional poignancy and stirring, multi-layered compositions had been reached, Despondency Chord Progressions showed they had not. Cleans that some wrote off as unsavory, rather bring—in my opinion—a new vulnerability, and their rawness compounds the pathos of already intensely cathartic compositions. The album’s title is, as I noted, an apt descriptor for the musical themes, but really undersells the cry of grief and despair that erupts from the music with every shuddering, tremolo-shaken, surge and every plaintive, somber quietude. I stand by what I said back in April, that “[t]his is black metal at its most stirring, entrancingly beautiful, and existentially affecting.” The sheer magnitude of its impassioned peaks (“Third World Wretchedness,” “Between Seclusion and Obsession”) and the sting of its humanity (“When true Loneliness is Experienced,” “Chant of Self Confrontation”) are like nothing else in the genre.
#2. Amiensus // Reclamation [Parts 1 & 2] – Take it up in the comments if you think this is cheating; Reclamation is one work in my eyes. And what a masterpiece. Each part a gorgeous, immersive side of one breathtaking journey that is best experienced together. I remain stunned by Amiensus’ mastery of musical storytelling through a flowing, intricate soundscape—at turns triumphant (“Vermillion Fog of War,” “Sólfarið”), sorrowful (“Reverie,” “Leprosarium”), and always stirring. Everything about Reclamation is graceful, which is another part of its magic because it’s not as though Amiensus left the black metal behind. Rather they seem to have found the deepest essence of the genre’s unique propensity for raw emotional expression, and moulded its elements into what is hands-down the most beautiful thing I’ve heard at least this year. It is, as I noted in my write-up of Part 1, a distillation of pure joy, and uplifting no matter how wistful (“Sun and Moon”), or suffused with bittersweet longing (“A Consciousness Throughout Time,” “Acquiescence”). And with so much of it—albeit, a time that flashes by with thrilling speed—it’s impossible not to get lost in. “Sun and Moon” was so close to being my favorite song of 2024, and in another year, it would have been. For that matter, in another year Reclamation itself would have claimed the top spot on this list.
#1. Ulcerate // Cutting the Throat of God – What else could it have been? I worry that by this point I may have used up all of the words that are possible to describe this pinnacle of excellence. In reality, though, I’m not sure I even have the words to express it in the first place, not for lack of trying. Ulcerate have long been a behemoth in their realm within the larger world of death metal, but while distinctive, they have never settled, continually carving up the template of dissonance with varyingly-sized blades of atmosphere and melody, moving between their most barbed and chaotic (Everything is Fire) to their most somber and moody (The Destroyers of All) in just one album. Later Shrines of Paralysis—my former favorite—saw a turn back towards the urgency and aggression, but with this new harmonic undercurrent in place. With hindsight, I can see now that the deeply atmospheric, disquieting Stare into Death and Be Still marked a turning point, paving the ground for what could be their magnum opus. Distilling the tension and the turmoil, into tidal forces of incredible rhythm, and dark, brilliant melody, with Cutting the Throat of God, Ulcerate reach transcendence. Dire (“The Dawn is Hollow”), deadly (“Transfiguration in and Out of Worlds”), devastating (“To See Death Just Once,” “Cutting the Throat of God”). Its intricacies only continue to reveal themselves to me; helped, no doubt, by a phenomenal live performance that bewitched me anew this October. I had to upgrade this album’s score to Iconic, because it is. This is atmospheric death metal perfected, and if genre-mates weren’t already looking in Ulcerate’s direction, there’s hardly any choice now. Cutting the Throat of God represents, in the greatest form, “the savagery, authenticity, and more recently, beauty that makes this icon of the dissonant death metal world who they are.”
Honorable Mentions:
Gaerea // Coma – Despite having calmed down considerably from my previous Gaerea overhype, there’s no denying that they’ve really got something. With a new vocalist, they retain their distinctively melodramatic and intense style, while incorporating a little more vulnerability via some genuinely really lovely cleans. A great record that just wasn’t great enough for the ridiculously high standard set by this year’s fare.
Eye Eater // Alienate – I am immensely grateful for Dolphin Whisperer for bringing this to my attention. Much of this album feels like it was written specifically for me, because it uses pretty much all of my favorite things in metal. It’s atmospheric and dissonant, like Ulcerate and others in that vein; it’s kind of post-death-y, and replete with minor melodies, and a particular kind of urgency my brain associates with specific kinds of ‘-core’. I just didn’t get quite enough time with it.
Songs of the Year
“To See Death Just Once” – Ulcerate
“Sun and Moon” – Amiensus
“Solus” – Devenial Verdict
“Terminal” – Vorga
“Third World Wretchedness” – Selbst
“The Paint of an Invader” – Cave Sermon
“A Day After” – Föhn
“Ábær” – Hamferð
“Inversion” – Endonomos
“Death’s Knell Rings in Eternity” – Spectral Voice
“Leaving” – Pillar of Light

Maddog
It’s been a weird year, and this is a weird list. Last December, I lamented the emotional hollowness of 2023’s metal output. If anything, 2024 fell even flatter. My most anticipated heavyweights were competent but inconsistent (Alcest, Julie Christmas), and few albums moved me. Unfazed, death metal picked up the slack and made this year a pleasure. Led by a flurry of excellent releases from genre titans, 2024 helped rekindle my love for cantankerous death metal.
Even so, the brutality of 2024’s output shocked me. Despite my worship of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, most brutal death metal releases of the last decade haven’t gripped me. But 2024 pulled me onto the brutal train with creativity and pizzazz. Both the techy and the knuckle-dragging corners of that subgenre thrived, including several artists that didn’t make my list (like Gigan, Iniquitous Savagery, and Nile). After tending toward more emotive music and other poseur nonsense in recent years, I took a long jump back in 2024.
As if that wasn’t enough, this was a banner year for dissonance. That’s a sentence I never expected to type; even dissonant death metal’s classics tend to be hit-or-miss with me. In 2024, the skronk finally broke through, aided by many avant-garde bands drifting toward a more accessible sound. This year’s screechy screeds were cogent enough to grab my arm and unhinged enough to rip it out of its socket. It’s been a jarring but eye-opening year.
This comment from the Brodequin review doubles as a summary of my 2024 music picks:
I wonder if I, we, they or all of us have a screw loose.
Heading into 2024, I craved immersive soundscapes and misty eyes. Instead, I was met with discordant gurgling. I didn’t expect it, but I don’t regret it.

#ish. Hypoxia // Defiance – Defiance never gets old. This old-school death metal behemoth has been around for ten months and hails from a subgenre that’s infamous for monotony. And yet, like Monstrosity’s best work, it blossoms on every spin. Defiance sports 2024’s fiercest harsh vocal performance, and riffwork so potent that it could revive the Selbst baby. I don’t have anything fancy to add, so I won’t try. Defiance is a rare death metal record that’s simple, thrilling, and well-written.
#10. Dawn Treader // Bloom & Decay – The thought sometimes crosses my mind: Why does atmospheric black metal even exist? The musical possibilities abound; who would pay $8 for tremolo scales recorded in a rest stop bathroom? Records like Bloom & Decay jolt me out of my pretension. Dawn Treader’s underground gem is both a product and a peddler of overpowering emotion. Ross Connell unleashes a tirade against violence and oppression using grief-stricken guitar melodies. On the flip side, Bloom & Decay’s heavy use of major keys—my second biggest fear—blurs the line between despair and tentative hope. Most impressive is the album’s flow, which Itchymenace described better than I ever could: “The majority of Bloom & Decay is instrumental, but you hardly notice because the music has such a storytelling quality.” Bloom & Decay’s 53-minute chokehold on my heart is ineffable but unyielding.
#9. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe – Germany’s nameless Noise has built up a remarkable CV – 7 years, 3 bands, 8 albums. While I’ve often enjoyed his music, I never fell under his spell. Die Urkatastrophe was the last straw. A pacifist tirade told through first-person WWI vignettes, Die Urkatastrophe depicts nationalist violence and its aftermath. Armed with a sharp-edged blackened death foundation and surging chorus melodies, Kanonenfieber provides rewarding fodder even for unfeeling riff addicts. However, its excellence lies in its raw emotion. Both Noise’s lyrics and his songwriting embrace a “show, don’t tell” approach that brings the album to life. As the narrator’s cavalry offensive meets with a hilltop ambush in “Gott mit der Kavallerie,” Kanonenfieber’s upbeat riffs transform into a sudden dirge followed by frantic black metal. The epic “Waffenbrüder” evokes the wide-eyed optimism of childhood friends, the pride of enlisting, the tragedy of losing a companion, and the regrets of a life wasted. Die Urkatastrophe is both a transformative album and exemplary storytelling.
#8. Defeated Sanity // Chronicles of Lunacy – Chronicles of Lunacy is essential listening for any fans of extreme metal. Its greatest triumph is its fine mix of Defeated Sanity’s signature ingredients. Chronicles excels as pure brutal death metal through punishing caveman riffs and a tasteful dose of slam. Vaughn Stoffey’s guitars elevate this to an art form using wily fretboard acrobatics and seamless jazzy breaks. Led by kit-meister Lille Gruber, Defeated Sanity’s off-kilter rhythms and heavy syncopation miraculously aid the album’s staying power rather than hindering it. Put simply, Chronicles of Lunacy is 2024’s most vivid reminder of why I love death metal. I love its unforgiving brutality; I love its dazzling technicality; I love its groove; I love its genre-bending creative expression; I love its rhythmic feats of strength; I love its intellect; I love its idiocy. In other words, I love Defeated Sanity.
#7. Ulcerate // Cutting the Throat of God – It’s a match made in heaven: Cutting the Throat of God is Ulcerate for dummies, and I’m a dummy. Ulcerate continues to march toward more accessible ground, leaving behind the merciless dissonance of Everything is Fire. Powerful melodic themes peek through the chaos and take time to shine, offering both souvenirs and footholds. Despite Cutting’s lowbrow appeal, Ulcerate’s inimitable signature remains. Unease pervades the record, and Ulcerate’s cohesive songwriting transforms it from a concept to an emotion. In Thus Spoke’s words, Jamie Saint Merat’s drums are “more body than skeleton,” using their distinctive start-stop style to guide the mood. The album’s climaxes alone justify a purchase, as hypnotic melodies and frenzied dissonance coalesce into a tsunami. In short, Cutting the Throat of God captured both my brain and my heart.
#6. Hippotraktor // Stasis – I first heard about Belgium’s Hippotraktor from an insistent coworker, long before I discovered GardensTale’s well-worded underrating. Psychonaut meets Karnivool meets The Ocean meets Meshuggah in this pounding, beautiful prog/post adventure. Stasis’ hard-won achievement is that it navigates through disparate ideas with fluidity and flair. Psychonaut-drenched sludge forms a jagged backbone that sways between meditative and explosive. Meanwhile, Hippotraktor’s mastery of melody catapults them into genre royalty. “Stasis” uses this superpower for peaceful guitar jams, “Echoes” uses it for soaring As I Lay Dying vocal lines, and “The Reckoning” uses it for haunting continuity across its eight minutes. The djenty interdjections are well-written and screwed in tight, packing a punch even for listeners with severe djent allerdjies. Stasis is a bold statement from a new band, and it’s jostled up my list posthaste.
#5. Hell:on // Shaman – Hell:on’s folk-infused take on death metal stands apart. Shaman’s diverse influences complement each other and flourish in isolation. Phrygian themes, throat singing, and driving sitars steer the album. But despite Shaman’s folk roots, it’s an excellent slab of death metal. Hell:on’s riffs recall the threatening leviathans of Nile’s Annihilation of the Wicked, while the narrative song structures feel like a roided-out Aeternam. Even among such storied company, Shaman’s melodies stand out. Over the record’s runtime, Hell:on’s guitars shred, soar, flail, and wallop, evolving smoothly and dragging the listener along. As icing on the cake, Holdeneye’s review of Shaman features the most sobering and most badass introductory story of 2024. Hell:on demanded my attention and earned it.
#4. Pyrrhon // Exhaust – I started warming up to Exhaust on my first listen, but it took a while to diagnose why. Pyrrhon’s earlier releases didn’t click with me, but Exhaust is a trailblazer and a paradox. Pyrrhon rewrites the textbook on riffs, displaying a mastery of groove even in their wildest moments. And the noisier cuts, which remind me most of Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and The Velvet Underground, are evocative narratives rather than lifeless technical exercises. The longer pieces intersperse hypnotic buildups with furious cacophony (“Out of Gas”), while the shorter tracks are simultaneously caustic and infectious. With a thick leading bass performance and a master that highlights every detail of the drums, Exhaust grows on me with every spin. Pyrrhon’s off-the-deep-end brand of experimental death metal isn’t my usual fare, but I can’t avert my ears this time. Both mellifluous and disgusting, both rifftastic and immersive, Exhaust is singular.
#3. Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions – My first toe dip into Selbst made a lasting impression. Shortly after Despondency Chord Progressions came out, I spun it at the office. In the final minute of the opener “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos,” I felt the involuntary tears start to flow, and I had to nuke the music and run to the bathroom to avoid worrying my desk neighbor. This embarrassing first encounter perfectly encapsulates the album. While it’s “merely” black metal, its gorgeous melodies and shrilling tremolos showcase the genre at its finest. Alternating between meditative dirges and howling chords, Selbst conveys both muffled sobs and hysterical bawling. Selbst’s fluid compositions captivated me at once and dug their claws even deeper over the ensuing months. The most heart-rending record of 2024, Despondency Chord Progressions showcases the paralyzing power of music.
#2. Noxis // Violence Inherent in the System – Noxis’ debut is a remarkable blend of old and new. The album’s stomping riffs and popping snare drum root it in 1990s brutal death metal. Conversely, its exuberantly grimy bass tone, its proggy rhythms, and its surprise woodwind extravaganza feel unabashedly modern. Much like last year’s Ohio death metal highlight, Violence Inherent in the System succeeds by ripping throughout, whether with a vile Dying Fetus riff or with an adventurous bass melody. Although this is the longest record in my top five, its 46 minutes fly by. Boasting momentum that would make Newton blush, Noxis keeps the energy high from the barnburner “Skullcrushing Defilement” to the proggy old-school “Emanations of the Sick.” After six months of scrutinizing and adoring Violence, I still can’t fathom that this is a debut album.
#1. Wormed // Omegon – I’ve already said my piece on this, and nothing has changed. Omegon feels as thrilling, as alien, as robotic, and as human as it did in July. In a year where brutality and dissonance thrived, Wormed maxed out both dimensions. Omegon is at once a painstakingly crafted work of art, an all-consuming atmosphere, and 2024’s punchiest death metal record.
Honorable Mentions:
- Oxygen Destroyer // Guardian of the Universe – Redefining Darkness strikes again. Oxygen Destroyer’s latest death-thrash opus is a concise half hour of exhilarating riffs. The album sounds one track, but I don’t care; it gains steam as it progresses, and it lodges deeper on every listen. There’s no excuse for missing this.
- Brodequin // Harbinger of Woe – Despite its morose title, Harbinger of Woe is straightforward and riotous. Brodequin has honed a sleek archetype of brutal death metal, far from the likes of Wormed. It doesn’t aim to innovate; it just aims for high impact. It succeeds.
- Kryptos // Decimator – India’s heavy metal kings dealt me an irreplaceable shot of adrenaline. Decimator is Kryptos’ most melodically inspired work to date, an absolute scorcher, and the most viscerally satisfying production job of 2024.
- Necrowretch // Swords of Dajjal – Somehow, despite competition from In Aphelion and Necrophobic themselves, Necrowretch churned out the best Necrophobic album of 2024.
Songs o’ the Year:
1. Julie Christmas – “The Lighthouse”
2. Hippotraktor – “The Reckoning”
3. Kanonenfieber – “Waffenbrüder”
4. Hypoxia – “Scorched and Skinned”
5. Kryptos – “Fall to the Spectre’s Gaze”
6. Wormed – “Protogod”
7. Alcest – “Améthyste”
8. Defeated Sanity – “Heredity Violated”
9. Andy Gillion – “Acceptance”
10. Selbst – “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos”
11. Pyrrhon – “Out of Gas”
12. Ulcerate – “Cutting the Throat of God”
13. Noxis – “Abstemious, Pious Writ of Life”
14. Keygen Church – “La Chiave del mio Amor”
#2024 #Amiensus #BlogPost #Brodequin #CaveSermon #ColdCell #DawnTreader #DefeatedSanity #DevenialVerdict #EyeEater #Föhn #Gaerea #Hamferð #HellOn #Hippotraktor #Hypoxia #Kanonenfeiber #Kryptos #Necrowretch #Noxis #OxygenDestroyer #PillarOfLight #Pyrrhon #Replicant #Selbst #SpectralVoice #ThusSpokeAndMaddogSTopTenIshOf2024 #Ulcerate #Wormed
#amiensus #blogpost #brodequin #cavesermon #coldcell #dawntreader
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2024-12-27 · 13:00 UTC
Thus Spoke and Maddog’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By Steel Druhm
Thus Spoke
My second AMG End-of-Year piece?! Didn’t I just get here? This is my typical reaction to life’s happenings. I’m blindsided by everything. You’ll probably notice that many of the below list entries ‘snuck up on me’ in how much I liked them, compared to everything else. The fact that we’re now halfway through the 2020s makes me feel a bit nauseous. I keep telling people I ‘just moved’ into the home I bought this year, but I’ve been in it since April. And that huge milestone—for which I feel immensely grateful and privileged to have achieved this side of 30—would have solely dominated my year were it not for two other facts: 1) I was finally diagnosed with and very recently started medication for ADHD; 2) 2024 has got to have been the strongest year of the decade so far for metal. So, time to talk about the music rather than myself.
My overoptimistic prediction that Ulcerate would release new music came true,1 and there was, in general, a particular influx of excellent material from the darker, more dissonant, and extreme sides of death and black metal. This was also the year I finally reconnected with my love of doom after a long period of lukewarm engagement. But I wouldn’t have known about half of it were it not for this gig, and the amazing people I share it with. Whether it was Dear Hollow, Kenstrosity, or Mystikus Hugebeard pinging across something they thought I might like, or a particularly potent review penned by a colleague, a commenter chipping in with some gem, or the group buzz around an album I might otherwise never have considered, there’s no better place to find and discuss metal. And speaking of community, if I ever needed a confirmation that this right here is the loveliest place on the internet, the rallying response to Ken‘s plight earlier this year from staff and readers was it.2 I couldn’t ask for better company.
I said as much last year, but I’ll probably say it every year: having this opportunity is wild and I feel so blessed. To be able to send my thoughts about music into the world where people read and consider them, that’s mad. Bumping into an AMG fan in the wild was also an affirming and heartwarming experience reminding me that there are actually real people out there who know who we are; and let me say, however enthusiastic and grateful you might be for us, the feeling is mutual. So to everyone reading this, to all the folks at AMG who make it possible for me to continually wax lyrical about stuff I love (and stuff I don’t love so much) and put up with all my overrating, to all of you: thank you. Shout out also to my list buddy Maddog, whose EOY write-up is bound to be more br00tal and much less flowery than mine, and whose in-person company I continue to have the pleasure of enjoying whenever he deigns to visit our little island up here. Oh, and thank you to the original creator and to Kenstrosity for my new avatar! I asked and you delivered. And if you actually read this far down, thank you for indulging me. But now, finally, it’s list time.

#ish. Pillar of Light // Caldera – I unintentionally ended my reviewing year on a high with Pillar of Light. Or perhaps a low, if we consider mood. When a record evokes a genuine emotional response in me,3 as Caldera does, it deserves more than an Honorable Mention. So here it is. It’s one of those albums you experience that forever afterward remains tied to your particular life situation when you were first immersed, and for that reason, its longevity is increased and its impact amplified. Given how “Leaving” and “Infernal Gaze” leave me in pieces, it’s probably a good thing the misery comes down from 11 at other times. But on the next album, who knows? I’ll be ready at least.
#10. Replicant // Infinite Mortality – Much like Kenstrosity, author of the review, I have not historically been Replicant’s hugest fan. For some reason their music never stuck with me; I just didn’t get it. Infinite Mortality has been the enlightenment I needed. It’s undeniably fantastic. Brilliantly technical and ruthlessly efficient in execution, it manages to also be ridiculously groovy in a way that you wouldn’t expect from this flavor of extreme death metal. Suited, evidently, to desk sessions and gym sessions alike, given the range of play it got from me since its release, its balance of skronk and style proved why I should, long ago, have been paying attention to Replicant. Ken himself struggled to find a negative and so do I. Even interlude “SCN9A” is great, especially as it leads into monster “Pain Enduring.” Only the superlative strength of other contenders causes this to fall so low on the list.
#9. ColdCell // Age of Unreason – In a rare case of me underrating something, my review of Age of Unreason did not quite do justice to its strength. Not only have I revisited it often, but I have of late been struck ever deeper by its profundity. The honest, vulnerable lamentations on inequality (“Solidarity or Solitude”), hatred (“Discord”), and human selfishness (“Dead to the World”) go far beyond a jaded misanthropy and strike a real chord. In wrapping this up in an insidiously simple package of compelling, devastating black metal with a distinctive voice, ColdCell have made, I now recognize, a true masterpiece. Brutal in its own way, and beautiful in many more, this is a record I hardly realized had made such a strong impact on me until I saw just how many times I’d spun it. This year may have seen black metal that goes harder, or with more powerful atmospheres, but none that are as memorable as Age of Unreason.
#8. Spectral Voice // Sparagmos – What a behemoth. It’s hard to believe that—just for a little while—Sparagmos slipped my mind many months after its February release. Relistening brought it all back into horrifying clarity. This record throws a veil over the sun, stares at you with unseeing, ecstatic eyes of Dionysian worship, and forces you into terrified awe. I’m still blown away by how crushingly heavy and immersive it is; how it still manages to blindside me with sudden turns from ominous crawling into chaotic, chthonic tremolos and clustered, hideous vocals. A masterclass in patient, predatory ambush. Nothing else this year was like it, which is partially why I’ve had to return so often to its dark embrace. Every nightmarish track was at some point in the runnings for the Song of the Year playlist. In the end, only one could make it, and it is, as I said in my review, “as inexorable as death.”
#7. Hamferð // Men Guðs hond er sterk – I’m surprised as well. Before Men Guðs hond er sterk, I had never laid ears on Hamferð and I was quite stunned to find how instantly I loved them. It’s not often an album by a band you’d previously never spent time with claims a spot on your year-end list after one listen, but this was one of those rare occasions. Something about the sorrowful, yet also soaring, melodies delivered through the interplays of resonant chords and gentle plucks, and between caustic growls and clear, ardent cleans just transports me. I feel the solemnity, the fear, and the grief in alternately forceful and graceful heaviness thanks to these intricately woven compositions and ardent performances that make the fact the lyrics are all in Faroese completely irrelevant. And Hamferð cover breadth with such ease, the slowly rolling wave of doom rising with tremolos into new intensity; and yet still controlled, still patient. The closer and it’s sample used to bother me, but I’m long past that now. In short, as the Angry Metal Guy himself said, “the record’s flow is impeccable,” and “the writing is subtle but addictive”. He’s not kidding about that last part, I really can’t stop listening to it.
#6. Föhn // Condescending – I was not prepared for what Condescending would do to me. Like any funeral doom worth its salt, it’s massive, but its presence is not smothering, it does not suffocate. Instead, it dampens the sound of anything else, so that the lugubrious chords, vocals, and fraught, lamenting refrains reverberate inside your mind, alone. This presence is redoubled by the heart-rending devastation of the compositions it centers—lyrically and musically. Bleakly beautiful, crushing doom in all its low, slow, cavernous hell leads you into an almost blissful moroseness, just in time for the veil to tear and your spirit to crumble as haunting melodies spill in from impossibly delicate sources of saxophone, synth, or ringing strings. Condescending will not leave my mind, and as broken and misty-eyed as these songs make me—”A Day After” and “Persona” especially—I’ll keep returning to experience it again and again. Maybe I can only speak for myself; maybe you’re sensing a theme wherein I like albums that make me feel sad. Whatever the case, Föhn took my breath away, and I don’t want it back.
#5. Cave Sermon // Divine Laughter – It’s pretty irresponsible of me to put this in the list at all, let alone in this position, considering how late in the day I discovered it. But I’m not really known for being ‘responsible’ around these parts, so, what the hell. What some might pigeonhole as just wonky death metal, or blackened post-hardcore—or even post-metal, as Metal Archives confusingly stamp it—is really much more complex, deep, and unique. Gripping and strange, in a way that struck me on my very first listen, Divine Laughter is responsible for me going from never having heard of Cave Sermon to being an ardent fan in one afternoon. Every listen gives me my new favorite part and uncovers more and more of its treasures. Savage and beautiful and with unnervingly easy flow, large parts of it are total perfection (“Liquid Gol, “The Paint of An Invader”). I cannot get enough. It’s so good, actually, that it’s made me feel a bit anxious about how much I’ve still missed this year, though I am very glad that this made it to my ears, even at the 11th hour. Divine Laughter is simply one of the greatest things I’ve heard in 2024, and it’s a crime that more people aren’t talking about it.
#4. Devenial Verdict // Blessing of Despair – I was waiting for Blessing of Despair since January, and as it always is with things we have high expectations for, part of me was preparing for disappointment. That preparation proved unnecessary once I finally got my hands on this in the Autumn. Devenial Verdict delivered. This time, they amped up all their unique little idiosyncrasies that made me fall in love with Ash Blind, and added a criminally heavy helping of groove. This thing is atmospheric and punchy, providing soundscapes that are just as haunting and mysterious(TM) as they are stomping and cutthroat. Either way, these riffs will make you shiver. “Garden of Eyes”! “Solus”! Ahhhh! Even “Counting Silence” and “A Curse Made Flesh,” which I initially dismissed as a little understated, have this delicious melancholic presence I just want to be immersed in 24/7. Devenial Verdict’s slick mixture of mournful melody and menacing, barked growls; neck-snapping flicks of cymbal, and those resonant, aggressive chord progressions make for—almost—my favorite take on death metal that exists. The sole reason Blessing of Despair wasn’t my most-played album of 2024 is that I only started in September.4
#3. Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions – Back in 2017 or so, I was struck by what at the time I considered the most gorgeous opening guitar on any song ever. It was “…Of Solitary Ramblings,” the first track on Selbst’s self-titled debut.5 From that day forward I was enamoured. The undercurrents of lamenting melodrama and a black metal interwoven with a distinctive style of flowing, weeping strums continue to make Selbst very special. But if I had thought that their depths of emotional poignancy and stirring, multi-layered compositions had been reached, Despondency Chord Progressions showed they had not. Cleans that some wrote off as unsavory, rather bring—in my opinion—a new vulnerability, and their rawness compounds the pathos of already intensely cathartic compositions. The album’s title is, as I noted, an apt descriptor for the musical themes, but really undersells the cry of grief and despair that erupts from the music with every shuddering, tremolo-shaken, surge and every plaintive, somber quietude. I stand by what I said back in April, that “[t]his is black metal at its most stirring, entrancingly beautiful, and existentially affecting.” The sheer magnitude of its impassioned peaks (“Third World Wretchedness,” “Between Seclusion and Obsession”) and the sting of its humanity (“When true Loneliness is Experienced,” “Chant of Self Confrontation”) are like nothing else in the genre.
#2. Amiensus // Reclamation [Parts 1 & 2] – Take it up in the comments if you think this is cheating; Reclamation is one work in my eyes. And what a masterpiece. Each part a gorgeous, immersive side of one breathtaking journey that is best experienced together. I remain stunned by Amiensus’ mastery of musical storytelling through a flowing, intricate soundscape—at turns triumphant (“Vermillion Fog of War,” “Sólfarið”), sorrowful (“Reverie,” “Leprosarium”), and always stirring. Everything about Reclamation is graceful, which is another part of its magic because it’s not as though Amiensus left the black metal behind. Rather they seem to have found the deepest essence of the genre’s unique propensity for raw emotional expression, and moulded its elements into what is hands-down the most beautiful thing I’ve heard at least this year. It is, as I noted in my write-up of Part 1, a distillation of pure joy, and uplifting no matter how wistful (“Sun and Moon”), or suffused with bittersweet longing (“A Consciousness Throughout Time,” “Acquiescence”). And with so much of it—albeit, a time that flashes by with thrilling speed—it’s impossible not to get lost in. “Sun and Moon” was so close to being my favorite song of 2024, and in another year, it would have been. For that matter, in another year Reclamation itself would have claimed the top spot on this list.
#1. Ulcerate // Cutting the Throat of God – What else could it have been? I worry that by this point I may have used up all of the words that are possible to describe this pinnacle of excellence. In reality, though, I’m not sure I even have the words to express it in the first place, not for lack of trying. Ulcerate have long been a behemoth in their realm within the larger world of death metal, but while distinctive, they have never settled, continually carving up the template of dissonance with varyingly-sized blades of atmosphere and melody, moving between their most barbed and chaotic (Everything is Fire) to their most somber and moody (The Destroyers of All) in just one album. Later Shrines of Paralysis—my former favorite—saw a turn back towards the urgency and aggression, but with this new harmonic undercurrent in place. With hindsight, I can see now that the deeply atmospheric, disquieting Stare into Death and Be Still marked a turning point, paving the ground for what could be their magnum opus. Distilling the tension and the turmoil, into tidal forces of incredible rhythm, and dark, brilliant melody, with Cutting the Throat of God, Ulcerate reach transcendence. Dire (“The Dawn is Hollow”), deadly (“Transfiguration in and Out of Worlds”), devastating (“To See Death Just Once,” “Cutting the Throat of God”). Its intricacies only continue to reveal themselves to me; helped, no doubt, by a phenomenal live performance that bewitched me anew this October. I had to upgrade this album’s score to Iconic, because it is. This is atmospheric death metal perfected, and if genre-mates weren’t already looking in Ulcerate’s direction, there’s hardly any choice now. Cutting the Throat of God represents, in the greatest form, “the savagery, authenticity, and more recently, beauty that makes this icon of the dissonant death metal world who they are.”
Honorable Mentions:
Gaerea // Coma – Despite having calmed down considerably from my previous Gaerea overhype, there’s no denying that they’ve really got something. With a new vocalist, they retain their distinctively melodramatic and intense style, while incorporating a little more vulnerability via some genuinely really lovely cleans. A great record that just wasn’t great enough for the ridiculously high standard set by this year’s fare.
Eye Eater // Alienate – I am immensely grateful for Dolphin Whisperer for bringing this to my attention. Much of this album feels like it was written specifically for me, because it uses pretty much all of my favorite things in metal. It’s atmospheric and dissonant, like Ulcerate and others in that vein; it’s kind of post-death-y, and replete with minor melodies, and a particular kind of urgency my brain associates with specific kinds of ‘-core’. I just didn’t get quite enough time with it.
Songs of the Year
“To See Death Just Once” – Ulcerate
“Sun and Moon” – Amiensus
“Solus” – Devenial Verdict
“Terminal” – Vorga
“Third World Wretchedness” – Selbst
“The Paint of an Invader” – Cave Sermon
“A Day After” – Föhn
“Ábær” – Hamferð
“Inversion” – Endonomos
“Death’s Knell Rings in Eternity” – Spectral Voice
“Leaving” – Pillar of Light

Maddog
It’s been a weird year, and this is a weird list. Last December, I lamented the emotional hollowness of 2023’s metal output. If anything, 2024 fell even flatter. My most anticipated heavyweights were competent but inconsistent (Alcest, Julie Christmas), and few albums moved me. Unfazed, death metal picked up the slack and made this year a pleasure. Led by a flurry of excellent releases from genre titans, 2024 helped rekindle my love for cantankerous death metal.
Even so, the brutality of 2024’s output shocked me. Despite my worship of Suffocation and Dying Fetus, most brutal death metal releases of the last decade haven’t gripped me. But 2024 pulled me onto the brutal train with creativity and pizzazz. Both the techy and the knuckle-dragging corners of that subgenre thrived, including several artists that didn’t make my list (like Gigan, Iniquitous Savagery, and Nile). After tending toward more emotive music and other poseur nonsense in recent years, I took a long jump back in 2024.
As if that wasn’t enough, this was a banner year for dissonance. That’s a sentence I never expected to type; even dissonant death metal’s classics tend to be hit-or-miss with me. In 2024, the skronk finally broke through, aided by many avant-garde bands drifting toward a more accessible sound. This year’s screechy screeds were cogent enough to grab my arm and unhinged enough to rip it out of its socket. It’s been a jarring but eye-opening year.
This comment from the Brodequin review doubles as a summary of my 2024 music picks:
I wonder if I, we, they or all of us have a screw loose.
Heading into 2024, I craved immersive soundscapes and misty eyes. Instead, I was met with discordant gurgling. I didn’t expect it, but I don’t regret it.

#ish. Hypoxia // Defiance – Defiance never gets old. This old-school death metal behemoth has been around for ten months and hails from a subgenre that’s infamous for monotony. And yet, like Monstrosity’s best work, it blossoms on every spin. Defiance sports 2024’s fiercest harsh vocal performance, and riffwork so potent that it could revive the Selbst baby. I don’t have anything fancy to add, so I won’t try. Defiance is a rare death metal record that’s simple, thrilling, and well-written.
#10. Dawn Treader // Bloom & Decay – The thought sometimes crosses my mind: Why does atmospheric black metal even exist? The musical possibilities abound; who would pay $8 for tremolo scales recorded in a rest stop bathroom? Records like Bloom & Decay jolt me out of my pretension. Dawn Treader’s underground gem is both a product and a peddler of overpowering emotion. Ross Connell unleashes a tirade against violence and oppression using grief-stricken guitar melodies. On the flip side, Bloom & Decay’s heavy use of major keys—my second biggest fear—blurs the line between despair and tentative hope. Most impressive is the album’s flow, which Itchymenace described better than I ever could: “The majority of Bloom & Decay is instrumental, but you hardly notice because the music has such a storytelling quality.” Bloom & Decay’s 53-minute chokehold on my heart is ineffable but unyielding.
#9. Kanonenfieber // Die Urkatastrophe – Germany’s nameless Noise has built up a remarkable CV – 7 years, 3 bands, 8 albums. While I’ve often enjoyed his music, I never fell under his spell. Die Urkatastrophe was the last straw. A pacifist tirade told through first-person WWI vignettes, Die Urkatastrophe depicts nationalist violence and its aftermath. Armed with a sharp-edged blackened death foundation and surging chorus melodies, Kanonenfieber provides rewarding fodder even for unfeeling riff addicts. However, its excellence lies in its raw emotion. Both Noise’s lyrics and his songwriting embrace a “show, don’t tell” approach that brings the album to life. As the narrator’s cavalry offensive meets with a hilltop ambush in “Gott mit der Kavallerie,” Kanonenfieber’s upbeat riffs transform into a sudden dirge followed by frantic black metal. The epic “Waffenbrüder” evokes the wide-eyed optimism of childhood friends, the pride of enlisting, the tragedy of losing a companion, and the regrets of a life wasted. Die Urkatastrophe is both a transformative album and exemplary storytelling.
#8. Defeated Sanity // Chronicles of Lunacy – Chronicles of Lunacy is essential listening for any fans of extreme metal. Its greatest triumph is its fine mix of Defeated Sanity’s signature ingredients. Chronicles excels as pure brutal death metal through punishing caveman riffs and a tasteful dose of slam. Vaughn Stoffey’s guitars elevate this to an art form using wily fretboard acrobatics and seamless jazzy breaks. Led by kit-meister Lille Gruber, Defeated Sanity’s off-kilter rhythms and heavy syncopation miraculously aid the album’s staying power rather than hindering it. Put simply, Chronicles of Lunacy is 2024’s most vivid reminder of why I love death metal. I love its unforgiving brutality; I love its dazzling technicality; I love its groove; I love its genre-bending creative expression; I love its rhythmic feats of strength; I love its intellect; I love its idiocy. In other words, I love Defeated Sanity.
#7. Ulcerate // Cutting the Throat of God – It’s a match made in heaven: Cutting the Throat of God is Ulcerate for dummies, and I’m a dummy. Ulcerate continues to march toward more accessible ground, leaving behind the merciless dissonance of Everything is Fire. Powerful melodic themes peek through the chaos and take time to shine, offering both souvenirs and footholds. Despite Cutting’s lowbrow appeal, Ulcerate’s inimitable signature remains. Unease pervades the record, and Ulcerate’s cohesive songwriting transforms it from a concept to an emotion. In Thus Spoke’s words, Jamie Saint Merat’s drums are “more body than skeleton,” using their distinctive start-stop style to guide the mood. The album’s climaxes alone justify a purchase, as hypnotic melodies and frenzied dissonance coalesce into a tsunami. In short, Cutting the Throat of God captured both my brain and my heart.
#6. Hippotraktor // Stasis – I first heard about Belgium’s Hippotraktor from an insistent coworker, long before I discovered GardensTale’s well-worded underrating. Psychonaut meets Karnivool meets The Ocean meets Meshuggah in this pounding, beautiful prog/post adventure. Stasis’ hard-won achievement is that it navigates through disparate ideas with fluidity and flair. Psychonaut-drenched sludge forms a jagged backbone that sways between meditative and explosive. Meanwhile, Hippotraktor’s mastery of melody catapults them into genre royalty. “Stasis” uses this superpower for peaceful guitar jams, “Echoes” uses it for soaring As I Lay Dying vocal lines, and “The Reckoning” uses it for haunting continuity across its eight minutes. The djenty interdjections are well-written and screwed in tight, packing a punch even for listeners with severe djent allerdjies. Stasis is a bold statement from a new band, and it’s jostled up my list posthaste.
#5. Hell:on // Shaman – Hell:on’s folk-infused take on death metal stands apart. Shaman’s diverse influences complement each other and flourish in isolation. Phrygian themes, throat singing, and driving sitars steer the album. But despite Shaman’s folk roots, it’s an excellent slab of death metal. Hell:on’s riffs recall the threatening leviathans of Nile’s Annihilation of the Wicked, while the narrative song structures feel like a roided-out Aeternam. Even among such storied company, Shaman’s melodies stand out. Over the record’s runtime, Hell:on’s guitars shred, soar, flail, and wallop, evolving smoothly and dragging the listener along. As icing on the cake, Holdeneye’s review of Shaman features the most sobering and most badass introductory story of 2024. Hell:on demanded my attention and earned it.
#4. Pyrrhon // Exhaust – I started warming up to Exhaust on my first listen, but it took a while to diagnose why. Pyrrhon’s earlier releases didn’t click with me, but Exhaust is a trailblazer and a paradox. Pyrrhon rewrites the textbook on riffs, displaying a mastery of groove even in their wildest moments. And the noisier cuts, which remind me most of Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and The Velvet Underground, are evocative narratives rather than lifeless technical exercises. The longer pieces intersperse hypnotic buildups with furious cacophony (“Out of Gas”), while the shorter tracks are simultaneously caustic and infectious. With a thick leading bass performance and a master that highlights every detail of the drums, Exhaust grows on me with every spin. Pyrrhon’s off-the-deep-end brand of experimental death metal isn’t my usual fare, but I can’t avert my ears this time. Both mellifluous and disgusting, both rifftastic and immersive, Exhaust is singular.
#3. Selbst // Despondency Chord Progressions – My first toe dip into Selbst made a lasting impression. Shortly after Despondency Chord Progressions came out, I spun it at the office. In the final minute of the opener “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos,” I felt the involuntary tears start to flow, and I had to nuke the music and run to the bathroom to avoid worrying my desk neighbor. This embarrassing first encounter perfectly encapsulates the album. While it’s “merely” black metal, its gorgeous melodies and shrilling tremolos showcase the genre at its finest. Alternating between meditative dirges and howling chords, Selbst conveys both muffled sobs and hysterical bawling. Selbst’s fluid compositions captivated me at once and dug their claws even deeper over the ensuing months. The most heart-rending record of 2024, Despondency Chord Progressions showcases the paralyzing power of music.
#2. Noxis // Violence Inherent in the System – Noxis’ debut is a remarkable blend of old and new. The album’s stomping riffs and popping snare drum root it in 1990s brutal death metal. Conversely, its exuberantly grimy bass tone, its proggy rhythms, and its surprise woodwind extravaganza feel unabashedly modern. Much like last year’s Ohio death metal highlight, Violence Inherent in the System succeeds by ripping throughout, whether with a vile Dying Fetus riff or with an adventurous bass melody. Although this is the longest record in my top five, its 46 minutes fly by. Boasting momentum that would make Newton blush, Noxis keeps the energy high from the barnburner “Skullcrushing Defilement” to the proggy old-school “Emanations of the Sick.” After six months of scrutinizing and adoring Violence, I still can’t fathom that this is a debut album.
#1. Wormed // Omegon – I’ve already said my piece on this, and nothing has changed. Omegon feels as thrilling, as alien, as robotic, and as human as it did in July. In a year where brutality and dissonance thrived, Wormed maxed out both dimensions. Omegon is at once a painstakingly crafted work of art, an all-consuming atmosphere, and 2024’s punchiest death metal record.
Honorable Mentions:
- Oxygen Destroyer // Guardian of the Universe – Redefining Darkness strikes again. Oxygen Destroyer’s latest death-thrash opus is a concise half hour of exhilarating riffs. The album sounds one track, but I don’t care; it gains steam as it progresses, and it lodges deeper on every listen. There’s no excuse for missing this.
- Brodequin // Harbinger of Woe – Despite its morose title, Harbinger of Woe is straightforward and riotous. Brodequin has honed a sleek archetype of brutal death metal, far from the likes of Wormed. It doesn’t aim to innovate; it just aims for high impact. It succeeds.
- Kryptos // Decimator – India’s heavy metal kings dealt me an irreplaceable shot of adrenaline. Decimator is Kryptos’ most melodically inspired work to date, an absolute scorcher, and the most viscerally satisfying production job of 2024.
- Necrowretch // Swords of Dajjal – Somehow, despite competition from In Aphelion and Necrophobic themselves, Necrowretch churned out the best Necrophobic album of 2024.
Songs o’ the Year:
1. Julie Christmas – “The Lighthouse”
2. Hippotraktor – “The Reckoning”
3. Kanonenfieber – “Waffenbrüder”
4. Hypoxia – “Scorched and Skinned”
5. Kryptos – “Fall to the Spectre’s Gaze”
6. Wormed – “Protogod”
7. Alcest – “Améthyste”
8. Defeated Sanity – “Heredity Violated”
9. Andy Gillion – “Acceptance”
10. Selbst – “La Encarnación de Todos los Miedos”
11. Pyrrhon – “Out of Gas”
12. Ulcerate – “Cutting the Throat of God”
13. Noxis – “Abstemious, Pious Writ of Life”
14. Keygen Church – “La Chiave del mio Amor”
#2024 #Amiensus #BlogPost #Brodequin #CaveSermon #ColdCell #DawnTreader #DefeatedSanity #DevenialVerdict #EyeEater #Föhn #Gaerea #Hamferð #HellOn #Hippotraktor #Hypoxia #Kanonenfeiber #Kryptos #Necrowretch #Noxis #OxygenDestroyer #PillarOfLight #Pyrrhon #Replicant #Selbst #SpectralVoice #ThusSpokeAndMaddogSTopTenIshOf2024 #Ulcerate #Wormed
#wormed #ulcerate #thusspokeandmaddogstoptenishof2024 #spectralvoice #selbst #replicant
- Stories By DBW - @[email protected] · 2024-12-26 · 18:24 UTC

Worms, Spiders, Ghosts—Oh My! CH. 5
The Iron Guardians; Lysandra, Alaric, Eadric, and Gareth, trekked through the forests walking their horses due to the density of the trees in the southeastern region of Elyria, the sun cast slanted beams of light through the towering canopy, dappling their skin in warm golden patterns. The crunch of dry leaves and rustle of bushes filled the air as they made their way deeper into the forest. King Alaric, always alert and watchful, led the way, his keen senses picking up on any small changes in the environment. Lysandra, her lithe figure graceful and agile, moved with an ease and stealth that belied her profession as a shadow walker. Eadric, the scholar and elder mage, trailed behind them, his eyes scanning the undergrowth for any signs of interest. Gareth, with his enchanted armor glistening in the sunlight, brought up the rear, his wary gaze darting left and right as he scanned the area behind them for anything out of place.
They had been traveling through the forest for days now, off the beaten path and fatigue was starting to set in.
Eadric looking at the map, “The map depicts magical constructs guarding the lair,” but they had yet to encounter any sign of it.
The air was thick with anticipation and excitement, seasoned with a hint of nervousness. The trill of a bird in the distance or the huff of a distant wind made them all jump, on edge for the unknown that lay ahead.
“It’s been days going on weeks since we left Grambondll,” Lysandra said, brushing a stray strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear. “How much further to Kaelithorne’s Lair?”
“I’m not sure,” King Alaric replied, his voice low and measured.
“According to the map, we should reach the area of the hidden entrance in a few more days give or take a few,” Eadric stated. He glanced back at Lysandra who nodded in affirmation.
Eadric adjusted his pack, making sure his precious scrolls and vials were secure. “The draconic text speaks of golems protecting the entire area,” he warned.
Gareth grunted. “Eh, construct, monster what’s one more?” he muttered, hefting his enormous sword. ” I’ve faced worse.”
Lysandra couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the warrior’s bluster. Gareth’s bravado was equal parts infuriating and endearing. She quickened her pace, catching up to Alaric. “Do you really think we’re ready for this? Legends are one thing, but a real guardian…”
“I am not one to run head first into battle mind you. There’s a reason they call me a shadow walker you know.” Lysandra states worried.
The king’s jaw clenched. “We watch out for each other, I expect you and Eadric to hang back when we get there and provide cover support.” Alaric States. Besides we don’t have a choice in the matter, Lysandra. With our combined strength and skills nothing short of the King of Dragons himself could stop us. Failure is no option—”
The forest suddenly went silent except for a few birds chirping in the distance as they inched forward.
They quickly stumbled out of the forest abruptly upon a small glade, the ground soft and carpeted with ferns and wildflowers. The towering trees stood like massive arches around them, their branches stretching high into the sky. In the center of the glade was a large mound of dirt and large rock, the azure sky above like a shimmering jewel once out of the canopy of the forest. As they approached the mound to cross it, they noticed something strange about it; it seemed loose, pulsing gently in time with their hearts.
The companions froze, every instinct honed by years of danger screaming at them to seek cover. Their horses started to become uneasy, even the birds fell silent, as if sensing the impending doom. The earth beneath their feet began to shake, the tremors rapidly growing in intensity with each passing heartbeat.
“Run!” Eadric shouted as he took his first step, but it was too late.
From the depths of the earth erupted a gargantuan purple worm, its segmented body tearing through the forest floor like it was parchment. Its massive, tooth-studded maw gaped open, revealing a cavernous pink interior, while rows of bone like teeth lined its body in perfect symmetry.
The air split with an ear-piercing shriek, and the monstrous worm hurling large rocks and debris in every direction. Everyone except Alaric was caught off balance and thrown to the ground by the force of its emergence, completely defenseless against the beast.
Alaric already had drew his enchanted red blade, its fiery glow slicing through a large boulder effortlessly as it fell to the ground split in two behind him. “On your feet!” he bellowed, charging head-first into the maelstrom while drawing his second blade wisdom that is beaming with brilliant white energy.
Alaric now at a full on sprint towards the creature as the group regains their composer. His swords both on his right side the tips dragging on the ground as they start to create a swirl of red and white energy. Meanwhile the Gargantuan purple worm whipped its tail around revealing a massive stinger half the size of an adult human hurling towards Alaric.
The others gained their footing shortly and soon were a tide of steel and magic at their backs. Eadric unleashed a barrage of icy shards that ricocheted off the creature’s hide, while Gareth raised his massive sword into the air creating a swirling of clouds directly above him.
The worms stinger flew with piercing speed as Alaric, screaming, whipped his swords in an upward arch in front of him and over his head creating an energy burst as he dug his boots into the ground to an abrupt stop. The swirling red and white energy flew into the beast like a large blade slicing into it, disrupting its attack and causing its stinger to miss Alaric completely.
The clouds above Gareth shot an insanely massive lighting bolt down striking Gareth’s sword as he held it high. As the blade started crackling and sparking wildly before pointing towards the purple worm and releasing a sharp lighting bolt from the tip of it.
The beast’s tail whipped back at the group, flying right at Gareth. Lysandra’s reflexes kicked in, and she grabbed the back of his armor’s collar, phasing them both backward to safety at the edge of the tree-line, just as towering pines toppled backward like matchsticks.
Gareth gasped, wincing as his thick skull collided with a low-hanging branch.
Lysandra grinned. “you’re welcome, dimwit.” She quipped before disappearing back into the fight.
Eadric’s ice magic slowed the creature’s movements, but it was far from finished. The purple worm thrashed and coiled, striking out with unnerving speed. Alaric and Gareth’s blades chipped away at its armored hide while Lysandra’s enchanted throwing daggers found exposed flesh, eliciting high-pitched ear shattering shrieks from the creature. The clearing soon ran with the creature’s acidic blood.
A low growl rumbled in the beast’s gullet, and its serpentine neck shot forward, jaws gaping wide. Eadric’s ice shield shattered as the worm engulfed him whole, filling his senses with the putrid stench of decay and the rank stench of death.
“Eadric!” Lysandra screamed, eyes blazing.
Gareth dove for the worm’s maw, sword raised. Alaric joined him, their blades moving in a lethal ballet as they carved their way through its scaly side.
Inside the worm’s darkened cavern of a stomach, Eadric choked on noxious fumes, his heart pounding in his chest. He threw a handful of his freezing dust which mixed with the toxic gas. Barely able to put up a magic barrier as the ensuing explosion propelled him through the beast’s gaping maw, along with a torrent of stomach acid and half-digested prey. He landed in a gasping, retching heap on the glade.
The worm howled, flailing in its death throes , before it collapsed lifeless and bloody to the ground.
“Eadric!” Lysandra dove toward him, her face a mask of relief.
He spat out foul bile, gulping fresh air. “Thanks for the rescue,” Eadric croaked out, smiling weakly.
Gareth nudged Alaric. “That,” he grinned, “was the most epic escape I’ve ever seen!” as excitement breathed into Gareth for the first time on their quest.
Alaric grinned. “I guess Eadric didn’t settle well with the beast,” looking at Gareth while chuckling lightly.
Exhausted but triumphant, the Iron Guardians stood over their defeated foe. Sweat and blood mingled on their skin, their hearts racing from the adrenaline-fueled battle. They could hear the distant rumble of thunder in the distance, warning of an approaching storm. Gareth gestured towards a large rocky outcropping nearby, and they made their way towards it for shelter. As they huddled underneath, the wind picked up, howling through the trees and sending leaves and debris flying through the air. The sky grew darker by the moment as bolts of lightning flashed across the sky.
“we need to find better shelter from this storm coming in.” Alaric suggested to Eadric. “Is there anything close by on the map?” he suggests.
“Maybe, let me take a look. Just remember, everything on here is pretty old and might not even exist anymore.” As Eadric pulled out the map, he began scanning every detail of their current area. “There looks to be a small village nearby in the forest here, I have no idea if it is still there. I do not recall ever having heard of it.”
“Does it have a name?” Lysandra asked sarcastically.
“The Arcane City of Häwold is what it says here on the map.” Eadric replied.
“What are we waiting for?” Alaric paused looking at his companions. “Let’s go, we don’t have time to sit here and decide or Gareth and I’s armor will turn to rust.” Alaric stated as the storm gained momentum.
They quickly headed back into the forest from the glade, a light drizzle began to fall. Leafy canopies above did little to muffle the noise as the storm intensified with a loud thunderous crash that was so loud the sound wave could be felt as it rang out, for what seemed like minutes.
“We need to move faster, the storm is gaining momentum.” Gareth panted, a Sheen of Sweat on his brow. “my armor is not conducive but conductive to lighting! I don’t want to end up like burnt hog meat on a skewer.”
“Look!” Lysandra pointed ahead to a town, “I think we made it. Just in time too,” She commented.
As they approached, the town came into view. It was a ghost town, abandoned, dilapidated and overgrown as the forest is slowly reclaiming the land. The once-bustling streets were now covered with vines and moss, the buildings crumbling and collapsing in on themselves with some held up by the foliage that is growing around it. The air was thick with a sense of panic, as if the very earth whispered dark secrets to them. Lysandra shivered involuntarily, her hand moving instinctively to the hilt of one of her daggers. She glanced at her companions, who were equally wary of their surroundings.
The rain picked up as they hurried down the cobblestone streets. The only sounds were the pattering rain and the pounding of their hearts. They navigated the overgrown paths, noticing remnants of a past life – a broken-down well, a few collapsed cottages, and a once-grand hall missing 2 of its walls. The hair on the back of Eadric’s neck stood on end as he felt an unseen presence watching them from the shadows. A prickle of dread danced down his spine.
Finally, they reached an old inn that was barely held together, its sign swinging dangerously in the wind.
Eadric stopped to look at the weathered sign as if he had seen a ghost. “Barden’s Cove? This place is supposed to be cursed, I’ve read about this place in the old lore books back at the great library. So that would mean this town is over 900 years old according to the lore,” he remarked softly. “I’m not sure if this is a good choice. It said the travelers of this inn were brutally murdered at random. Oddly enough, the town was never spoke of.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Alaric said, kicking open the rickety door. The doors rusty hinges squealed as it flung open, revealing an dilapidated lobby covered in dust and cobwebs. “We will look for something else after the storm passes. Maybe whatever was killing them died with the town?” Alaric replied questioningly as he walked inside.
Gareth frowned, his sword at the ready. “This place gives me the creeps.”
Inside, mildewed tapestries hung in tatters, and rainwater pooled on the warped floorboards. Alaric struck a tinder-box flame he found next to the candelabra, illuminating their grim surroundings.
“We’ll take watches,” he said, voice laced with weariness, ” Gareth, your on first watch, I’ll take second watch. Lysandra you can take third watch with Eadric.”
As the others bedded down on mildewed couches, Gareth took up position at the far end of the room by the window, his gaze scanning the rain-soaked streets. The storm not showing any signs of letting up.
An hour later, he was joined by Lysandra. “I Can’t sleep.”
“Aren’t you exhausted?” he replied, questioningly.
“A bit…,” she admitted, perching beside him looking out the window. “Nice view,” she teased, gesturing at the downpour.
“hmm,” he muttered, but couldn’t hide his crooked grin.
They sat in silence together, watching as the storm raged outside. Thunder shook the Inn’s foundations, and the air thickened with tension.
“Gareth?” she said, her voice a whisper.
“yeah?” Gareth replied.
“Why does it feel like we’re being watched?”
Gareth’s blood ran cold as he met her worried gaze. “I… I can’t say for sure,” he lied, his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword on his back.
Suddenly, the rickety door slammed shut with a deafening bang, shattering the quietude and plunging the room into complete darkness. Gareth’s heart raced as he fumbled for a candle, but it was no use; something or someone was toying with them. The hairs on their nape stood at attention as an icy draft caressed their skin, the distinct feeling of unseen eyes upon them.
“A-Alaric?” Lysandra whimpered, clutching Gareth’s arm.
“I’m here,” came a strained reply from across the room. “Eadric? Gareth?”
“Here,” they chorused, their voices barely audible above the howling wind and pounding rain.
“We’re not alone,” Alaric said, his voice quivering with fear. “And I think our watcher just made themselves known.”
In that moment, a ghostly glow illuminated the room, revealing a sight straight out of their darkest nightmares. A translucent figure in tattered robes floated before them, its hollowed-eyes brimming with malevolence. Lysandra let out a sharp scream as the apparition raised its spectral hand, its bony fingers stretched towards them.
“Run!” Gareth bellowed.
They bolted for the door, but it had been sealed shut, trapping them with their supernatural assailant. The ghost cackled, its voice sending shivers down their spine, and advanced on them, its ethereal form passing through solid objects with ease.
“We fight!” Eadric commanded, raising his cane towards the apparition.
Gareth’s mind raced,”I-I’ve got an idea,” he blurted, remembering a passage about the repelling power of iron. “Form a circle! Stay close!”
Trembling, they did as he said, linking hands as Gareth brandished his sword before them. Quickly pouring holy water he kept in a water bladder over the blade. The ghost hesitated, its glowing orbs narrowing in fury.
“Whatever you are, leave this place at once!” Gareth bellowed, his voice deep with righteous fury. “You have no business here!”
The apparition hissed, its form shuddering as if repelled by their combined wills and the Holy water. With one last menacing glare, it lunged towards them, as Gareth commanded, Divine light shot out of Gareth’s blade in all directions. Unable to get away the apparition screamed seeping through the cracks in the walls and vanishing into the stormy night.
The rain continued to lash against the shutters, as they watched.
“What in the nine hells was that?” Lysandra gasped, her face as pale as the ghost that had just menaced them.
Alaric shook his head, his eyes wide with terror. “I don’t want to know. “Let’s just find a dry spot and wait out the storm.”
“Let’s clear this place so we can sleep soundly,” Gareth suggested. “Follow me.” He commanded as he headed into the inn and down the hallway.
Something quickly scuttled across the floorboards. The group tensed, weapons drawn. Was it just the storm or something more? They crept carefully down the stairs, peering into the darkness of the main room. A chill ran down Lysandra’s spine as she saw wisps of mist curling around their feet. The air felt thick and humid from the storm.
“There better not be anymore ghosts or I’ll take my chances with the storm outside.” Lysandra stated timidly.
Up ahead, a door creaked open ever so slightly, revealing a small room filled with cobwebs and dust. Something moved within, casting long shadows on the walls. With a collective gulp, they rushed forward, swords at the ready. But instead of bandits or monsters, they found an old desk littered with parchments and scrolls. Eadric slammed the door shut quickly, not wanting to invite whatever was out there inside.
“Looks like we found a potential treasure trove,” Alaric mused, examining one of the documents. “We should search the place for anything useful. Who knows what might be here.”
King Alaric’s sword Wisdom suddenly shone bright as he spoke, as if sensing the danger close by. The others nodded in agreement, spreading out to comb through the abandoned building. Lysandra felt her heart racing as she descended into the cellar, searching for anything that might provide shelter from the storm. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she froze. There was something else down here…
As she turned around, she saw it. A dozen pairs of beady eyes stared back at her, surrounded by furry black bodies and hairy legs. Giant wolf spiders, their fangs dripping venom, crawling out of the holes in the corner. Her breath hitched in fear, and she fought the urge to scream. No one must ever know about her irrational fear.
The group just behind her gasped, seeing this new threat. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Would they come to her rescue? Or would they think she’d take care of them by herself, as she stared trapped and defeated?
Gareth charged forward, sword drawn while Eadric started chanting under his breath. Soon the room filled with a soothing green glow as Alaric finished casting. Then a mighty gust of wind pushed the spiders back and slammed them against the back wall. some splattered against the wall while the rest quickly regrouped, but didn’t stop coming. Their menacing clicks and clacks echoing in the dank cellar. But it was too late. A spider crawled up her leg, fangs sinking into her skin before she could react.
“Lyss!” Gareth called out, rushing to her side. “Hold on, stay with me! We’ll get you out of here.”
She screamed, more out of pain than fear. Gareth wrestled the spider off her leg with his free hand, crushing its body with his boot and stabbing the head with his sword. She felt the venom course through her veins, burning like acid. Gareth grabbed her with his free hand, lifting her over his shoulders as Alaric and Eadric continued to fend off the spiders with their magic. Alaric stayed back to assist Eadric as the group escaped the cellar, running out into the torrential downpour that pummeled them both. Soon after Eadric and Alaric came sprinting out like their souls had escaped.
Gareth carried Lysandra, struggling to keep his footing on the muddy road while the storm raged around them. Thunder shaking the very ground beneath them. Just then lightning struck a tree close by catching it on fire in the rain, bathing them in blinding light. He could hear her shallow breaths while he could smell her sweat mixed with the rain. Her soft curves pressed against him, her body limp in his arms. He clenched his teeth, fighting the urge to comfort her as they tread through the treacherous overgrown street. The rain was relentless, pounding on his armor, soaking him to the bone. A cold shiver raced through his body as he spotted a clearing up ahead. He couldn’t lose her now Gareth thought anxiously.
Eadric created an invisible energy shield around them, protecting them from the storm. They huddled together, protected from the elements yet still drenched to the bone. The paladin’s focused gaze as he laid her down gently onto the wet earth. Then laying his sword over her, he holds his hands upward over her closing his eyes calmly while chanting.
“Amidst the hall of death I stand,
Yet despair shall not consume me,
Even when faced with wickedness and despair,
Be it foe or treachery.
Though death’s touch lingers on me,
My blessed sword shines bright,
For it shall guide me to the halls of light,
And stand as sentinel for all God’s children.
Until the hour of my dying breath,
I shall go fearless,
into the serpent’s den,
Wielding my blade for heaven.”
Gareth’s voice rises, fervent and passionate as he holds his hands tenderly over Lysandra’s body, as the venom starts slowly pulling out of Lysandra, into the air. Eadric quickly pulls a vile from his pocket and fills it with some of the venom. Swiftly, the rest of the venom starts to evaporate.
“I think I removed all of the poison! Let’s get the hell off this street and out of the storm!” Gareth shouting over the intensity of the storm.
Gareth, quickly but carefully picking up Lysandra who is still unconscious. The group made their way down the street quickly, the rain beating down on rotten wooden structures and abandoned shacks like tiny knifes hitting an impenetrable wall. The wind was howling like a hungry beast. As they continued down the street the rain kept coming down so fast the streets started to flood and become a muddy mess under them. It was as if nature itself was against them, try as it might to drive them back and off course.
Finally, they found an old stone library barely standing. Its interior was dry and safe from the storm, providing some respite. King Alaric dropped to the floor just inside, leaning against a table. “We’ve come so far,” he said, panting heavily. “But we’re not done yet.”
Eadric nodded in agreement sitting next to him. “This storm won’t let up anytime soon; we need to recover our strength.” He closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
Gareth placed Lysandra gently on the floor then quickly pulling out and wrapping her in a fur blanket to keep her warm. Shortly Gareth joined King Alaric and Eadric against the table. Alaric pulled out a flask from his belt and took a long swig before handing it to him. He accepted gratefully, taking small sips as he tried to ignore the burning sensation in his throat. Gareth doesn’t ever drink as he is usually always training. “What now?” he asked between gulps trying not to cough.
Eadric opened his eyes again, his brow furrowed. “I’ve studied these Golems for years. They’re not your typical sentinels,” he said slowly. “They are assembled using old world magic. Something much stronger and far more dangerous than what you would find today. We’ll have to use our wits if we wish to pass them.”
“Wits and brute force,” Gareth added with a grunt.
Eadric laughs at Gareth’s remark. “These Golems were designed to guard the Dragon King’s lair. Each one was built then imbued with magic. This magic is the life force of these Golems. If you understand how they work, they become simple traps to dismantle. These days spell casters use more humanitarian methods for protecting areas. Ones that are also much more difficult to defend against.”
Alaric turning to Gareth, “the lore told tales of their savage nature; even a scratch from one could prove fatal if you don’t nullify their magic.” They couldn’t afford any more injuries Alaric thought. “We will stay back and let Eadric take care of these guardians.”
“I’m starting a fire, the temperature keeps dropping and we need to stay warm.” Eadric announced before pointing his cane, casting a fire spell on the stone floor in front of them.
“I’ll watch the entrance, but be mindful of the inner door as well. We have no idea what’s in this place.” Gareth says as he sits in a chair facing the window over by Lysandra.
Shortly they had a small fire that was somehow warming the entire room.
After a few minutes Lysandra slowly came to, Gareth caught her sloth like movements out of the corner of his eye.
“Are you alright?” Gareth asked, concern etched on his face.
She nodded, trying to catch her breath. “I’ll live.” Her voice was hoarse from dehydration and pain. “Did I ever say I hate spiders.” she said forcing a smirk with what little energy she had.
“Just rest. The danger has past.” Gareth replied concerned. “Here, drink this it will help.” He said as he hands her a bladder of water, but Lysandra had already passed out, still completely exhausted. Gareth places the bladder next to her for when she wakes again.
Eadric walked over to lysandra and started to murmur incantations under his breath as he waved his hand above her. Soon and just for an instant Lysandra’s skin was glowing orange.
“That should help speed her recovery,” Eadric stated as he looked over to Gareth, “She is worn from today’s events. the poison had worked its way pretty deep before you removed it. Let her rest, she will be fine in time.” He declares before sitting back down over by Alaric.
The storm raged on outside, thunder shaking the walls and rain pounding against the windows all while the temperature kept dropping. Gareth’s gaze never left the window facing down the street towards the inn they narrowly escaped. The howling wind and endless rain created an eerie symphony, like the world was crying. He couldn’t help but think about home, about his mother’s warm cooking and sister’s laughter. But here he was, far from home, fighting for a cause he barely understood. With people he found himself starting to care for like a family.
Soon enough, everyone was asleep, except for Gareth who found himself watching Lysandra as she slept next to him – her chest rising and falling rhythmically under her stretchy black wraps she wore on her torso like a long shirt and legs like tights. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye. She seemed so vulnerable in her sleep, and yet he knew she could handle herself just as well as he could.
Gareth sat up straighter, his swords shaft resting against his inner thigh and shoulder. His eyes darted to the door every time there was a loud crash of thunder or gust of wind. He knew they were safe in their temporary shelter, but the tension remained.
King Alaric paced the room during his watch, a solemn expression on his face. He trusted Eadric’s knowledge but still couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap. He began to strategize how to avoid the dangers as much as possible.
The night passed slowly, with each hour marked by another round of thunder and lightning. Eadric murmured incantations under his breath during his watch, casting spells and wards to keep them safe while they slept.
The rain slowly turned to sleet then quickly to snow. in the early hours of the morning Eadric casting warmth spells and making sure the group stayed comfortable. Eventually sleep took its hold over Gareth as he slowly nodded off not moving an inch as if made of stone while his massive sword stayed rested against him.
Finally, dawn broke. The storm had passed, leaving only a few inches of snow on the ground. Gareth felt exhausted, but he didn’t sleep well. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Lysandra and how she is feeling. He rose to his feet as Alaric grunted awake.
“Any sign of trouble?” Alaric asked slowly gaining composure rubbing his eyes.
“Not last night, but look,” Gareth pointed outside. The spiders from yesterday were crawling over the building they’d left down the street, their many legs making sinister patterns on the walls. “They’re back.”
Gareth put on a heavy pelt tunic over his armor than swung his sword over his broad shoulder letting it come to rest on his shoulder, “I’ve had enough of these damn spiders. Wait here, I’ll take care of this. Eadric, select whats for breakfast, I’m starving,” Gareth declared. as he ducked under and passed through the doorway leading outside. his footsteps crunching on the freshly fallen snow. The air was colder now and crisp as he took in a deep breath.
“Let’s do this,” Gareth mumbled, psyching himself up as he walked down the road towards the cursed Inn.
The spiders were relentless, their fangs dripping venom as they spotted him approaching.
“I’m gonna make short work of you pests. Hurt my friends, you’ll taste this blade.” he said walking up as if talking to the spiders.
Gareth stretched his sword out to his side, with the blade parallel to the ground, then quickly twisting his wrist forward turning the blade at the spiders general direction. he started whipping his arm around and immediately shooting out a blinding light, it seemed to be brighter than the sun driving most of the spiders back into the Inn. The remaining half dozen or so were hacked through with his massive blade, his sword humming through the air casually and with a deadly efficiency, like he’s chopping blades of grass.
The group watched as Gareth aggressively controlled the entire fight like a divine entity. Alaric was getting dressed as fast as he could while Eadric was sitting calmly going over the choices for breakfast.
“Relax Alaric. The boy can take care of a few spiders,” Eadric said as he stood, walked over to Alaric while holding food in both hands.
“Now for the important question Alaric, eggs with Hash?” Eadric says raising his right hand that’s holding a plate. “Or, leftover mushroom mash with garlic on rye toast?”
“Toas…,” Alaric begrudgingly starts to reply as Eadric stuffs the toast into his mouth. Alaric eyeing Eadric as he smirks leaving the eggs and hash, then walking over to Lysandra.
Gareth cast the rest of the giant spiders back into the Inn with one more shot of blinding light from his blade. Just then He stabbed his sword into the ground next to him, his hands started weaving through the air as if he were conducting an orchestra. The spiders started to crawl and over take the building consuming it. Shortly after casting a large celestial appeared in the air above the Inn casting a massive beam of fire directly down onto the cursed Inn smashing the old glass out and destroying the building and everything within.
“Gareth one, Spiders zero.” Gareth chuckles to himself.
His efforts paid off, and soon the fight was over. The spiders lay singed and lifeless as the inn was now in rubble and on fire.Gareth started to walk back to the Library carrying his sword over his shoulder, while snow started to fall again softly to the ground. The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, but they kept their wits about them as they were only getting started.
“Lysandra,” Eadric says softly as he gently presses against her shoulder crouched over her holding the eggs and hash plate.”
Lysandra slowly came to and as she sat up, Eadric comically dropped the plate in her lap. causing her to wince as she caught it.
“Eat up, we need you strong.” Eadric says walking back over to the fire.
“Thanks,” Lysandra said half heartedly.
As Gareth comes back through the entrance into the room placing his sword now by the door.
“Lysandra, I see you’ve returned to the living.” Gareth smirks looking over at her as he stands next to Eadric who has a plate of eggs and hash stretched out at him as an offer.
“Don’t let him fool you Lysandra, the boy was worried to death about you last night.” Eadric remarks smirking at Gareth.
“Funny,” Gareth replies.
“I would joke but I’m too exhausted.” Lysandra replies choking down the food before lying back down.
The storm was back as a full on blizzard now, while early winter was now under way the group needed to head further into the old dilapidated Library.
“Gareth, Eadric, we need to search this library and find a more suitable stay until this weather passes. Lysandra you need to stay here and rest until your strength is back.” Alaric declares. “The rest, grab your gear and let’s go sweep the library. Let’s try to be more careful this time. We don’t need anymore injuries.”
Alaric slowly unsheathed wisdom as he opened the large nailed wooden door into the hallway leading to the main hall of the library. The tension was palpable as the adventurers cautiously entered the dusty library, guided by the dim light filtering through the stained-glass windows. The air reeked of mold and decay, and the silence was heavy enough to suffocate. Gareth’s heart pounded in his chest as he carefully approached the pedestal, his eyes transfixed on the ancient tome. His hand reached out confidently to pick it up.
“Wait!” Eadric hissed, his voice barely above a whisper. “There might be traps.”
Gareth froze, his hand mere inches from the book. Eadric cautiously circled the pedestal, searching for any signs of booby traps or magical wards. Satisfied that the book was clear, Eadric nodded.
“I think it’s safe,” he said, his voice still hushed.
Gareth exhaled in relief and gently picked up the tome. A thin layer of dust rose into the air as he opened the cover, sending chills down their spines. he began to leaf through the yellowed pages, his eyes darting over the archaic script.
“It’s the arch mage’s journal. Or it seems to be that of a senior member.” Gareth states handing the book over to Eadric. “what do you think?”
Gareth looked at the name on the book and a look of dread immediately, spread across his face. “we should leave while we can,” there is very strong magic in this place and we don’t want to disturb it.”
“We don’t need anymore problems than we already have, let’s get out of here.” Alaric whispers.
As they backed away from the pedestal, a sinister creaking echoed through the library. The air seemed to thicken, and the stench of death became stronger. The adventurers turned as one, their senses on high alert. From the shadows, a chilling hiss filled the room, and a legion of undead creatures shambled into the dim light from nowhere. Bones clacking and foul-smelling, they advanced, their hollowed-out eyes fixated on the interlopers.
“Great, what are we waiting for?” Gareth grumbled sarcastically, “Let’s get this over with.”
Gareth drew his sword from its sheath, hands tightening on the hilt as he became more serious. “Looks like we’ll have to fight our way out. You hold them off while I work my magic – pun intended,” he said with a smirk.
As the undead horde closed in, Eadric and Alaric Stood in front of Gareth while he started to chant, ready to face the evil undead horde in front of them.
From the depths of the shadows, a sinister voice laughed, mocking their determination. “You fools,” it cackled. “You’ve played right into my hands.”
The chilling laughter reverberated off the walls, raising goosebumps on their arms. Suddenly, the undead creatures stopped their advance, turning as one to face the source of the voice. Emerging from the darkness, a cloaked figure glided into the flickering light.
“My, my, what have we here?” the figure purred, his emerald eyes glinting with malice. “If it isn’t our intrepid heroes, come to end my reign of terror.”
“You know nothing of us or our intentions,” Gareth growled, stepping in front of the others. “Don’t listen to his lies,” he exclaims looking at the group. “Show yourself, coward!”
With a flourish, the figure tossed back his hood, revealing the face of none other than the High Mage, who’s journal they grabbed. Gasps of disbelief escaped Eadric’s lips, while Alaric’s grip tightened on his sword.
“It’s the High Mage from the journal!” Eadric uttered.
I’ve been waiting for you,” the High Mage cackled, “The power in this place has kept me strong, thanks to you it’s time to finish my transformation.” With a grand gesture, the floor began to fracture beneath them. “I will use your life force to complete my ritual, Die you fools!”
The companions had no choice but to leap for their lives as the chamber bucked and heaved, the undead horde tumbling into the new-formed crevices. Alaric grabbed the back of Gareth’s chest plate as Gareth almost slipped into one of the gaping crevices.
“Hold on,” Eadric yelled as he cast a magic bubble separating them from the arch mages attack just as the ground beneath gave way. Eadric then swiftly levitated them over the chasm to a stable area of the room before the bubble dissipated, the High Mage cackling with malignant glee.
“Foolish children,” he sneered. “You cannot stop the inevitable!” With a flick of his wrist, the undead throng began to climb out of the crevasses, their rotting limbs flailing towards them as lightning crackled from the mages aura.
“We end this now,” Alaric shouted, determination in his eyes. He shot a couple bolts from his wrist at the High Mage, but they disintegrated before reaching him.
The High Mage sneered and declared, “Your toys will not protect you. Soon, you will join my army of undead!” He lifted his hand towards Alaric, releasing a bolt of electricity in his direction. However, Alaric’s armor dispelled the magic as he took the hit head on.
Gareth’s face twisted into a look of pure rage as he lifted his sword and bellowed, “Shut your mouth, fool! You don’t even know you’re already dead!”
Gareth’s voice echoes through the chamber, his chant growing louder and more fervent as he holds his gleaming blade aloft. “I banish you! I banish you from the light!” he cries, his eyes blazing with determination. The undead, their rotting bodies encircling Gareth and his companions, seem to cower at his words.
With a sudden burst of energy, a brilliant, radiant light shoots through the stained glass windows and into the dark chamber. It bathes the room in a warm glow, illuminating every corner and casting shadows on the faces of the undead. They screech and writhe as they are consumed by the holy light, their silhouettes etched into the ground beneath them like dark stains.
But amidst the chaos, the High Mage remains unfazed. His expression is twisted into a scowl as he floats menacingly above them, his power still pulsing through the air. Gareth stands tall, his sword still held high as he stares defiantly at his enemy. Victory may be within reach, but their battle is far from over.
As the tension mounted, Eadric brandished his glowing cane with ferocity. Alaric gripped his sword tightly, knowing he couldn’t reach the elusive spirit. But then, Eadric summoned a powerful column of ice, creating a bridge from them to their target. Suddenly, a crackling black light surged through the air like electrifying lightning from Eadric’s cane, striking the arch mage with deadly precision. The mage let out a gut-wrenching shriek as the dark energy consumed the entire room in its chaotic grasp.
Amidst the dimming light, every eye was drawn to Alaric as he launched from the edge of the ice bridge, his sword of wisdom blazing like a beacon. With a fierce thrust, it impaled the High Mage’s chest, unleashing a surge of electric and magical energy that reverberated through the room. Alaric was sent flying back against the wall, his armor charred and singed from the intense impact.
“Alaric!” Lysandra’s voice pierced the tense air, her footsteps echoing through the dimly lit chamber as she hurried back to him. King Alaric lay still against the rough stone wall, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, a faint furrow on his brow hinting at his temporary state of unconsciousness. The flickering torchlight cast gentle shadows on his features, emphasizing the peaceful expression that graced his face, reassuring all that he was merely resting.
Eadric frowned, tapping his cane on the missing floorboards. “This won’t do at all,” he muttered. With a flick of his wrist and a sharp focus of his mind, the room began to restore itself – floor and windows included. Eadric’s intense concentration was evident as he worked his magic.
“that’s a neat trick.” Gareth remarks watching everything slowly going back together.
With a sigh, Lysandra offers her hand to Alaric and helps him up. “I suppose we should search the rest of the building,” she says. “Although, I highly doubt we’ll find anything after all that noise.” Alaric brushes off his clothes as he stands.
As night fell, they made camp in the grand hall of the ancient castle. Eadric, ever vigilant, took first and last watch while Lysandra rested, her injuries still not fully healed. His keen eyes scanned the darkness for any sign of movement, his hand firmly clutching his sword. Alaric found a bench to settle on, exhaustion tugging at his bones. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off, dreaming of S’vyrra’s warm embrace, a cold ale in hand, and a hearty meal waiting for him. Gareth took second watch, sitting by the dwindling fire. The embers crackled and sparked, casting an orange glow over his features. But even as the fire died down, there was another flame that burned bright in his mind – the alluring figure of Lysandra. Her intoxicating aroma lingered in his memory, drawing him back to thoughts of her soft touch and captivating presence. Despite the darkness surrounding them, her light shone through and left Gareth entranced.
As the weight of exhaustion finally pulled his eyelids shut, Gareth was greeted by the familiar sight of Lysandra’s face. Her delicate features were illuminated by a small, mischievous smile that both unsettled and excited him in his dreams. The image lingered in his mind, taunting him with its alluring yet elusive nature. He could almost feel her breath on his skin and the warmth of her touch, making it difficult for him to fully surrender to sleep. But as he drifted off, he couldn’t help but wonder if this vision was a mere figment of his imagination or a manifestation of his deepest desires.
In the morning, they awoke to a world covered in white; the snow blanketing everything outside. The storm had passed, leaving behind a sense of calm. They gathered by the window, peering out at the landscape transformed by the snowstorm. A fresh layer of powdery snow covered the ground, making their surroundings look almost ethereal.
“Well, that was quite the storm,” Lysandra said, rubbing her eyes. “It’s like nature itself was trying to keep us away from whatever lies ahead.”
“Aye,” Alaric agreed, looking out at the snow-covered trees. “We’ve come this far, we might as well see it through.”
The group broke their fast with the food they had, their stomachs growling in appreciation of the warm meal. They set out again, trudging through the snow. The world seemed to be endlessly white, and it was easy to lose track of time.
As they journeyed deeper into the forest, they noticed the trees growing thicker and more twisted, as if they were alive with malice. The air became colder, and the snow deeper. The wind picked up again, but this time it was less fierce than before. The group huddled together against the bitter chill.
“We need shelter,” King Alaric said, leading them to a low overhang carved into the large rock face ahead. It was just big enough for all of them, so it would have to do. They huddled close to stay warm, the fire crackling merrily between them. “We’ll rest here for the night.” he assured them.
“At least the ground is untouched under it.” Eadric says as he started cooking a meal, using dried meats and vegetables from their packs. The smell of sizzling venison filled the air, making their mouths water.
Lysandra settled down next to Gareth, pulling her cloak tight around her. He put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
She leaned into him; her warm breath caressed his cheek as she whispered, “I never thanked you for rescuing me, Gareth.”
“Don’t,” he replied. “We’re in this together. I would expect the same from any of you.” Despite his own fears, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with her.
Lysandra rolled her eyes. “You get a pass today, but tomorrow I go back to teasing you when you say stupid things like that.” She smirked as they sat there, trying to stay warm, huddled together.
“Ok, Food’s ready. Eadric past the food down as they all sat huddle together, Eadric, Alaric, Lysandra, and Gareth at the end.
Eadric kicked the fire into the snow then cast a barrier spell in a 15 meter radius all around them, keeping the elements out. He then cleared off the snow in a small area in front of them using a wind spell.
“this was always your father’s favorite part on our journeys Alaric,” Eadric stated before rubbing his hands together ferociously back-and-forth.
It was as if he was trying to start a fire with them like you would kindling. after a short while everything became warm and the snow in the barrier started to melt.
Then he summoned a large tent for them.
“That’s insane!” Lysandra states excitedly as she jumps up and heads into the tent.
“Thanks,” Gareth says as he also heads in the tent following Lysandra like a stray puppy.
“Where the hell has this been?” Alaric remarks, looking at Eadric while out stretching his arms and gesturing at the tent.
“It’s too cold to stay out under the stars. Eadric replies. The barrier spell will only last a couple of hours. Oh, and the tent has been in your bag of holding. I just summoned it out.” He states smirking as he enters the tent, Alaric smirking, following directly behind.
Back at the Palace Winter was underway, the snow covered gardens looked like molded white marble. S’vyrra, the fierce Queen of the kingdom, was in deep discussion with her council about the brewing trouble on the eastern shores. Meanwhile, Rivlet, her trusted Chief Commander, was sending updates on the current situation with the kingdom via their Little magic box Eadric had crafted.
“As Chief Commander I recommend we send a full regiment out to the edge of the eastern mountains to help keep an eye on this trouble and find out what exactly is going on. Make sure to send a full team of experienced mages to lead, I don’t want any rookies on this mission. Rivlet stated to the Council members.”
The long, drawn-out debate among the council members festered an air of unease in the room. Eyes darted back and forth, voices rising and falling in intensity as each member voiced their concerns and proposed solutions to the growing threat on the eastern shores. Queen S’vyrra’s patience wore thin, and she slammed her fist on the table, silencing the bickering crowd.
Queen S’vyrra chimed in, “That is an excellent suggestion, Chief Commander.” She pauses, scanning the room with her eyes. “I won’t tolerate any further disagreements,” she declares firmly. “We must act quickly and take control of the situation before this threat spreads to the entire eastern shore and potentially beyond.” She states confidently.
The council fell in line with S’vyrra’s orders, letting Rivlet send his Regiment.
“I’ll get started right away.” I assume you will be apart of this won’t you Rivlet?” S’vyrra smirks.
“You know me to well Queen.” Rivlet smirks.
“Very well take only your best fighters, Ithic Make sure to assist Rivlet and send your best platoons of mages. Some are the most advanced I have ever seen. They will be of great assistance I am sure.” S’vyrra states.
Rivlet nodded. “Of course. Ithic and I will pull the troops together shortly. Now if you will please excuse us.” The council dismissed Rivlet and Ithic, who quickly departed to assemble the Regiment.
#ActionAndAdventure #adventure #book #books #chapter5 #Elyria #fantasy #fiction #fictionSeries #fictionalStories #landOfElyria #MysticalLandOfElyria #novel #shortStory #storiesByDbw #writing

#actionandadventure #adventure #book #books #chapter5 #elyria
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2023-12-31 · 17:06 UTC

Private: Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
By Steel Druhm
Well, we made it the end of another year full of surprises, disappointments, gains and losses. 2023 saw us add a few new voices to the AMG staff and sadly, it will see a few longtime members of the family stepping back from the day-to-day operations and activities. The much beloved Madam X has moved on from managing our everflowing stream of promos and that will now be handled by yours Steely. Sadly, our main cat man Grymm is also moving on for the time being, taking some personal time away from the deadlines and pressures of nonstop blogwork.
Throughout all the changes we’ve endured over the years, both good and bad, the AMG mission remains the same: to bring you the most honest, insightful, and entertaining reviews possible without being beholden to labels or outside pressures because we earn absolutely nothing for our efforts, We are truly terrible capitalists, but we love metal as much as you do and we want to talk about it, so the site grinds on year after year. I hope it always does.
Let’s all embrace the new year and what it holds for us. Life is always an adventure and one best shared with people you care about who make you laugh and make you think. If you don’t have those people, WE can be those people. Get on the war wagon with us and into the future we go!
Without further ado, here are the things that brought out my inner primate in 2023.

(ish) Blood Oath // Lost in an Eternal Silence – One of the year’s best and most entertaining throwback death metal releases, Lost in an Eternal Silence targets the exact point where early death metal looked to the skies and dreamed of being something more complex. Blood Oath have the raw talent and crazy creativity to recapture the early days of death metal and to replicate that frantic jump from brutality to proggy insanity that the genre toyed with in the late 80s. The album is the perfect blend of nostalgia and insane creativity, melding the past with the present and what may be the future. One of the most inventive and zany death platters of the year.
#10. Tanith // Voyage – Formed by Satan axe-master Russ Tippins, Tanith exist in a space between classic NWoBHM and 70s hard tock with a sheen of folk covering the entire enterprise. On sophomore outing Voyage, they take this retro formula and mine it for every ounce of precious metal, crafting some killer little gems along the way. Songs like “Snow Tiger” and “Olympus by Dawn” have been replayed more times than I can count and there’s something magical and endearingly DIY and indie about this whole release. It’s not especially heavy, but the hooks stick so deep, you won’t care much. This is the Charmer o’ the Year for sure.
#9. The Night Eternal // Fatale – I loved the sadly defunct act In Solitude dearly. Their mash-up of NWoBHM, occult metal and Mercyful Fate was hard to resist and I wanted more, more MOAR. When I first stumbled on The Night Eternal, it sounded to me as if In Solitude had possessed them, forcing them to pick up where they left off. I’m very okay with this and Fatale plays out like the new In Solitude platter I so desperately wanted. It’s the same sweet, hooky mix of classic Mercyful Fate-isms, chilly occult rock, Goth rock and early 80s metal. This thing gets into your head deep and demands many replays, and if I had found it earlier, it would have moved up the rankings considerably. Get this and feel The Night’s iron grip.
#8. Oak // Disintegrate – Oak is the project of Gaerea lead guitarist/vocalist, Guilherme Henriques, and instead of creating another black metal act, Oak is steered into the funeral doom universe and what better way to accomplish that than to make Disintegrate one 45-minute-long track? Yes, that makes for a daunting, intense listen but the beauty of what Oak do is just how listenable their ultra doom, deathy sound ends up. Heavy as fook riffs intertwine with weepy melancholic trills and beautifully emotive solo work and the listener gets carried along on ephemeral waves. The ebb and flow of the 45 minutes is remarkable and it never feels bogged down or dead in the mud. This is first-rate writing and execution and the slightly blackened edges add a great spice to the wood flavor. Bring in this wood.
#7. Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – In the time of old school death metal mania, Rotpit is the proudly unevolved monkey. Formed by members of Heads of the Dead, Wombbath, Just Before Dawn, and Revel in Flesh, Rotpit has the pedigree, and they leverage it to make Let There Be Rot the most over-the-top fun, mindless, dumb, death platter of the year. Cuts like “Slimebreeder,” “Let There Be Rot,” and “Beastfeeder” are Grade A bloody meat with no expiration date, and you will use them as the soundtrack to everything you do in life. This idiotic collection of caveman deathage has been a constant companion to me since it dropped and I’m stupider for having its company.
#6. Serpent Corpse // Blood Sabbath – Picking the best old school death metal platter of this year was no easy feat in 2023. There was so much good death this year at times it felt impossible to stay ahead of it and give everything a fair listen. At the end of the race though, it was Serpent Corpse that kept dragging me back for another beating more than anyone else, though Rotpit came so close! Their toxic blend of Autopsy-core and the scuzziest of Swedeath HM-2 abuse is seasoned with unexpected doses of melodeath to create a near-perfect cacophony of chaos that feels old but also fresh and evil. This things slithers, slaps, and grinds in all the ways a deathhead wants and needs. Get it inside your skull.
#5. Prong // State of Emergency – My bingo card for 2023 did NOT include falling in love with a new Prong album and beating it into the ground for 4 months straight. As much as I loved those classic Prong platters in the late 80s and 90s, they went through a long period of weak/erratic release and I had only been impressed by 2012s Carved in Stone. That’s why State of Emergency hits so damn hard. It’s the best thing Prong’s done in forever and takes you back to the salad days when they were on the cusp of metal’s adventurous edge. This thing is chocked full of the best riffs and harmonies Tommy Victor’s dreamed up in a long time and every song grabs you and smacks you around with NYC attitude. It;s so good to hear these back in fighting shape!
#4. Saturnus // The Storm Within – Saturnus have always had a relaxed release schedule, with only 5 albums to show for some 30 years in the business. It took them almost 10 years to drop The Storm Within, but the product was well worth the impossible wait, ending up one of the most polished and captivating doom albums of the year. Recapturing their classic sound and ability to wring emotion from the listener, Saturnus does their doom thing with style and panache all across the album, blending crushing riffs, airy trilling and mournful melodies to harsh your mellow completely. I’ve heard loose talk about this album being overrated or overhyped. Ignore that noise and tell the spewer to taste the floor!
#3. Isole // Anesidora – There weren’t a lot of classic doom releases that blew me away, by Isole have my number and once again they used it to knock me flat with their take on the Candlemass style on Anesidora.
#2. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death –
#1. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance –

HM
Overkill // Scorched –
Phobocosm //
Theocracy // Mosiac –
Wytch Hazel //
Vomitory // All Heads Will Roll –
Disquished Malignance //
Dripping Decay //
Wormhole //
Autopsy //
Sacred Outcry //
#2023 #BlogPost #BlooaOath #DisquishedMalignance #Isole #Listurnalia #Oak #Overkill #Phobocosm #Prong #Rotpit #Saturnus #SerpentCorpse #SteelDruhmSTopTenIshOf2023 #Tanith #TheNightEternal #Theocracy #Tribulation #VanishingKids #Vomitory #WytchHazel

#blogpost #blooaoath #disquishedmalignance #isole #listurnalia #oak
Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2023-12-31 · 17:06 UTC

Private: Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023
By Steel Druhm
Well, we made it the end of another year full of surprises, disappointments, gains and losses. 2023 saw us add a few new voices to the AMG staff and sadly, it will see a few longtime members of the family stepping back from the day-to-day operations and activities. The much beloved Madam X has moved on from managing our everflowing stream of promos and that will now be handled by yours Steely. Sadly, our main cat man Grymm is also moving on for the time being, taking some personal time away from the deadlines and pressures of nonstop blogwork.
Throughout all the changes we’ve endured over the years, both good and bad, the AMG mission remains the same: to bring you the most honest, insightful, and entertaining reviews possible without being beholden to labels or outside pressures because we earn absolutely nothing for our efforts, We are truly terrible capitalists, but we love metal as much as you do and we want to talk about it, so the site grinds on year after year. I hope it always does.
Let’s all embrace the new year and what it holds for us. Life is always an adventure and one best shared with people you care about who make you laugh and make you think. If you don’t have those people, WE can be those people. Get on the war wagon with us and into the future we go!
Without further ado, here are the things that brought out my inner primate in 2023.

(ish) Blood Oath // Lost in an Eternal Silence – One of the year’s best and most entertaining throwback death metal releases, Lost in an Eternal Silence targets the exact point where early death metal looked to the skies and dreamed of being something more complex. Blood Oath have the raw talent and crazy creativity to recapture the early days of death metal and to replicate that frantic jump from brutality to proggy insanity that the genre toyed with in the late 80s. The album is the perfect blend of nostalgia and insane creativity, melding the past with the present and what may be the future. One of the most inventive and zany death platters of the year.
#10. Tanith // Voyage – Formed by Satan axe-master Russ Tippins, Tanith exist in a space between classic NWoBHM and 70s hard tock with a sheen of folk covering the entire enterprise. On sophomore outing Voyage, they take this retro formula and mine it for every ounce of precious metal, crafting some killer little gems along the way. Songs like “Snow Tiger” and “Olympus by Dawn” have been replayed more times than I can count and there’s something magical and endearingly DIY and indie about this whole release. It’s not especially heavy, but the hooks stick so deep, you won’t care much. This is the Charmer o’ the Year for sure.
#9. The Night Eternal // Fatale – I loved the sadly defunct act In Solitude dearly. Their mash-up of NWoBHM, occult metal and Mercyful Fate was hard to resist and I wanted more, more MOAR. When I first stumbled on The Night Eternal, it sounded to me as if In Solitude had possessed them, forcing them to pick up where they left off. I’m very okay with this and Fatale plays out like the new In Solitude platter I so desperately wanted. It’s the same sweet, hooky mix of classic Mercyful Fate-isms, chilly occult rock, Goth rock and early 80s metal. This thing gets into your head deep and demands many replays, and if I had found it earlier, it would have moved up the rankings considerably. Get this and feel The Night’s iron grip.
#8. Oak // Disintegrate – Oak is the project of Gaerea lead guitarist/vocalist, Guilherme Henriques, and instead of creating another black metal act, Oak is steered into the funeral doom universe and what better way to accomplish that than to make Disintegrate one 45-minute-long track? Yes, that makes for a daunting, intense listen but the beauty of what Oak do is just how listenable their ultra doom, deathy sound ends up. Heavy as fook riffs intertwine with weepy melancholic trills and beautifully emotive solo work and the listener gets carried along on ephemeral waves. The ebb and flow of the 45 minutes is remarkable and it never feels bogged down or dead in the mud. This is first-rate writing and execution and the slightly blackened edges add a great spice to the wood flavor. Bring in this wood.
#7. Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – In the time of old school death metal mania, Rotpit is the proudly unevolved monkey. Formed by members of Heads of the Dead, Wombbath, Just Before Dawn, and Revel in Flesh, Rotpit has the pedigree, and they leverage it to make Let There Be Rot the most over-the-top fun, mindless, dumb, death platter of the year. Cuts like “Slimebreeder,” “Let There Be Rot,” and “Beastfeeder” are Grade A bloody meat with no expiration date, and you will use them as the soundtrack to everything you do in life. This idiotic collection of caveman deathage has been a constant companion to me since it dropped and I’m stupider for having its company.
#6. Serpent Corpse // Blood Sabbath – Picking the best old school death metal platter of this year was no easy feat in 2023. There was so much good death this year at times it felt impossible to stay ahead of it and give everything a fair listen. At the end of the race though, it was Serpent Corpse that kept dragging me back for another beating more than anyone else, though Rotpit came so close! Their toxic blend of Autopsy-core and the scuzziest of Swedeath HM-2 abuse is seasoned with unexpected doses of melodeath to create a near-perfect cacophony of chaos that feels old but also fresh and evil. This things slithers, slaps, and grinds in all the ways a deathhead wants and needs. Get it inside your skull.
#5. Prong // State of Emergency – My bingo card for 2023 did NOT include falling in love with a new Prong album and beating it into the ground for 4 months straight. As much as I loved those classic Prong platters in the late 80s and 90s, they went through a long period of weak/erratic release and I had only been impressed by 2012s Carved in Stone. That’s why State of Emergency hits so damn hard. It’s the best thing Prong’s done in forever and takes you back to the salad days when they were on the cusp of metal’s adventurous edge. This thing is chocked full of the best riffs and harmonies Tommy Victor’s dreamed up in a long time and every song grabs you and smacks you around with NYC attitude. It;s so good to hear these back in fighting shape!
#4. Saturnus // The Storm Within – Saturnus have always had a relaxed release schedule, with only 5 albums to show for some 30 years in the business. It took them almost 10 years to drop The Storm Within, but the product was well worth the impossible wait, ending up one of the most polished and captivating doom albums of the year. Recapturing their classic sound and ability to wring emotion from the listener, Saturnus does their doom thing with style and panache all across the album, blending crushing riffs, airy trilling and mournful melodies to harsh your mellow completely. I’ve heard loose talk about this album being overrated or overhyped. Ignore that noise and tell the spewer to taste the floor!
#3. Isole // Anesidora – There weren’t a lot of classic doom releases that blew me away, by Isole have my number and once again they used it to knock me flat with their take on the Candlemass style on Anesidora.
#2. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death –
#1. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance –

HM
Overkill // Scorched –
Phobocosm //
Theocracy // Mosiac –
Wytch Hazel //
Vomitory // All Heads Will Roll –
Disquished Malignance //
Dripping Decay //
Wormhole //
Autopsy //
Sacred Outcry //
#2023 #BlogPost #BlooaOath #DisquishedMalignance #Isole #Listurnalia #Oak #Overkill #Phobocosm #Prong #Rotpit #Saturnus #SerpentCorpse #SteelDruhmSTopTenIshOf2023 #Tanith #TheNightEternal #Theocracy #Tribulation #VanishingKids #Vomitory #WytchHazel

#wytchhazel #vomitory #vanishingkids #tribulation #theocracy #thenighteternal
Ryan Boren @[email protected] · 2022-01-22 · 15:15 UTC
The Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions

We love this fun tweet on the five neurodivergent love locutions from the always insightful Myth.

The five neurodivergent love languages: infodumping, parallel play, support swapping, Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body [deep pressure], and “I found this cool rock/button/leaf/etc and thought you would like it” [penguin pebbling]
Myth @neurowonderful

Emotional bids are the pixels of relationship communications and are important to relationship accommodations. This list is much about recognizing and meeting some common neurodivergent emotional bids in relationships, thus the phrase “love locutions”.
Note: This piece originally used the phrase “love languages”. Despite the popularity of the term, we have opted for “love locutions” to distance from the emotionally abusive and heteronormative history of the book “The Five Love Languages”.
Locution = a word or expression characteristic of a region, group, or cultural level
We’ll expand on each “love locution” with selected quotes, images, and videos.
An emotional bid is when we do something to signal that we want attention and connection.

Emotional bids are central to every kind of relationship – romantic, social and professional.
The Most Important Relationship Skill – Emotional Bids
Gottman refers to bids as “the fundamental unit of emotional communication.” Bids can be small or big, verbal or nonverbal. They’re requests to connect.
Bids are often purposely subtle because people are afraid to be vulnerable and put themselves out there. It’s scary to say, “Hey! I want to connect! Pay attention to me!” so instead, we ask a question or tell a story or offer our hand for connection. We hope we’ll receive connection in return, but if not, it’s less scary than pleading, “Connect with me, please!”
Want to Improve Your Relationship? Start Paying More Attention to Bids

Table of Contents
- In Brief
- Prelude: Strange Astrology
- Infodumping
- Parallel Play, Body Doubling
- Support Swapping, Sharing Spoons
- Deep Pressure: Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body
- Penguin Pebbling: “I found this cool rock, button, leaf, etc. and thought you would like it”
- Neurodivergent Love Locutions and Teamwork
- Spiky Profiles
- Support Myth
In Brief

The Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions
“The Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
- Infodumping – Talking about an interest or passion of yours and thus sharing information, usually in detail and at length
- Parallel Play, Body Doubling – Parallel play is when people do separate activities with each other, not trying to influence each others behavior.
- Support Swapping, Sharing Spoons – Accommodating and supporting each other within a community. Asking, offering, and receiving help among people who “get it”.
- Deep Pressure: Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body – Regulating with deep pressure input such as through swaddles, weighted blankets, and hugs.
- Penguin Pebbling: “I found this cool rock, button, leaf, etc. and thought you would like it” – Penguins pass pebbles to other penguins to show they care. Penguin Pebbling is a little exchange between people to show that they care and want to build a meaningful connection. Pebbles are a way of sharing SpIns, both inviting people into yours and encouraging other’s. SpIns are a trove for unconventional gift giving.
Aside: Stimpunks in 30 seconds
Stimpunks is a disabled- and neurodivergent-led mutual aid and public education project. We build free tools, language, and access guides that help people survive bad systems, find dignity, and live more authentically. If this page resonates, you’re in the right place.
Start Here Get Help Explore the Pathways
Prelude: Strange Astrology
```
I like them spooky and you're just my style
Said the Leo to the Taurus
And if you’d like to stay with me awhile
I'll cover us with forest
We can stroll across a magic land
It's green and it is glowing
Lay our bodies in the moss and sand
We know and we are knowing
```
https://youtu.be/E7VVOl7tv9g

“Strange Astrology” is one of the only proper love songs I’ve ever written. It’s an honest exploration of what it means to love someone who is intrinsically different than you. It’s about hoping that those juxtaposing qualities and instincts encourage meaningful growth instead of chaos, but knowing that inevitably it will always be a bit of both.
FLOOD – Slothrust Break Down Their Spiritual New LP “Parallel Timeline” Track by Track
```
And I don’t mind
Our strange astrology
I hope we find
You bring the best out in me
```
Strange Astrology by Slothrust

Infodumping
“Infodumping” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Cause some have been asking: Infodumping: talking about an interest or passion of yours and thus sharing information, usually in detail and at length
@neurowonderful

SpIns and Infodumps
I don’t know who invented the phrase “special interest.” Probably some researcher. Autistic people don’t really love the term because the term “special” has become tied so closely with terms like “special needs,” which we resent.
Nevertheless, somewhere down the line “special interest,” commonly shortened to SpIn (“spin”), became the term for the characteristically-autistic tendency to develop an obsession with something specific and often obscure.
Some special interests are short lived, and some last the lifetime of the person; but, however long they last, they are intense, delightful, and a vital part of autistic culture.
So integral are special interests to autistic culture that autistic people will post about feeling depressed and unmotivated because they don’t have an active SpIn at the moment.
Having a special interest is like having a crush or being newly in love. It is consuming and delightful. We love to share our special interests and a common example of autistic empathy is encouraging others to talk in great detail- “infodump“- about their SpIns.
It is considered a sign of caring and friendship to encourage someone to talk to you about their SpIn– whether or not you actually share their interest- because nothing makes an autistic person happier than discussing, learning about, or sharing about, their SpIn.
It is also quite acceptable in autistic culture to “infodump” on a topic whenever it happens to come up. To autists (an insider short-hand for autistic people), the sharing of knowledge and information is always welcome.
7 Cool Aspects of Autistic Culture » NeuroClastic
Learn About Monotropism and SpIns
🐇 …when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by…

Parallel Play, Body Doubling
“Parallel Play” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Parallel play: some people call this being alone together, as in when you’re both reading your own books in the same room, or one person is doing a puzzle while another plays a video game, etc. Just existing together counts too.
@neurowonderful

We enjoy parallel play and shared activities that don’t require continual conversation. When we talk, it gets deep quickly. We discuss what’s real, our struggles, fears, desires, obsessions. We appreciate a good infodump, and there’s no such thing as oversharing. We swap SAME stories — sharing a time when we felt similarly in our own life, not as a competition, but to reflect how well we are listening to each other.
Lost in Translation: The Social Language Theory of Neurodivergence | by Trauma Geek | Medium
I want to spend time in parallel existence with you; let’s be alone together.
neurowonderful — neurowonderful: They’re here! Because you…
There’s something so nice about just existing in the same space with someone. Just getting to spend time with them and maybe you do something together or maybe you do homework while they play a game and you both have headphones on. There’s no expectations for anyone to do anything. It’s just nice to be there, no matter what happens.
Colonel Meme – There’s something so nice about just existing in…
https://alciefromwonderland.tumblr.com/post/662119092974731264/theres-something-so-nice-about-just-existing-in
Parallel play is when people do separate activities with each other, not trying to influence each others behavior. I like socializing and I get lonely; I like company even though I don’t like group activities, group conversations, group games, small talking, or large groups in general… I prefer being in someone’s company while doing my own activity. It is much less mentally taxing. With parallel play, I can be myself and communicate when I want to.
Parallel Play and Autism | GENDERVOID MEGAVERSE

https://kyahcomic.tumblr.com/post/666779926767288320/transcription-parallel-play-and-autism-my

Related to parallel play is the ADHDer practice of body doubling.
But in the world of ADHD, a body double is someone who sits with a person with ADHD as he tackles tasks that might be difficult to complete alone.
Many people with ADHD find it easier to stay focused on housework, homework, bill paying, and other tasks when someone else is around to keep them company. The body double may just sit quietly. He may read, listen to music on headphones, or work on the task that the person with ADHD is working on. Hard work is simply more fun when someone else is nearby.
Getting Stuff Done Is Easier with a Friend
But why does a body double work? There are a few possible explanations. The simplest is that the body double serves as a physical anchor for the distracted individual who feels more focused by the presence of another person in their space. The distracted person feels responsible to and for the body double. This perception translates as-I can’t waste this gift of time.
The Body Double: A Unique Tool for Getting Things Done | ADDA – Attention Deficit Disorder Association
But she wasn’t there to procrastinate. For an hour, Ms. Bee, a teacher in her 30s, live-streamed herself sorting the clothes on her account dedicated to ADHD: brainsandspoons. As the live stream went on, viewers jumped in to do their own laundry “with” her.
“Everybody was so encouraging,” said Ms. Bee, who learned she has ADHD as an adult. “It made it really feel like a group project, not just me by myself on camera. It definitely made the time go by faster.”
The ADHD community calls the practice “body doubling.”
‘Body doubling,’ an ADHD productivity tool, is flourishing online | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

https://youtu.be/ni9biXNDZe0

If you imagine that an autistic kid at school is likely to be wrenched out of their attention tunnel multiple times every day, each time leading to disorientation and deep discomfort, you are on your way to understanding why school environments can be so stressful for many autistic students. If you can avoid contributing to that, you may find that you have an easier time with your autistic students: try entering into their attention tunnel when you can, rather than tugging them out of it. Parallel play is one powerful tool for this; start where the child is, show interest in what they’re focused on. If you do need to pull them out of whatever they’re focusing on, it’s best to give them a bit of time.
Craft, Flow and Cognitive Styles
Learn About Body Doubling Learn About Parallel Play Learn About Flow States
Support Swapping, Sharing Spoons
“Support Swapping” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Support swapping: I don’t know if this is a widely used term. I used it to mean when ND people accomodate or support each other, like if I remind a friend hydrate and they ask me if I’ve taken my meds, or a friend helps me write an email and later I help them with homework, etc
@neurowonderful

Neurodivergent people, working together, can fill the gaps in each other’s spiky profiles. Go team. Members of the Neurodiversity ERG at Automattic help each other out during synchronous, meatspace meetups, which can be very stressful.
Support swapping can happen during parallel play, making for a nice moment of converging love languages.

The people tell us what they need, and we find the person in the community who can meet that need.
A concept we have taken to calling “sharing spoons.”
What are we working on now? 🥄 #onefreeapp #sharingspoons #communitysolutions #mutualaid (feat. @lindsaymakesvideos)

https://www.tiktok.com/@onefreeapp/video/7085002262749138219

https://youtu.be/4gLNzlKVVrY
What is mutual aid?
“Solidarity, not charity.”
Why is a spoon share helpful?
Interdependence, understanding and support
Gives opportunity to help & care for other in on our own terms and within our own capacities
Direct support in a community within a community
It’s much easier to practice asking, offering, receiving, and declining among people who “get it”!
Collective Community Care: Dreaming of Futures in Autistic Mutual Aid
Increasingly, autistic communities have been exposed to ideas of disability justice, interdependence, access intimacy, collective/community care, and mutual aid. Care collectives, spoon shares, and other community care groups by and for disabled people, racialized people, LGBTQ2IA+ people (and people at this intersection) are growing in number. Is there a future for autistic spaces to also act as spaces of intentional mutual aid?
Moving from a rights-based perspective to a justice-based one necessitates a look at our care systems and re-envisioning how our communities function to ensure no one is left behind.
Collective Community Care: Dreaming of Futures in Autistic Mutual Aid, Autscape: 2020 Presentations
Learn About Mutual Aid Learn About Interdependence
Deep Pressure: Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body
sometimes, I feel like I’m breaking apart
deep pressure pulls me back together

“Deep Pressure” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body: deep pressure input good!! Provides proprioceptive input and can soothe body stress responses (always get consent)
@neurowonderful

A famous example of the common autistic preference for deep pressure input is Temple Grandin’s Squeeze Machine.
At age 18, I constructed the squeeze machine to help calm down the anxiety and panic attacks. Using the machine for 15 minutes would reduce my anxiety for up to 45-60 minutes (Grandin and Scariano 1986). The relaxing effect was maximized if the machine was used twice a day.
Gradually, my tolerance of being held by the squeeze machine grew. Knowing that I could initiate the pressure, and stop it if the stimulation became too intense, helped me to reduce the oversensitivity of my “nervous system.” A once overwhelming stimulus was now a pleasurable experience.
Using the machine enabled me to learn to tolerate being touched by another person. By age 25, I was able to relax in the machine without pulling away from it. It also made me feel less aggressive and less tense. Soon I noted a change in our cat’s reaction to me. The cat, who used to run away from me now would stay with me, because I had learned to caress him with a gentler touch. I had to be comforted myself before I could give comfort to the cat.
As my “nervous system” calmed down, I required less squeeze pressure to produce a comforting feeling. Gradually, I could reduce the pressure regulator setting from 80 to 60 psi.
Calming Effects of Deep Touch Pressure in Patients with Autistic Disorder, College Students, and Animals

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAWwl7nr2m

But I’m tortured because whilst I don’t want to make a scene or have strangers adding to the overload and overwhelm, I’m simultaneously desperate for someone to give me a massive, firm, bear-hug. To hide me, cocoon me, and shield me from the shock waves that travel from their universe into mine.
On meltdowns | The Misadventures of Mama Pineapple

I can think of no logical reasons why swaddles should just be for babies because they are super helpful.
They’re like a hug without physical contact. That’s amazing!
soundoftheforest

https://www.tiktok.com/@soundoftheforest/video/7120254634840722734?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Penguin Pebbling: “I found this cool rock, button, leaf, etc. and thought you would like it”
“Penguin Pebbling” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Penguin Pebbling

It’s our way of saying, “I thought about you today. I remembered this thing about you. Here’s something I want to share with you specifically.

Send a little “thinking of you” pebble. It helps.
@brainsandspoons

https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsandspoons/video/7022297986004733189?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7056043377922491909
An Adelie Penguin carries a rock to add to its nest on an island in Antarctica inspiring the neurodivergent love language penguin pebbling
Penguins pass pebbles to other penguins to show they care. Penguin Pebbling is a little exchange between two people to show that they care and want to build a meaningful connection. For autistic people, giving little gifts spontaneously can be a meaningful way of communicating that you are thinking about someone and that you care. We are not talking about spending money, rather it is about building connections through the friendship you have developed between you both.
This could look like finding a pretty pebble, twig, or flower, perhaps taking a photo on a walk you enjoyed together and sharing it with someone to say, ‘This reminded me of you today, I hope you like it.’ Navigating the complex world of communication and socialisation may feel too much at times and Penguin Pebbling is a small act to show you care, just because it is a nice thing to do!
Penguin Pebbling – An Autistic Love Language
Penguins give pebbles to other penguins to show that they care.
@brainsandspoons

I found this cool rock/button/leaf etc and thought you would like it: unconventional gift giving, sharing things that are valuable or interesting to you as a sign of affection, OR giving someone a thing you know they are interested in (sure, memes count)
@neurowonderful

Penguin Pebbling gets back to SpIns, both inviting people into yours and encouraging other’s. SpIns are a trove for unconventional gift giving.
Love Pebbles
Pebbles resembling the letters L, O, V, and E arranged in the word LOVE on a sandy beach, evoking the neurodivergent love language of penguin pebbling.
Image Credit: AJ Wool Learn More About Penguin Pebbling
Neurodivergent Love Locutions and Teamwork
Team work makes the dream work
The “love locutions” — infodumping, parallel play (including body doubling), support swapping, penguin pebbling, and deep pressure — aren’t just ways neurodivergent people show care in personal relationships. They also show up in how we work together, collaborate, and build community.
These are not quirks. They are forms of connection, regulation, and mutual support — and they can make teams healthier, more humane, and more effective.
Infodumping as Shared Context
In a team setting, infodumping can look like sharing what you know deeply and generously — helping others understand a problem, a history, or a passion. When we infodump to each other, we’re offering context and inviting people into our thinking.
Parallel Play and Body Doubling as Presence Without Pressure
Parallel play and body doubling show up when people work alongside each other without forcing constant conversation. This can be powerful in asynchronous or distributed work: it means you’re present and engaged without social pressure, creating psychological safety and trust.
Support Swapping as Mutual Aid in Miniature
Support swapping is teamwork in action. It’s asking for what you need, offering help in turn, and adapting to each other’s capacities. In teams that “get it,” people watch out for one another — checking in, sharing load, and matching tasks to strengths.
Penguin Pebbling as Small Acts of Care
Penguin pebbling shows up when team members share small things that matter — a useful resource, a link, a tool, a meme that perfectly captures the moment. These symbolic acts of care build connection over time.
Deep Pressure as a Metaphor for Regulation and Safety
Deep pressure isn’t something you literally translate into professional life, but it points to something real: what helps regulate and ground a nervous system — predictability, consent, comfort, respect — also helps teams work better together.
Collaboration Without Neuronormativity
Recognizing these locutions helps us build neurodiverse competency networks — teams where people don’t just tolerate difference, they leverage it. Collaboration becomes less about forcing everyone to communicate the same way, and more about finding mutual ways to connect, care, and get things done together.
Teamwork is not sameness. Teamwork is mutuality.
Teamwork isn’t about who does the most; it’s about who can show up for each other in ways that fit their nervous systems.

Spiky Profiles
Appreciate the strange astrology of our spiky profiles coming together.
So, one of the things to also bear in mind with this is that the impairments that exist in terms of relationships or even in broader sense with folks both on the spectrum and with ADHD is that our impairments can often be invisible.

We’ve been socialized to try and speak neurotypical, but we’re not good at it.

A lot of relationship-difficulties for folks who are neurodiverse come from misunderstandings of intent. Misunderstandings of action. Or feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Often because we come from an entire lifetime of literally not being accepted for who we are.
ADHD and Autism Relationship Accommodations — How to Get Your Needs Met
Spiky Profiles and Love Locutions
Spiky profiles also help explain why neurodivergent “love locutions” matter so much.
When someone’s abilities are uneven — strong in some areas, vulnerable in others — connection and care can’t be reduced to one narrow, neuronormative script. We need more ways to communicate safety, belonging, and support.
Love locutions are often the relational accommodations that make spiky lives livable.
- Infodumping lets someone share competence and passion, even if small talk is impossible.
- Parallel play / body doubling supports presence and teamwork when conversation is draining or hard to time.
- Support swapping acknowledges that capacity fluctuates — today I can carry this, tomorrow you carry me.
- Penguin pebbling creates low-pressure connection through small, meaningful gestures when direct emotional language is difficult.
- Deep pressure reminds us that regulation is relational — nervous systems often need grounding, not performance.
In other words: spiky profiles mean people may not always be able to show care in conventional ways. Love locutions expand the vocabulary of connection.
Neurodivergent love is often an accessibility practice.

Join the Randimals in learning about spiky profiles.
Sea Dog
“What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.”
Ellarilla
https://youtu.be/E7VVOl7tv9g
```
And I don’t mind
Our strange astrology
I hope we find
You bring the best out in me
```
Strange Astrology by Slothrust
https://stimpunks.org/different
Learn About Spiky Profiles Learn About Accommodations in Neurodivergent Relationships
https://youtu.be/MlIFJfwjAn4

Support Myth
We learned the five neurodivergent love languages from Myth. Myth’s “Ask an Autistic” YouTube series is an important part of our journey here at Stimpunks. We’re glad to support their work.

https://youtu.be/WexCWZPJE6A
Support Myth
Most Read / Start Here
New here? These are the pages people use most—language, survival tools, and the Stimpunks worldview.

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Pick the doorway that matches what you need today.
Get Help Browse the Glossary Map
Follow what resonates. Keep what helps.

🗺 Tour the Site
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How to Read Stimpunks Without Getting Lost
🆘 Crisis Mode: Small Steps, Right Now
If your brain is loud, your body is shaking, or everything is too much: you’re not failing. Systems are heavy. Sensory life is real. Start with the smallest next step.

I need help today
- Get Help — fastest paths and next steps
- Coping — survival resources and grounding
- Mutual Aid Grants — real help against the onslaught
My sensory system is on fire
- Burnout & Sensory Safety — reduce load, reduce harm
- Neuroception & Sensory Load — what’s happening in your bodymind
- Sensory Checklist Gallery — quick environment fixes
Words are hard / people are hard
- Communication & Interaction Access — connection without pressure
- Situational Mutism
- Glossary Map — find language that fits
Permission slip: you are allowed to stop. you are allowed to need help. you are allowed to be a real human with real needs.

#ADHD #anxiety #autism #bodyDoubling #communitysolutions #distributedWork #emotionalBids #infodump #mutualaid #neurodiversity #onefreeapp #panic #parallelExistence #parallelPlay #penguinPebbling #sharingspoons #specialInterests #stress #supportSwapping
#supportswapping #stress #specialinterests #sharingspoons #penguinpebbling #parallelplay
Ryan Boren @[email protected] · 2022-01-22 · 15:15 UTC
The Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions
We love this fun tweet on the five neurodivergent love locutions from the always insightful Myth.

The five neurodivergent love languages: infodumping, parallel play, support swapping, Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body [deep pressure], and “I found this cool rock/button/leaf/etc and thought you would like it” [penguin pebbling]
Myth @neurowonderful

Emotional bids are the pixels of relationship communications and are important to relationship accommodations. This list is much about recognizing and meeting some common neurodivergent emotional bids in relationships, thus the phrase “love locutions”.
Note: This piece originally used the phrase “love languages”. Despite the popularity of the term, we have opted for “love locutions” to distance from the emotionally abusive and heteronormative history of the book “The Five Love Languages”.
Locution = a word or expression characteristic of a region, group, or cultural level
We’ll expand on each “love locution” with selected quotes, images, and videos.
An emotional bid is when we do something to signal that we want attention and connection.
Emotional bids are central to every kind of relationship – romantic, social and professional.
The Most Important Relationship Skill – Emotional Bids
Gottman refers to bids as “the fundamental unit of emotional communication.” Bids can be small or big, verbal or nonverbal. They’re requests to connect.
Bids are often purposely subtle because people are afraid to be vulnerable and put themselves out there. It’s scary to say, “Hey! I want to connect! Pay attention to me!” so instead, we ask a question or tell a story or offer our hand for connection. We hope we’ll receive connection in return, but if not, it’s less scary than pleading, “Connect with me, please!”
Want to Improve Your Relationship? Start Paying More Attention to Bids

Table of Contents
- In Brief
- Prelude: Strange Astrology
- Infodumping
- Parallel Play, Body Doubling
- Support Swapping, Sharing Spoons
- Deep Pressure: Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body
- Penguin Pebbling: “I found this cool rock, button, leaf, etc. and thought you would like it”
- Neurodivergent Love Locutions and Teamwork
- Spiky Profiles
- Reframe Neurodivergence
- Support Myth
- Need Support?
In Brief

The Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions
“The Five Neurodivergent Love Locutions” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
- Infodumping – Talking about an interest or passion of yours and thus sharing information, usually in detail and at length
- Parallel Play, Body Doubling – Parallel play is when people do separate activities with each other, not trying to influence each others behavior.
- Support Swapping, Sharing Spoons – Accommodating and supporting each other within a community. Asking, offering, and receiving help among people who “get it”.
- Deep Pressure: Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body – Regulating with deep pressure input such as through swaddles, weighted blankets, and hugs.
- Penguin Pebbling: “I found this cool rock, button, leaf, etc. and thought you would like it” – Penguins pass pebbles to other penguins to show they care. Penguin Pebbling is a little exchange between people to show that they care and want to build a meaningful connection. Pebbles are a way of sharing SpIns, both inviting people into yours and encouraging other’s. SpIns are a trove for unconventional gift giving.
Prelude: Strange Astrology
```
I like them spooky and you're just my styleSaid the Leo to the TaurusAnd if you’d like to stay with me awhileI'll cover us with forestWe can stroll across a magic landIt's green and it is glowingLay our bodies in the moss and sandWe know and we are knowing
```
https://youtu.be/E7VVOl7tv9g

“Strange Astrology” is one of the only proper love songs I’ve ever written. It’s an honest exploration of what it means to love someone who is intrinsically different than you. It’s about hoping that those juxtaposing qualities and instincts encourage meaningful growth instead of chaos, but knowing that inevitably it will always be a bit of both.
FLOOD – Slothrust Break Down Their Spiritual New LP “Parallel Timeline” Track by Track
```
And I don’t mindOur strange astrologyI hope we findYou bring the best out in me
```
Strange Astrology by Slothrust

Infodumping
“Infodumping” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Cause some have been asking: Infodumping: talking about an interest or passion of yours and thus sharing information, usually in detail and at length
@neurowonderful

SpIns and Infodumps
I don’t know who invented the phrase “special interest.” Probably some researcher. Autistic people don’t really love the term because the term “special” has become tied so closely with terms like “special needs,” which we resent.
Nevertheless, somewhere down the line “special interest,” commonly shortened to SpIn (“spin”), became the term for the characteristically-autistic tendency to develop an obsession with something specific and often obscure.
Some special interests are short lived, and some last the lifetime of the person; but, however long they last, they are intense, delightful, and a vital part of autistic culture.
So integral are special interests to autistic culture that autistic people will post about feeling depressed and unmotivated because they don’t have an active SpIn at the moment.
Having a special interest is like having a crush or being newly in love. It is consuming and delightful. We love to share our special interests and a common example of autistic empathy is encouraging others to talk in great detail- “infodump“- about their SpIns.
It is considered a sign of caring and friendship to encourage someone to talk to you about their SpIn– whether or not you actually share their interest- because nothing makes an autistic person happier than discussing, learning about, or sharing about, their SpIn.
It is also quite acceptable in autistic culture to “infodump” on a topic whenever it happens to come up. To autists (an insider short-hand for autistic people), the sharing of knowledge and information is always welcome.
7 Cool Aspects of Autistic Culture » NeuroClastic
Learn About Monotropism and SpIns
🐇 …when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by…

Parallel Play, Body Doubling
“Parallel Play” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Parallel play: some people call this being alone together, as in when you’re both reading your own books in the same room, or one person is doing a puzzle while another plays a video game, etc. Just existing together counts too.
@neurowonderful

We enjoy parallel play and shared activities that don’t require continual conversation. When we talk, it gets deep quickly. We discuss what’s real, our struggles, fears, desires, obsessions. We appreciate a good infodump, and there’s no such thing as oversharing. We swap SAME stories — sharing a time when we felt similarly in our own life, not as a competition, but to reflect how well we are listening to each other.
Lost in Translation: The Social Language Theory of Neurodivergence | by Trauma Geek | Medium
I want to spend time in parallel existence with you; let’s be alone together.
neurowonderful — neurowonderful: They’re here! Because you…
There’s something so nice about just existing in the same space with someone. Just getting to spend time with them and maybe you do something together or maybe you do homework while they play a game and you both have headphones on. There’s no expectations for anyone to do anything. It’s just nice to be there, no matter what happens.
Colonel Meme – There’s something so nice about just existing in…
https://alciefromwonderland.tumblr.com/post/662119092974731264/theres-something-so-nice-about-just-existing-in
Parallel play is when people do separate activities with each other, not trying to influence each others behavior. I like socializing and I get lonely; I like company even though I don’t like group activities, group conversations, group games, small talking, or large groups in general… I prefer being in someone’s company while doing my own activity. It is much less mentally taxing. With parallel play, I can be myself and communicate when I want to.
Parallel Play and Autism | GENDERVOID MEGAVERSE

https://kyahcomic.tumblr.com/post/666779926767288320/transcription-parallel-play-and-autism-my

Related to parallel play is the ADHDer practice of body doubling.
But in the world of ADHD, a body double is someone who sits with a person with ADHD as he tackles tasks that might be difficult to complete alone.
Many people with ADHD find it easier to stay focused on housework, homework, bill paying, and other tasks when someone else is around to keep them company. The body double may just sit quietly. He may read, listen to music on headphones, or work on the task that the person with ADHD is working on. Hard work is simply more fun when someone else is nearby.
Getting Stuff Done Is Easier with a Friend
But why does a body double work? There are a few possible explanations. The simplest is that the body double serves as a physical anchor for the distracted individual who feels more focused by the presence of another person in their space. The distracted person feels responsible to and for the body double. This perception translates as-I can’t waste this gift of time.
The Body Double: A Unique Tool for Getting Things Done | ADDA – Attention Deficit Disorder Association
But she wasn’t there to procrastinate. For an hour, Ms. Bee, a teacher in her 30s, live-streamed herself sorting the clothes on her account dedicated to ADHD: brainsandspoons. As the live stream went on, viewers jumped in to do their own laundry “with” her.
“Everybody was so encouraging,” said Ms. Bee, who learned she has ADHD as an adult. “It made it really feel like a group project, not just me by myself on camera. It definitely made the time go by faster.”
The ADHD community calls the practice “body doubling.”
‘Body doubling,’ an ADHD productivity tool, is flourishing online | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

https://youtu.be/ni9biXNDZe0

If you imagine that an autistic kid at school is likely to be wrenched out of their attention tunnel multiple times every day, each time leading to disorientation and deep discomfort, you are on your way to understanding why school environments can be so stressful for many autistic students. If you can avoid contributing to that, you may find that you have an easier time with your autistic students: try entering into their attention tunnel when you can, rather than tugging them out of it. Parallel play is one powerful tool for this; start where the child is, show interest in what they’re focused on. If you do need to pull them out of whatever they’re focusing on, it’s best to give them a bit of time.
Craft, Flow and Cognitive Styles
Learn About Body Doubling Learn About Parallel Play Learn About Flow States
Support Swapping, Sharing Spoons
“Support Swapping” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Support swapping: I don’t know if this is a widely used term. I used it to mean when ND people accomodate or support each other, like if I remind a friend hydrate and they ask me if I’ve taken my meds, or a friend helps me write an email and later I help them with homework, etc
@neurowonderful

Neurodivergent people, working together, can fill the gaps in each other’s spiky profiles. Go team. Members of the Neurodiversity ERG at Automattic help each other out during synchronous, meatspace meetups, which can be very stressful.
Support swapping can happen during parallel play, making for a nice moment of converging love languages.

The people tell us what they need, and we find the person in the community who can meet that need.
A concept we have taken to calling “sharing spoons.”
What are we working on now? 🥄 #onefreeapp #sharingspoons #communitysolutions #mutualaid (feat. @lindsaymakesvideos)

https://www.tiktok.com/@onefreeapp/video/7085002262749138219

https://youtu.be/4gLNzlKVVrY
What is mutual aid?
“Solidarity, not charity.”
Why is a spoon share helpful?
Interdependence, understanding and support
Gives opportunity to help & care for other in on our own terms and within our own capacities
Direct support in a community within a community
It’s much easier to practice asking, offering, receiving, and declining among people who “get it”!
Collective Community Care: Dreaming of Futures in Autistic Mutual Aid
Increasingly, autistic communities have been exposed to ideas of disability justice, interdependence, access intimacy, collective/community care, and mutual aid. Care collectives, spoon shares, and other community care groups by and for disabled people, racialized people, LGBTQ2IA+ people (and people at this intersection) are growing in number. Is there a future for autistic spaces to also act as spaces of intentional mutual aid?
Moving from a rights-based perspective to a justice-based one necessitates a look at our care systems and re-envisioning how our communities function to ensure no one is left behind.
Collective Community Care: Dreaming of Futures in Autistic Mutual Aid, Autscape: 2020 Presentations
Learn About Mutual Aid Learn About Interdependence
Deep Pressure: Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body
sometimes, I feel like I’m breaking apart
deep pressure pulls me back together
“Deep Pressure” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body: deep pressure input good!! Provides proprioceptive input and can soothe body stress responses (always get consent)
@neurowonderful

A famous example of the common autistic preference for deep pressure input is Temple Grandin’s Squeeze Machine.
At age 18, I constructed the squeeze machine to help calm down the anxiety and panic attacks. Using the machine for 15 minutes would reduce my anxiety for up to 45-60 minutes (Grandin and Scariano 1986). The relaxing effect was maximized if the machine was used twice a day.
Gradually, my tolerance of being held by the squeeze machine grew. Knowing that I could initiate the pressure, and stop it if the stimulation became too intense, helped me to reduce the oversensitivity of my “nervous system.” A once overwhelming stimulus was now a pleasurable experience.
Using the machine enabled me to learn to tolerate being touched by another person. By age 25, I was able to relax in the machine without pulling away from it. It also made me feel less aggressive and less tense. Soon I noted a change in our cat’s reaction to me. The cat, who used to run away from me now would stay with me, because I had learned to caress him with a gentler touch. I had to be comforted myself before I could give comfort to the cat.
As my “nervous system” calmed down, I required less squeeze pressure to produce a comforting feeling. Gradually, I could reduce the pressure regulator setting from 80 to 60 psi.
Calming Effects of Deep Touch Pressure in Patients with Autistic Disorder, College Students, and Animals

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAWwl7nr2m

But I’m tortured because whilst I don’t want to make a scene or have strangers adding to the overload and overwhelm, I’m simultaneously desperate for someone to give me a massive, firm, bear-hug. To hide me, cocoon me, and shield me from the shock waves that travel from their universe into mine.
On meltdowns | The Misadventures of Mama Pineapple

I can think of no logical reasons why swaddles should just be for babies because they are super helpful.
They’re like a hug without physical contact. That’s amazing!
soundoftheforest

https://www.tiktok.com/@soundoftheforest/video/7120254634840722734?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Penguin Pebbling: “I found this cool rock, button, leaf, etc. and thought you would like it”
“Penguin Pebbling” by Betsy Selvam is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Penguin Pebbling

It’s our way of saying, “I thought about you today. I remembered this thing about you. Here’s something I want to share with you specifically.
Send a little “thinking of you” pebble. It helps.
@brainsandspoons

https://www.tiktok.com/@brainsandspoons/video/7022297986004733189?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7056043377922491909
An Adelie Penguin carries a rock to add to its nest on an island in Antarctica inspiring the neurodivergent love language penguin pebbling
Penguins pass pebbles to other penguins to show they care. Penguin Pebbling is a little exchange between two people to show that they care and want to build a meaningful connection. For autistic people, giving little gifts spontaneously can be a meaningful way of communicating that you are thinking about someone and that you care. We are not talking about spending money, rather it is about building connections through the friendship you have developed between you both.
This could look like finding a pretty pebble, twig, or flower, perhaps taking a photo on a walk you enjoyed together and sharing it with someone to say, ‘This reminded me of you today, I hope you like it.’ Navigating the complex world of communication and socialisation may feel too much at times and Penguin Pebbling is a small act to show you care, just because it is a nice thing to do!
Penguin Pebbling – An Autistic Love Language
Penguins give pebbles to other penguins to show that they care.
@brainsandspoons

I found this cool rock/button/leaf etc and thought you would like it: unconventional gift giving, sharing things that are valuable or interesting to you as a sign of affection, OR giving someone a thing you know they are interested in (sure, memes count)
@neurowonderful

Penguin Pebbling gets back to SpIns, both inviting people into yours and encouraging other’s. SpIns are a trove for unconventional gift giving.
Love Pebbles
Pebbles resembling the letters L, O, V, and E arranged in the word LOVE on a sandy beach, evoking the neurodivergent love language of penguin pebbling.
Image Credit: AJ Wool Learn More About Penguin Pebbling
Neurodivergent Love Locutions and Teamwork
Team work makes the dream work
Infodumping, parallel play, support swapping, and penguin pebbling are locutions of teamwork and collaboration too, especially in distributed work cultures and “communication is oxygen” cultures. Understanding the locutions help us participate in neurodiverse competency networks. If only there were a distributed and work-appropriate equivalent for “Please Crush My Soul Back Into My Body”.

Spiky Profiles
Appreciate the strange astrology of our spiky profiles coming together.
So, one of the things to also bear in mind with this is that the impairments that exist in terms of relationships or even in broader sense with folks both on the spectrum and with ADHD is that our impairments can often be invisible.
We’ve been socialized to try and speak neurotypical, but we’re not good at it.
A lot of relationship-difficulties for folks who are neurodiverse come from misunderstandings of intent. Misunderstandings of action. Or feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Often because we come from an entire lifetime of literally not being accepted for who we are.
ADHD and Autism Relationship Accommodations — How to Get Your Needs Met

Join the Randimals in learning about spiky profiles.
Sea Dog
“What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.”
Ellarilla
https://youtu.be/E7VVOl7tv9g
```
And I don’t mindOur strange astrologyI hope we findYou bring the best out in me
```
Strange Astrology by Slothrust
https://stimpunks.org/different
Learn About Spiky Profiles Learn About Accommodations in Neurodivergent Relationships
https://youtu.be/MlIFJfwjAn4

Reframe Neurodivergence
Thanks for learning about neurodivergent love locutions with us. If you’ve got time, stick around and reframe. To understand neurodivergent people in relationships of any kind, we must reframe. We reframe disability and difference with our Four Pillars.

📓 Learning Space
Stimpunks Learning Space offers community and space for passion-based, human-centered learning with purpose. Our learners collaborate on distributed, multiage, cross-disciplinary teams with a neurodiverse array of creatives doing work that impacts community. Via equity, access, empathy, and inclusivity, we create anti-ableist space for the neurodivergent and disabled people most ill-served by “empty pedagogy, behaviorism, and the rejection of equity“.

🧐 Open Research
Our emancipatory research efforts focus on the sweet spot of digital sociology, neurodiversity studies, disability studies, and syncretism, in the open. We improve the scientific
experience for the disabled and the
neurodivergent by restoring the humanities. We bring voice into empirical constructs and translate voice into academic comprehension.

⛑️ Mutual Aid
Staying alive is a lot of work for a disabled person in an ableist society. We provide real help against the onslaught through mutual aid. We believe that direct support to individuals is the most effective approach to alleviating the barriers and challenges that prevent neurodivergent and disabled people from thriving.

🧰 Creator Grants
We pay creators to create. We buy space to breathe and make. Creativity is a vital force that drives positive change in society. We provide financial support to creators across various fields, including art, advocacy, research, and beyond.  We aim to enable creators to fully immerse themselves in their work. We recognize the importance of investing in the creative process and the impact it can have on communities and individuals.

Support Myth
Myth’s “Ask an Autistic” YouTube series is an important part of our journey here at Stimpunks. We’re glad to support their work.

https://youtu.be/WexCWZPJE6A
Support Myth
Need Support?
Stimpunks Foundation challenges the typical approach to helping people who are neurodivergent or disabled. We know what it is like to live with barriers and what it means to not fit in and have to forge our own community. Stimpunks knows that neurodivergent and disabled people have human needs, not special needs. We offer a humane approach to help our community thrive.
Through Stimpunks Foundation, we:
1. Offer financial and mutual aid;
2. Hire our community members as consultants;
3. Provide a learning space designed for our community; and
4. Support our community’s open research efforts.
One in four U.S. adults have a disability. However, our community receives only 2% of US grant funding, and only 19% of us are employed. We can’t just let that be the truth. We have to challenge the norm and change the narrative around people who are neurodivergent or disabled.
Stimpunks Foundation seeks to do just that. Learn more at stimpunks.org.
Visit stimpunks.org
This post is also available in: Deutsch (German) Español (Spanish) Français (French) עברית (Hebrew) हिन्दी (Hindi) Svenska (Swedish)
#ADHD #anxiety #autism #bodyDoubling #communitysolutions #distributedWork #emotionalBids #infodump #mutualaid #neurodiversity #onefreeapp #panic #parallelExistence #parallelPlay #penguinPebbling #sharingspoons #specialInterests #stress #supportSwapping
#adhd #anxiety #autism #bodydoubling #communitysolutions #distributedwork
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-03-14 · 17:30 UTC
Finally Friday Reads: Shutdown or Meltdown?

“So, not even two months. Here we are.” John Buss, @repeat1968, @johnbuss.bsky.social

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I’ve always been an opponent of letting the US Government shut down. As an economist, I know what kind of misery that creates for many people as well, as the possibility of a government default, which could haunt us for many years. My worry is real, but this situation is unique, and typically, the party that tries to shut the government down takes the political heat. I understand what he’s worried about. If we default on debt we become a risky debtor. If we shut the Government down, the weakest among us will suffer needlessly. Default has incredible consequences for the Social Security trust fund, the strength of our dollar, and if anyone will ever buy a US t-bill or t-bond now or ever. That includes war bonds if we ever need them again. I don’t like it, but a default would be unbelievably destructive to the country’s future. I hate that we’re in this position.
How it played out this last night and this morning pitted Schumer against many of his most strong-willed colleagues. Schumer’s support even earned him a pat on the head from #FARTUS. Trump’s always one to take advantage of a bad situation. He interpreted the move as support of the Doge Bulldozer moving through government agencies and policy. That was something one of my Canadian friends from way back in my Fired Dog Lake days predicted. I’d like to read your thoughts on that because I’m unsure how it will be received by folks outside Beltway machinations.

Let’s review what’s out there in the Press and Social media about the move that separated many Democratic senators from the leader. This is from AXIOS as proffered by Andrew Sollender. “House Dems go into “complete meltdown” as Schumer folds”.
House Democrats erupted into apoplexy Thursday night after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would support Republicans’ stopgap government funding measure.
Why it matters: House Democrats feel like they “walked the plank,” in the words of one member. They voted almost unanimously against the measure, only to watch Senate Democrats seemingly give it the green light.
“Complete meltdown. Complete and utter meltdown on all text chains,” said the member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer sensitive details of members’ internal conversations.
A senior House Democrat said “people are furious” and that some rank-and-file members have floated the idea of angrily marching onto the Senate floor in protest.
Others are talking openly about supporting primary challenges to senators who vote for the GOP spending bill.
Driving the news: Schumer said in a floor speech Thursday that while the GOP measure is “very bad,” the possibility of a government shutdown “has consequences for America that are much, much worse.”
“A shutdown would give Donald Trump the keys to the city, the state and the country,” Schumer said.
The comments likely clear a path for at least eight Senate Democrats to vote for the bill — enough for Republicans to overcome the upper chamber’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Zoom in: All but one House Democrat voted against the bill earlier this week, in large part because it lacks language to keep the Trump administration from cutting congressionally approved spending.
“There were many battleground Dems in the House … that were uncomfortable, semi-uncomfortable, with the vote,” said one House Democrat. “The Senate left the House at the altar.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in remarks to his House colleagues at their annual retreat Thursday, lauded them for standing up to President Trump by voting against the bill, according to multiple sources.
When he praised House Democrats’ votes, he received a standing ovation. When he mentioned Senate Democrats, members booed.
What we’re hearing: House Democrats’ text chains lit up Thursday night with expressions of blinding anger, according to numerous lawmakers who described the conversations on the condition of anonymity.
“People are PISSED,” one House Democrat told Axios in a text message.
Several members — including moderates — have begun voicing support for a primary challenge to Schumer, floating Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) as possible candidates, three House Democrats said.
One lawmaker even vowed at the House Democratic retreat to “write a check tonight” supporting Ocasio-Cortez, said the senior House Democrat.
Another Democrat told Axios the ideation has gone a step further: “There is definitely a primary recruitment effort happening right now … not just Schumer, but for everyone who votes no.”
More gossip and speculation at the link.
Schumer himself appeared on Chris Hayes last night as well as wrote an Op-Ed for the New York Times. “Chuck Schumer: Trump and Musk Would Love a Shutdown. We Must Not Give Them One.”
Over the past two months, the United States has confronted a bitter truth: The federal government has been taken over by a nihilist.
President Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon. Most Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have caved to his every whim. The Grand Old Party has devolved into a crowd of Trump sycophants and MAGA radicals who seem to want to burn everything to the ground.
Now, Republicans’ nihilism has brought us to a new brink of disaster: Unless Congress acts, the federal government will shut down Friday at midnight.
As I have said many times, there are no winners in a government shutdown. But there are certainly victims: the most vulnerable Americans, those who rely on federal programs to feed their families, get medical care and stay financially afloat. Communities that depend on government services to function will suffer.
This week Democrats offered a way out: Fund the government for another month to give appropriators more time to do their jobs. Republicans rejected this proposal.
Why? Because Mr. Trump doesn’t want the appropriators to do their job. He wants full control over government spending.
He isn’t the first president to want this, but he may be the first president since Andrew Jackson to successfully cow his party into submission. That leads Democrats to a difficult decision: Either proceed with the bill before us or risk Mr. Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown.
This, in my view, is no choice at all.
Emptywheel (a friend from my Fire Dog Lake Doays) wrote a scathing piece on the situation. It indicates how desperately we need the Democrats in Congress to get their acts together. It isn’t easy dealing with chaos, but it’s even worse if you contribute to it. “Democrats Have to Stop Making Political Decisions with an Eye Towards 2026.” I’m unsure if that’s all they’re thinking about or if they’re just running around like chickens with their heads caught up.
I’ve been out of pocket as events moved towards today’s cloture vote on the dogshit continuing resolution Republicans have written. It’s not yet clear whether seven Democrats (in addition to John Fetterman) will join Chuck Schumer — who has said he’ll vote for cloture — in helping Republicans pass it, or whether a Democrat will buy some time.
It’s clear that Schumer’s excuse only emphasizes that there are no good options. He says if there’s a shutdown, Republicans will only reopen those parts of government they want. In the face of the shuttering of USAID and dismantlement of Department of Education, that seems like a futile worry.
Among the best arguments I’ve seen against a shutdown, laid out but dropped here by Josh Marshall, is that a shutdown would provide Trump a way to halt legal proceedings by deeming those lawyers non-essential.
I was told yesterday that a major driver for Dems was the fear that a shutdown would slow down or stop the various court cases against DOGE. Honestly, that sounded so stupid to me that I was skeptical. But this afternoon I heard it from other key directions. I don’t know if it’s the biggest driver but just on the basis of what I heard I get a sense that it’s a major one. That seems so wrongheaded, so lawyer-brained, that when I got the final piece of the puzzle in front of me and realized this was a real thing, it was hard for me to even process.
Schumer described it this way in his speech yesterday:
Justice, and the courts, extremely troubling, I believe. A shutdown could stall Federal court cases, one of the best redoubts against Trump’s lawlessness, and could require a furlough of critical staff at the courts, denying victims and defendants alike their day in court, dragging out appeals and clogging the justice system for months and even years.
I don’t think this is lawyer-brained at all. Trump could simply call the lawyers engaged in these suits non-essential, stalling legal challenges in their current status, and then finding new test cases to establish a precedent while judges were stymied.
In both Phoenix, where a reduction in force affected all the people running the courthouse, and in the Perkins Coie lawsuit, where a hearing the other day reviewed all the Executive Branch personnel, from Marshals to GSA, who keep the courthouse running, the Executive’s ability to limit the Judiciary via manipulation of facilities and staff has already become a live issue. Here’s how Beryl Howell described the way in which Trump’s attempt to exclude Perkins Coie from federal buildings could be enforced via Executive branch personnel.
THE COURT: I just want to make sure because we, in the judiciary — we’re the third branch. We are not the executive branch. We are not subject to this guidance. But our landlord, and all of the federal courthouses around the country is GSA —
MR. BUTSWINKAS: GSA.
THE COURT: — General Services Administration. And the people who do the security at our front doors, all across the country in federal courthouses, are DOJ-component employees from the U.S. Marshals Service or court security officers. So they are all executive branch employees.
Meanwhile the court cases are making progress. Just this week, we’ve had two judges order reinstatement of all the people fired, grant FOIA status to DOGE, and grant discovery to Democratic Attorneys General (plus in one of the two reinstatement cases, Judge Alsup ordered a deposition from an OPM person involved in the firing). As of this week, DOGE now has to answer for its actions in the courts.
Imagine, for example, if a shutdown made it easier for DHS to keep Mahmoud Khalil in Louisiana for the duration of a shutdown, even if they simply said moving him back to SDNY (or New Jersey) is not a priority. There are other cases where the government is being ordered to pay back payments; a shutdown would make such recourse unavailable to anyone who has not yet sued. In the financial clawback cases (where EPA and FEMA seized funds already awarded), a shutdown would give the FBI time to try to frame the case against plaintiffs they’re pursuing, while the plaintiffs get no protection in the meantime. A key flaw was revealed in the lawsuit against Perkins Coie in the hearing the other day (which I’ll return to); if given the time, I would expect Trump to try the same trick against another law firm, fixing that flaw, in an attempt to eliminate any anti-Trump legal teams in the country.
So the concern that a shutdown would eliminate one of two sources of power is real.
I’m agnostic about whether a shutdown brings more advantage than risks.
The rest of her essay argues that everyone is far too interested in the midterm elections.
(snip)
One thing I am absolutely certain of, however, is that Democrats on both sides of this debate are framing it in terms of 2026. Those justifiably furious at Chuck Schumer are thinking in terms of primaries against any Senator who supports cloture. They’re demanding a filibuster so that elected Democrats, as Democrats, be seen wielding some power, so the party doesn’t look feckless to potential voters. Those afraid of a shutdown are discussing electoral consequences in 2026. Polls are measuring who would be blamed in the polls.
This mindset has plagued both sides of Democratic debates for two months, with disastrous consequences.
Democracy will be preserved or lost in the next three months. And democracy will be won or lost via a nonpartisan political fight over whether enough Americans want to preserve their way of life to fight back, in a coalition that includes far more than Democrats. You win this fight by treating Trump and Elon as the villain, not by making any one Democrat a hero (or worse still, squandering week after week targeting Democratic leaders while letting Elon go ignored).
Either way, this is an untenable situation.
Today is another day of the country finding out none of this is normal. NBC News has a running thread on every crazy thing on deck for the Beltway today. “Government shutdown live updates: Senate to vote on funding bill today; Dr. Mehmet Oz faces confirmation hearing. President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the Justice Department, a frequent target of his and his allies’ government weaponization claims.” Have I mentioned I have a TV, but it’s been sitting in a box for nearly three years? I just don’t have the stamina to set it up and watch all this craziness on a big screen.
Reality TV stars and swindlers are about all Trump has to offer up these days.

Hassan grills Dr Oz about promoting a bunch of scam "medical" products on TV, including "raspberry ketones." She notes that "it seems to me you are still unwilling to take accountability for your promotion of unproven snake oil remedies to millions of your viewers."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-03-14T16:04:34.209Z

The only good news I found today was this.
Judges order Trump to rehire thousands of fired federal workers.
Two federal courts are ruling that the firings of probationary federal workers were improper and that tens of thousands of those employees must be immediately reinstated. The Trump administration is calling the ruling absurd and unconstitutional and is vowing to fight back. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for “TODAY.”
It seems we are fully reliant on the Judiciary Branch to stop the destruction of our Government and democracy. It’s not like we didn’t warn people, either. This is in Fortune, as reported by the AP. ” The Trump administration must bring back thousands of federal workers fired by Elon Musk’s DOGE, judge rules.” The Judge really read the riot act to the Federal attorney also.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate thousands—if not tens of thousands—of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies last month, saying that the terminations were directed by a personnel office that had no authority to do so.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ordered the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury to immediately offer reinstatement to employees terminated on or about Feb. 13 and 14 using guidance from the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, Charles Ezell.

Alsup directed the agencies to report back within seven days with a list of probationary employees and an explanation of how the departments complied with his order as to each person.
The temporary restraining order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and organizations as the Republican administration moves to dramatically downsize the federal workforce.
The White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Alsup expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations governing a reduction in its workforce — which it is allowed to do — by firing probationary workers who lack protections. He was appalled that employees were fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier.
“It is sad, a sad day, when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” he said. “That should not have been done in our country.”
Opinion: 3 ways DOGE challengers could win court cases from CNN

It’s the day before my favorite holiday, The Ides of March. For those who don’t know, if I could go back in time and eliminate before they came into power, it would be the baby that became Julius Ceasar. They offed him too late to help history. So, there’s likely a few folks walking around the White House right now that should Beware the Ides of March. Nipping the Roman Empire in the bud would have definitely put us farther away from the Dark Time Line.
Here’s tomorrow’s version of the Ides of March.
- Donald Trump has suggested that the US should buy Gaza, will get Greenland “one way or another” as well as the Panama Canal, ignited a new trade war, floated the annexation of Canada, and hired the world’s richest weirdo (who also happens to be the world’s richest man) to fire tens of thousands of federal employees. And that’s just one country.
- Romania’s leading presidential candidate was arrested after winning the first round of elections with the assistance of Russian bots, showing that Putin is determined to mess with all his neighbors. Look for the Moldovan election in a few months; Russia is sowing chaos with energy sabotage.
- Germany’s most successful far-right party since World War II just had a record-breaking result after the the US basically endorsed them. And don’t be fooled by Friedrich Merz’s lack of flair: The Europeans are about to try to build an independent defense, give the American abdication.
- China’s DeepSeek has upended the AI market, throwing Silicon Valley into full-blown panic mode. And it will soon dominate the renewable energy market and have just been given a monumental soft-power gift the US abdication of 80 years of global leadership of the free world.
Tara Palmeri writes this on her blog, Red Letter. “Fear and Loathing in the West Wing. Inside the revolt against Elon Musk…”
The tolerance for Elon Musk inside of the White House is wearing thin, as they deal with the fallout of his calamitous interview with Larry Kudlow when he touched the third rail – entitlements. Even though Trump’s staffers are terrified of Musk, they know that if you try to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, you die, politically speaking.
“It’s no longer simmering resistance, people are fucking furious,” said a source with knowledge of the situation.
“Medicaid is not just for Black people in the ghetto, these are our voters,” said a Republican operative close to the White House.
Even before the interview, I’m told that the White House communications team was adamantly against letting Musk do the interview with Kudlow, even though he’s a former administration official and ally. They know that FOX News is a network that their older, white working-class voters watch closely and this was a rare televised interview for Musk, not the same as getting high with Joe Rogan.
Now they’re playing cleanup. Sure, they sent out a “Fact Check” memo from the White House highlighting that his words were garbled when he said he’s looking at the “waste and fraud in entitlement spending,” not entitlements all together. But then Musk went further, falsely claiming in the interview that Democrats use entitlement programs to attract illegal immigrants into the country so that they can add them to their voter rolls. It doesn’t help that earlier this month, Musk referred to Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
You can even see Kudlow shifting around uncomfortably during the interview.
Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung denied that there was an issue. “We love [Musk] doing media,” he said, pointing to his joint interview with Trump on Sean Hannity.
As promised, I want to share the ins and outs of my reporting process with you, so I first reached out to Trump’s personal pollster John McLaughlin after I learned about the meltdown over Musk’s interview to ask if he’s been polling Musk’s response in the interview. And I was shocked to learn that McLaughlin has not polled Musk at all, even though he’s clearly a political liability to the President. McLaughlin has been polling Trump for decades and was one of the main pollsters alongside Tony Fabrizio on the campaign. He said the last poll that he conducted that even remotely touched on Musk was about DOGE in November 2024 and it did not mention Musk by name.
“No one has asked us to do that poll,” McLaughlin told me.
Well, the public polling shows that the numbers for Musk – what some would call Trump’s heat shield – have been in free fall since Trump took office, with more than 53 percent of people having an unfavorable opinion of Musk, according to a new CNN poll. But surely Trump’s political operation, which to be fair is an impressive one, would want to know if Musk was starting to become a liability. No political consultant in Washington trusts public polling. They’d probably trust the opposition party’s polling over public polling. So that leaves me to believe that they are afraid of Trump’s appendage or it’s because Musk just donated $100 million to Trump’s political arm, which just so happens to be run by Trump’s other pollster Fabrizio. When I asked Fabrizio if he’s conducting polls on Musk favorables, he didn’t get back to me.
Regardless, I’ve heard that the White House is aware that Musk’s numbers are “dog shit,” according to a source. “
More at the link.
Just one more thing to ruin your weekend and I’m sorry but it’s story that needs telling. This is from The New Republic. “Trump Gives New Orders to U.S. Military on Panama Canal Takeover, Donald Trump is moving forward on his plans to seize the Panama Canal.”
The Trump administration has asked the U.S. military to draw up options for retaking the Panama Canal.
President Trump has been pushing for retaking the canal since December, and repeated his desire in a joint address to Congress last week, without any elaboration. The rest of the Trump administration hasn’t attempted to explain what he means, either.
The military is drawing up options, according to NBC News, that range from a closer partnership with the Panamanian military to soldiers seizing the Panama Canal by force, according to unnamed officials. The use of force depends on how much Panama’s military is willing to work with the United States, the officials told NBC News.
The commander of U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Holsey, presented the different strategies to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this week. The plan to use military force against Panama will only be considered if posting additional U.S. military personnel does not accomplish Trump’s goal of “reclaiming” the canal, the officials said.
Right now, the U.S. has more than 200 troops in the country, including Special Forces units working with Panamanian units to combat internal unrest. Trump claims China has troops in the canal, which Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino denies, as does China. In February, Panama decided not to renew an infrastructure agreement with China, drawing criticism from the country toward the U.S.
One tin soldier rides again.
So, I just want to watch a few more Star Wars movies and eat the tabouli I made last night. We’re seriously in trouble, and I don’t see Captain America out there anywhere, or Wonder Woman, or any of the other Super Heros we could use right now. At least it’s almost crawfish season.
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?

#Repeat1968JohnBuss #ChuckSchumer #Doge #FARTUS #governmentShutdown #JudgeOrdersRehireOfFederalWorkers
#repeat1968johnbuss #chuckschumer #doge #fartus #governmentshutdown #judgeordersrehireoffederalworkers
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-03-14 · 17:30 UTC
Finally Friday Reads: Shutdown or Meltdown?

“So, not even two months. Here we are.” John Buss, @repeat1968, @johnbuss.bsky.social

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I’ve always been an opponent of letting the US Government shut down. As an economist, I know what kind of misery that creates for many people as well, as the possibility of a government default, which could haunt us for many years. My worry is real, but this situation is unique, and typically, the party that tries to shut the government down takes the political heat. I understand what he’s worried about. If we default on debt we become a risky debtor. If we shut the Government down, the weakest among us will suffer needlessly. Default has incredible consequences for the Social Security trust fund, the strength of our dollar, and if anyone will ever buy a US t-bill or t-bond now or ever. That includes war bonds if we ever need them again. I don’t like it, but a default would be unbelievably destructive to the country’s future. I hate that we’re in this position.
How it played out this last night and this morning pitted Schumer against many of his most strong-willed colleagues. Schumer’s support even earned him a pat on the head from #FARTUS. Trump’s always one to take advantage of a bad situation. He interpreted the move as support of the Doge Bulldozer moving through government agencies and policy. That was something one of my Canadian friends from way back in my Fired Dog Lake days predicted. I’d like to read your thoughts on that because I’m unsure how it will be received by folks outside Beltway machinations.

Let’s review what’s out there in the Press and Social media about the move that separated many Democratic senators from the leader. This is from AXIOS as proffered by Andrew Sollender. “House Dems go into “complete meltdown” as Schumer folds”.
House Democrats erupted into apoplexy Thursday night after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would support Republicans’ stopgap government funding measure.
Why it matters: House Democrats feel like they “walked the plank,” in the words of one member. They voted almost unanimously against the measure, only to watch Senate Democrats seemingly give it the green light.
“Complete meltdown. Complete and utter meltdown on all text chains,” said the member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer sensitive details of members’ internal conversations.
A senior House Democrat said “people are furious” and that some rank-and-file members have floated the idea of angrily marching onto the Senate floor in protest.
Others are talking openly about supporting primary challenges to senators who vote for the GOP spending bill.
Driving the news: Schumer said in a floor speech Thursday that while the GOP measure is “very bad,” the possibility of a government shutdown “has consequences for America that are much, much worse.”
“A shutdown would give Donald Trump the keys to the city, the state and the country,” Schumer said.
The comments likely clear a path for at least eight Senate Democrats to vote for the bill — enough for Republicans to overcome the upper chamber’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Zoom in: All but one House Democrat voted against the bill earlier this week, in large part because it lacks language to keep the Trump administration from cutting congressionally approved spending.
“There were many battleground Dems in the House … that were uncomfortable, semi-uncomfortable, with the vote,” said one House Democrat. “The Senate left the House at the altar.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in remarks to his House colleagues at their annual retreat Thursday, lauded them for standing up to President Trump by voting against the bill, according to multiple sources.
When he praised House Democrats’ votes, he received a standing ovation. When he mentioned Senate Democrats, members booed.
What we’re hearing: House Democrats’ text chains lit up Thursday night with expressions of blinding anger, according to numerous lawmakers who described the conversations on the condition of anonymity.
“People are PISSED,” one House Democrat told Axios in a text message.
Several members — including moderates — have begun voicing support for a primary challenge to Schumer, floating Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) as possible candidates, three House Democrats said.
One lawmaker even vowed at the House Democratic retreat to “write a check tonight” supporting Ocasio-Cortez, said the senior House Democrat.
Another Democrat told Axios the ideation has gone a step further: “There is definitely a primary recruitment effort happening right now … not just Schumer, but for everyone who votes no.”
More gossip and speculation at the link.
Schumer himself appeared on Chris Hayes last night as well as wrote an Op-Ed for the New York Times. “Chuck Schumer: Trump and Musk Would Love a Shutdown. We Must Not Give Them One.”
Over the past two months, the United States has confronted a bitter truth: The federal government has been taken over by a nihilist.
President Trump has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon. Most Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have caved to his every whim. The Grand Old Party has devolved into a crowd of Trump sycophants and MAGA radicals who seem to want to burn everything to the ground.
Now, Republicans’ nihilism has brought us to a new brink of disaster: Unless Congress acts, the federal government will shut down Friday at midnight.
As I have said many times, there are no winners in a government shutdown. But there are certainly victims: the most vulnerable Americans, those who rely on federal programs to feed their families, get medical care and stay financially afloat. Communities that depend on government services to function will suffer.
This week Democrats offered a way out: Fund the government for another month to give appropriators more time to do their jobs. Republicans rejected this proposal.
Why? Because Mr. Trump doesn’t want the appropriators to do their job. He wants full control over government spending.
He isn’t the first president to want this, but he may be the first president since Andrew Jackson to successfully cow his party into submission. That leads Democrats to a difficult decision: Either proceed with the bill before us or risk Mr. Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown.
This, in my view, is no choice at all.
Emptywheel (a friend from my Fire Dog Lake Doays) wrote a scathing piece on the situation. It indicates how desperately we need the Democrats in Congress to get their acts together. It isn’t easy dealing with chaos, but it’s even worse if you contribute to it. “Democrats Have to Stop Making Political Decisions with an Eye Towards 2026.” I’m unsure if that’s all they’re thinking about or if they’re just running around like chickens with their heads caught up.
I’ve been out of pocket as events moved towards today’s cloture vote on the dogshit continuing resolution Republicans have written. It’s not yet clear whether seven Democrats (in addition to John Fetterman) will join Chuck Schumer — who has said he’ll vote for cloture — in helping Republicans pass it, or whether a Democrat will buy some time.
It’s clear that Schumer’s excuse only emphasizes that there are no good options. He says if there’s a shutdown, Republicans will only reopen those parts of government they want. In the face of the shuttering of USAID and dismantlement of Department of Education, that seems like a futile worry.
Among the best arguments I’ve seen against a shutdown, laid out but dropped here by Josh Marshall, is that a shutdown would provide Trump a way to halt legal proceedings by deeming those lawyers non-essential.
I was told yesterday that a major driver for Dems was the fear that a shutdown would slow down or stop the various court cases against DOGE. Honestly, that sounded so stupid to me that I was skeptical. But this afternoon I heard it from other key directions. I don’t know if it’s the biggest driver but just on the basis of what I heard I get a sense that it’s a major one. That seems so wrongheaded, so lawyer-brained, that when I got the final piece of the puzzle in front of me and realized this was a real thing, it was hard for me to even process.
Schumer described it this way in his speech yesterday:
Justice, and the courts, extremely troubling, I believe. A shutdown could stall Federal court cases, one of the best redoubts against Trump’s lawlessness, and could require a furlough of critical staff at the courts, denying victims and defendants alike their day in court, dragging out appeals and clogging the justice system for months and even years.
I don’t think this is lawyer-brained at all. Trump could simply call the lawyers engaged in these suits non-essential, stalling legal challenges in their current status, and then finding new test cases to establish a precedent while judges were stymied.
In both Phoenix, where a reduction in force affected all the people running the courthouse, and in the Perkins Coie lawsuit, where a hearing the other day reviewed all the Executive Branch personnel, from Marshals to GSA, who keep the courthouse running, the Executive’s ability to limit the Judiciary via manipulation of facilities and staff has already become a live issue. Here’s how Beryl Howell described the way in which Trump’s attempt to exclude Perkins Coie from federal buildings could be enforced via Executive branch personnel.
THE COURT: I just want to make sure because we, in the judiciary — we’re the third branch. We are not the executive branch. We are not subject to this guidance. But our landlord, and all of the federal courthouses around the country is GSA —
MR. BUTSWINKAS: GSA.
THE COURT: — General Services Administration. And the people who do the security at our front doors, all across the country in federal courthouses, are DOJ-component employees from the U.S. Marshals Service or court security officers. So they are all executive branch employees.
Meanwhile the court cases are making progress. Just this week, we’ve had two judges order reinstatement of all the people fired, grant FOIA status to DOGE, and grant discovery to Democratic Attorneys General (plus in one of the two reinstatement cases, Judge Alsup ordered a deposition from an OPM person involved in the firing). As of this week, DOGE now has to answer for its actions in the courts.
Imagine, for example, if a shutdown made it easier for DHS to keep Mahmoud Khalil in Louisiana for the duration of a shutdown, even if they simply said moving him back to SDNY (or New Jersey) is not a priority. There are other cases where the government is being ordered to pay back payments; a shutdown would make such recourse unavailable to anyone who has not yet sued. In the financial clawback cases (where EPA and FEMA seized funds already awarded), a shutdown would give the FBI time to try to frame the case against plaintiffs they’re pursuing, while the plaintiffs get no protection in the meantime. A key flaw was revealed in the lawsuit against Perkins Coie in the hearing the other day (which I’ll return to); if given the time, I would expect Trump to try the same trick against another law firm, fixing that flaw, in an attempt to eliminate any anti-Trump legal teams in the country.
So the concern that a shutdown would eliminate one of two sources of power is real.
I’m agnostic about whether a shutdown brings more advantage than risks.
The rest of her essay argues that everyone is far too interested in the midterm elections.
(snip)
One thing I am absolutely certain of, however, is that Democrats on both sides of this debate are framing it in terms of 2026. Those justifiably furious at Chuck Schumer are thinking in terms of primaries against any Senator who supports cloture. They’re demanding a filibuster so that elected Democrats, as Democrats, be seen wielding some power, so the party doesn’t look feckless to potential voters. Those afraid of a shutdown are discussing electoral consequences in 2026. Polls are measuring who would be blamed in the polls.
This mindset has plagued both sides of Democratic debates for two months, with disastrous consequences.
Democracy will be preserved or lost in the next three months. And democracy will be won or lost via a nonpartisan political fight over whether enough Americans want to preserve their way of life to fight back, in a coalition that includes far more than Democrats. You win this fight by treating Trump and Elon as the villain, not by making any one Democrat a hero (or worse still, squandering week after week targeting Democratic leaders while letting Elon go ignored).
Either way, this is an untenable situation.
Today is another day of the country finding out none of this is normal. NBC News has a running thread on every crazy thing on deck for the Beltway today. “Government shutdown live updates: Senate to vote on funding bill today; Dr. Mehmet Oz faces confirmation hearing. President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the Justice Department, a frequent target of his and his allies’ government weaponization claims.” Have I mentioned I have a TV, but it’s been sitting in a box for nearly three years? I just don’t have the stamina to set it up and watch all this craziness on a big screen.
Reality TV stars and swindlers are about all Trump has to offer up these days.

Hassan grills Dr Oz about promoting a bunch of scam "medical" products on TV, including "raspberry ketones." She notes that "it seems to me you are still unwilling to take accountability for your promotion of unproven snake oil remedies to millions of your viewers."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-03-14T16:04:34.209Z

The only good news I found today was this.
Judges order Trump to rehire thousands of fired federal workers.
Two federal courts are ruling that the firings of probationary federal workers were improper and that tens of thousands of those employees must be immediately reinstated. The Trump administration is calling the ruling absurd and unconstitutional and is vowing to fight back. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for “TODAY.”
It seems we are fully reliant on the Judiciary Branch to stop the destruction of our Government and democracy. It’s not like we didn’t warn people, either. This is in Fortune, as reported by the AP. ” The Trump administration must bring back thousands of federal workers fired by Elon Musk’s DOGE, judge rules.” The Judge really read the riot act to the Federal attorney also.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate thousands—if not tens of thousands—of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies last month, saying that the terminations were directed by a personnel office that had no authority to do so.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ordered the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury to immediately offer reinstatement to employees terminated on or about Feb. 13 and 14 using guidance from the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, Charles Ezell.

Alsup directed the agencies to report back within seven days with a list of probationary employees and an explanation of how the departments complied with his order as to each person.
The temporary restraining order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and organizations as the Republican administration moves to dramatically downsize the federal workforce.
The White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Alsup expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations governing a reduction in its workforce — which it is allowed to do — by firing probationary workers who lack protections. He was appalled that employees were fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier.
“It is sad, a sad day, when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” he said. “That should not have been done in our country.”
Opinion: 3 ways DOGE challengers could win court cases from CNN

It’s the day before my favorite holiday, The Ides of March. For those who don’t know, if I could go back in time and eliminate before they came into power, it would be the baby that became Julius Ceasar. They offed him too late to help history. So, there’s likely a few folks walking around the White House right now that should Beware the Ides of March. Nipping the Roman Empire in the bud would have definitely put us farther away from the Dark Time Line.
Here’s tomorrow’s version of the Ides of March.
- Donald Trump has suggested that the US should buy Gaza, will get Greenland “one way or another” as well as the Panama Canal, ignited a new trade war, floated the annexation of Canada, and hired the world’s richest weirdo (who also happens to be the world’s richest man) to fire tens of thousands of federal employees. And that’s just one country.
- Romania’s leading presidential candidate was arrested after winning the first round of elections with the assistance of Russian bots, showing that Putin is determined to mess with all his neighbors. Look for the Moldovan election in a few months; Russia is sowing chaos with energy sabotage.
- Germany’s most successful far-right party since World War II just had a record-breaking result after the the US basically endorsed them. And don’t be fooled by Friedrich Merz’s lack of flair: The Europeans are about to try to build an independent defense, give the American abdication.
- China’s DeepSeek has upended the AI market, throwing Silicon Valley into full-blown panic mode. And it will soon dominate the renewable energy market and have just been given a monumental soft-power gift the US abdication of 80 years of global leadership of the free world.
Tara Palmeri writes this on her blog, Red Letter. “Fear and Loathing in the West Wing. Inside the revolt against Elon Musk…”
The tolerance for Elon Musk inside of the White House is wearing thin, as they deal with the fallout of his calamitous interview with Larry Kudlow when he touched the third rail – entitlements. Even though Trump’s staffers are terrified of Musk, they know that if you try to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, you die, politically speaking.
“It’s no longer simmering resistance, people are fucking furious,” said a source with knowledge of the situation.
“Medicaid is not just for Black people in the ghetto, these are our voters,” said a Republican operative close to the White House.
Even before the interview, I’m told that the White House communications team was adamantly against letting Musk do the interview with Kudlow, even though he’s a former administration official and ally. They know that FOX News is a network that their older, white working-class voters watch closely and this was a rare televised interview for Musk, not the same as getting high with Joe Rogan.
Now they’re playing cleanup. Sure, they sent out a “Fact Check” memo from the White House highlighting that his words were garbled when he said he’s looking at the “waste and fraud in entitlement spending,” not entitlements all together. But then Musk went further, falsely claiming in the interview that Democrats use entitlement programs to attract illegal immigrants into the country so that they can add them to their voter rolls. It doesn’t help that earlier this month, Musk referred to Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
You can even see Kudlow shifting around uncomfortably during the interview.
Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung denied that there was an issue. “We love [Musk] doing media,” he said, pointing to his joint interview with Trump on Sean Hannity.
As promised, I want to share the ins and outs of my reporting process with you, so I first reached out to Trump’s personal pollster John McLaughlin after I learned about the meltdown over Musk’s interview to ask if he’s been polling Musk’s response in the interview. And I was shocked to learn that McLaughlin has not polled Musk at all, even though he’s clearly a political liability to the President. McLaughlin has been polling Trump for decades and was one of the main pollsters alongside Tony Fabrizio on the campaign. He said the last poll that he conducted that even remotely touched on Musk was about DOGE in November 2024 and it did not mention Musk by name.
“No one has asked us to do that poll,” McLaughlin told me.
Well, the public polling shows that the numbers for Musk – what some would call Trump’s heat shield – have been in free fall since Trump took office, with more than 53 percent of people having an unfavorable opinion of Musk, according to a new CNN poll. But surely Trump’s political operation, which to be fair is an impressive one, would want to know if Musk was starting to become a liability. No political consultant in Washington trusts public polling. They’d probably trust the opposition party’s polling over public polling. So that leaves me to believe that they are afraid of Trump’s appendage or it’s because Musk just donated $100 million to Trump’s political arm, which just so happens to be run by Trump’s other pollster Fabrizio. When I asked Fabrizio if he’s conducting polls on Musk favorables, he didn’t get back to me.
Regardless, I’ve heard that the White House is aware that Musk’s numbers are “dog shit,” according to a source. “
More at the link.
Just one more thing to ruin your weekend and I’m sorry but it’s story that needs telling. This is from The New Republic. “Trump Gives New Orders to U.S. Military on Panama Canal Takeover, Donald Trump is moving forward on his plans to seize the Panama Canal.”
The Trump administration has asked the U.S. military to draw up options for retaking the Panama Canal.
President Trump has been pushing for retaking the canal since December, and repeated his desire in a joint address to Congress last week, without any elaboration. The rest of the Trump administration hasn’t attempted to explain what he means, either.
The military is drawing up options, according to NBC News, that range from a closer partnership with the Panamanian military to soldiers seizing the Panama Canal by force, according to unnamed officials. The use of force depends on how much Panama’s military is willing to work with the United States, the officials told NBC News.
The commander of U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Holsey, presented the different strategies to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this week. The plan to use military force against Panama will only be considered if posting additional U.S. military personnel does not accomplish Trump’s goal of “reclaiming” the canal, the officials said.
Right now, the U.S. has more than 200 troops in the country, including Special Forces units working with Panamanian units to combat internal unrest. Trump claims China has troops in the canal, which Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino denies, as does China. In February, Panama decided not to renew an infrastructure agreement with China, drawing criticism from the country toward the U.S.
One tin soldier rides again.
So, I just want to watch a few more Star Wars movies and eat the tabouli I made last night. We’re seriously in trouble, and I don’t see Captain America out there anywhere, or Wonder Woman, or any of the other Super Heros we could use right now. At least it’s almost crawfish season.
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?

#Repeat1968JohnBuss #ChuckSchumer #Doge #FARTUS #governmentShutdown #JudgeOrdersRehireOfFederalWorkers
#judgeordersrehireoffederalworkers #governmentshutdown #fartus #doge #chuckschumer #repeat1968johnbuss
Writings of a Feral Goddess & Free Spirit @[email protected] · 2026-05-09 · 02:17 UTC

The Primal Scream
Raw. Volatile. Possessed. A sound ripping from my throat like something ancient trying to escape my body. The throat chakra opening in chaos, begging for release, for help, for silence….. 🔗 to read on.
https://kandiblaze.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/the-primal-scream/

#broken #darkness #depression #energy #experience #grief
Writings of a Feral Goddess & Free Spirit @[email protected] · 2026-05-09 · 02:17 UTC

The Primal Scream
Raw. Volatile. Possessed. A sound ripping from my throat like something ancient trying to escape my body. The throat chakra opening in chaos, begging for release, for help, for silence….. 🔗 to read on.
https://kandiblaze.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/the-primal-scream/

#broken #darkness #depression #energy #experience #grief
Writings of a Feral Goddess & Free Spirit @[email protected] · 2026-05-09 · 02:17 UTC

The Primal Scream
Raw. Volatile. Possessed. A sound ripping from my throat like something ancient trying to escape my body. The throat chakra opening in chaos, begging for release, for help, for silence….. 🔗 to read on.
https://kandiblaze.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/the-primal-scream/

#broken #darkness #depression #energy #experience #grief
Writings of a Feral Goddess & Free Spirit @[email protected] · 2026-05-09 · 02:17 UTC

The Primal Scream
Raw. Volatile. Possessed. A sound ripping from my throat like something ancient trying to escape my body. The throat chakra opening in chaos, begging for release, for help, for silence….. 🔗 to read on.
https://kandiblaze.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/the-primal-scream/

#writing #writer #woman #voice #thoughts #story
Writings of a Feral Goddess & Free Spirit @[email protected] · 2026-05-09 · 02:17 UTC

The Primal Scream
Raw. Volatile. Possessed. A sound ripping from my throat like something ancient trying to escape my body. The throat chakra opening in chaos, begging for release, for help, for silence….. 🔗 to read on.
https://kandiblaze.wordpress.com/2026/05/08/the-primal-scream/

#broken #darkness #depression #energy #experience #grief
Axel 🚴😷🐧🐪⌨ | #WeAreNatenom @[email protected] · 2026-02-24 · 00:02 UTC

Itch.io ist sowas von "lost in translation"… 🤦
#itchio #itch_io #LostInTranslation #Lost_In_Translation

#lost_in_translation #lostintranslation #itch_io #itchio
kernpanik 🐾 🕊️ ☮ 🖖 @[email protected] · 2023-06-14 · 09:01 UTC

Lost in #Neuland:
Wenn Du eine simple #Dienstreise ins EU-Ausland planst und schon im Vorfeld recherchieren willst, bis zu welcher Höhe #Hotelkosten übernommen werden ("ortsbezogene Preisobergrenze"). 😩
Zu dem undurchschaubaren Dschungel an Regelungen auf Bundesebene kommen dann auch noch die jeweils gültigen Landesreisekostengesetze sowie die Vorgaben des Arbeitgebers im öffentlichen Dienst. Denn je mehr Amtsschimmel gefüttert werden müssen, desto Deutschland.

#neuland #dienstreise #hotelkosten
RTN @[email protected] · 2024-05-01 · 14:37 UTC

"A satellite that was lost in space for 25 years has finally been found"
"..Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7) satellite was part of the United States Air Force’s Space Test Program. After launching .. 1974, a large reconnaissance satellite, called KH-9 Hexagon, ejected the .. (66-centimeter-wide) satellite.."
https://qz.com/missing-satellite-found-lost-space-1851448401
1.5.2024
#KH9 #Raumfahrt #Satelliten #SpaceFlight #STP #USA #Weltraummüll #Weltraumschrott

#kh9 #raumfahrt #satelliten #spaceflight #stp #usa
RTN @[email protected] · 2024-05-01 · 14:37 UTC

"A satellite that was lost in space for 25 years has finally been found"
"..Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7) satellite was part of the United States Air Force’s Space Test Program. After launching .. 1974, a large reconnaissance satellite, called KH-9 Hexagon, ejected the .. (66-centimeter-wide) satellite.."
https://qz.com/missing-satellite-found-lost-space-1851448401
1.5.2024
#KH9 #Raumfahrt #Satelliten #SpaceFlight #STP #USA #Weltraummüll #Weltraumschrott

#kh9 #raumfahrt #satelliten #spaceflight #stp #usa