#thingsyoumighthavemissed2024 — Public Fediverse posts

Choir – Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

Bring them tired ashes to the black waters and sing an anthem for the famine! Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is blasphemy, a molten and silt-laden horror that saturates every negative space with noise, desolation, and punishment. It dirges and roars like the gods that you thought were benevolent and merciful – their faces lurid and nauseating when you looked upon them. Hallelujah, you will go mad. You will embrace your fate with arms outstretched and feet running until you sink. You will vomit and rejoice at the coming of ruin. You will praise your master. Choir preaches to this manic truth and gospel of filth, recalling the memory of a ritual buried deep in a book of death-bathed dark. As you are baptized in the muddy river, buried with Christ, and raised to walk in newness of life, open your eyes and look below and you’ll notice the abyss of the dead and rotting staring back.

Choir is a one-man act from Singapore consisting of musician/producer The Choir, offering extreme metal dredged in obscurity and violence. At once blending the pulverizing weight of death/doom, the raw hatred of black metal, and the cavernous echoes of death metal, crammed to the brim with misanthropic dissonance, dense atmospherics, and vicious noise, the act can be compared to the likes of Impetuous Ritual, Infernal Coil, Menace Ruine, and Primitive Man, but with an interpretation of pain all its own. While 2021’s first full-length Songs for a Tarnished World introduced this noise, its follow-up Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence hones it, Choir’s sound achieves relentless devastation and palpable purpose. And it’s a damn shame it was released so late in 2024.

Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence consists of two twenty-two-minute songs, but the tracklist breaks them into three and four movements respectively – one of the few mercies you will receive listening to Choir’s relentless onslaught. Like 2024’s boundary-pushing Ingurgitating Oblivion, Choir combines the outer limits of extreme metal. However, contrary to the elegance, technicality, and grace of Ontology of Nought, Choir molds the festering and rotten loams of lumbering weight, blackened chaos, and ruthless dissonance into a lethal clay, encased in the thick grime of murk. Emerging like many-eyed and many-limbed creatures emerging from the muddy river, movements will sear themselves into your ears from out of nowhere, such as the Mitochondrion-esque chugging riffs (“Bring Them… I,” “Bring Them… III,” “And Sing… IV”), dizzying brain-bleeds and complete disintegrations into noise and dissonance (“And Sing… III”), full-on blackened assaults buried beneath the garbling Portal-esque weight of mud (“And Sing… I”), and ambient sprawls with a rotten hum and bilious distortion trembling beneath (“Bring Them… II”). Gorgeous synth melodies are sparse and stand in stark contrast during capitalizations of crescendos (“And Sing… IV”). While nonetheless bathed in the blood of distortion, they add a distinctly human feel that somehow makes the album much more punishing by contrast while also providing a jagged light at the end of Choir’s pitch-black tunnel.

Choir has accomplished an insane feat, creating an experience that balances haunting hypnotism, primitive ritualism, and cutthroat punishment in its misanthropic blend of extreme styles. Simultaneously a thunderously colossal and lumbering beast and a hateful specter with teeth of lightning, Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence is a portrayal of divine smelt, god silt, and blasphemous murk. Molten and filthy, hypnotic and punishing, Choir is an easy triumph for year-end lists had it been released earlier.

Tracks to Check Out: “Bring Them Tired Ashes to the Black Waters,” “And Sing an Anthem for the Famine”

#2024 #AmbientBlackMetal #AmbientNoise #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedDoomMetal #Choir #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #ImpetuousRitual #InfernalCoil #IngurgitatingOblivion #MenaceRuine #Mitochondrion #Portal #PrimitiveMan #SingaporeanMetal #SmitheTheeSmolderingProvidence #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Lowen – Do Not Go to War with the Demons of Mazandaran [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Kenstrosity

My biggest regret of 2024 when it comes to my metallic ingestions is missing Lowen’s incredible sophomore effort, Do Not Go to War with the Demons of Mazandaran. You may ask why I went so long without giving it a go, but if you look at its early October release date and the general state of life in my region at that time, you’ll understand. In another timeline, I would have spun Demons until it fell to dust in my hands, handily securing it a Top Five slot on my Top Ten(ish) of the year. It’s just that good.

This is my first time with Lowen, so I can’t speak to how Demons compares to their debut. But I can say one thing for certain: doom rarely feels as massive as this. Boasting a nasty guitar tone that I’d sooner expect from bands like Temple of Void or Hate Eternal, swaggering rhythms, mystical storytelling, and the omnipotent power pipes of lead vocalist Nina Saeidi, Lowen’s second tome commands my undivided attention. Supplemented by multilingual passages, tasteful strings supplied by guest cellist Arianna Mahsayeh, and a cavalcade of ten-ton riffs courtesy of lead guitarist Shem Lucas, Demons shines as an unqualified triumph the likes of which I’ve not heard since Fvneral Fvkk’s Carnal Confessions.

With Demons, Lowen’s singular songwriting and unique voice becomes the focus of their mission, and therein lies their greatest strength. Razor sharp hooks and multitudinous forking paths weave intricately between each and every one of Demons’ six acts, forming a richly detailed and deeply fascinating tapestry which evokes in equal measure an awestruck reverence and a debilitating sense of dread. In turn, listening to Demons equates to witnessing a cataclysmic armageddon so blinding in its terrible beauty as to hypnotize every synapse, siphoning my spirit and betrothing it unconditionally to Lowen. Devastating.

Lowen’s inspired performances imbue that otherworldly magic which propels Demons’ ascension to godhood. Nina plays no small part in this. Piercing through all defenses from the first note of “Corruption on Earth” and razing all before her with the brassy clarity of her siren call, Nina proves her absolute mastery of the vocal instrument (“Waging War Against God,” “The Seed that Dreamed of its Own Creation”). Shem’s ever-shifting, jagged riffs routinely challenge the boundary between doom metal and death metal, providing a palpable sense of danger to the affair (“Corruption on Earth,” “May Your Ghost Drink Pure Water”). Session drummer Cal Constantine grounds and pounds in concert with Shem’s destructive guitars, relentlessly pummeling the pocket at every opportunity and maximizing impact with every passing minute (“Najang Bah Divhayeh Mazandaran,” “Ghazal for the Embrace of Fire”). Arianna’s delicate cello may not feature often, but when it does you take notice of its unique beauty, proffering a lulling contrast to the sheer heft of Demons’ core sound (“May Your Ghost Drink Pure Water”).

By all accounts, I should not have missed Lowen’s Do Not Go to War with the Demons of Mazandaran. It feels criminal to have left it out of rotation for so long.1 Shame floods my heart and regret saturates my mind. For now that I’ve experienced Demons in all its glory, I can only wonder with great incredulity how Lowen follow this up. One thing’s for sure, I’ll be waiting for it with bated breath.

Tracks to Check Out: “Corruption on Earth,” “Najang Bah Divhayeh Mazandaran” “Waging War Against God,” “May Your Ghost Drink Pure Water”

#2024 #DoNotGoToWarWithTheDemonsOfMazandaran #DoomMetal #FvneralFvkk #HateEternal #Lowen #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TempleOfVoid #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #UKMetal

EP/Split/Single Roundup of 2024, Part 2

By Mystikus Hugebeard

Are you one of many who never listen to EPs? Or splits? Or any other kind of short-form release? It’s a tricky realm to enter, honestly. The EP, for many, represents a maligned category of pieces too short to be satisfying from bands we love. Or, in other cases, too crapshoot an endeavor for a band to step outside their bread ‘n’ butter to play with synths and non-metal and other things that don’t involve motorbikes, swords, or battle. Worse, in modern times, an ‘EP’ designation on streaming services could be a collection of singles from an upcoming work—a ploy to stay on new release radars and playlists.

Thankfully, we here at AMG have a knack for finding the things you should listen to. No, sorry Cassandra,1 that does not mean that I listened to AVOWD yet. And, no random commenter #457, we did not listen to that raw black demo or post-polkacore release with one supporter on Bandcamp or that split that your friend was on or any of the other things you will suggest in the comments section below. That is your home though, so suggest away! In fact, we have the word split in the title, but all of us were too busy building our top 10s or writing reviews2 to cover the tasty Atvm / Diskord jam or the slammin’ Matriphagy / Wretched Inferno morsel or the skramzy Massa Nera / Quiet Fear piece—we snagged a couple splits! Though no one covered Cypherium‘s jazzy and brooding monstrous single, either—what gives? Well, in any case, we did cover the below releases, so enjoy what we have to offer. In this world where shorter form releases can be more economically viable for these underground acts that we cherish, maybe we should pay more attention throughout the year—two pieces at the end just isn’t enough!

And big thanks to my buddy Mystikus Hugebeard for assisting in wrangling these blurbs and carrying the massive weight of the heavy metal underground on the shelf that is his amazingly chiseled and massive shoulders. Check part 1 if you missed it. – Dolph

Underneath // It Exists Between Us – Riding on the coattails of the ambitious and punishing From the Gut of Gaia earlier this year, Pittsburgh quintet Underneath trims the fat into a lean, mean, killing machine humming on gears of deathcore, beatdown, and grind. It Exists Between Us is a distinct release from its predecessor because it leans into grind while still maintaining the act’s signature dissonance and organicity. Ferocity is the name of the game, riffs pummeling with swagger and gusto (“Habsburg Jaw,” “It Exists Between Us”), deathcore chugs dragging listeners to the pits (“Finishing Reconstruction,” “It Dies Within Us”), unhinged attacks executed through obscene tempos (“Absurdist,” “A Gun the Size of a Building”), and ominous and blessedly short bursts of noise and ambiance and samples (“Democratic Peace Theory,” the conclusion of “Finishing Reconstruction”). Vocals bounce between hardcore fries and death growls with reckless abandon, while the drums’ organic and snappy tone commands the brig with ferocity. It’s not all mindless in its experimental elements, but they sure as hell will not give up kicking your teeth in. For those who did not like Knocked Loose this year, Underneath is a pretty suitable substitute. – Dear Hollow

Synestia & Disembodied Tyrant (Collaboration) // The Poetic Edda – Look, I get that everyone and their deathcore dog have wanted to be Lorna Shore since like 2021, and some have succeeded (A Wake in Providence) and many have failed (The Sign of the Swarm, Worm Shepherd). In essence, the deathcore collaboration between Minnesota/Finland duo Synestia and Missouri-based solo project Disembodied Tyrant is Will Ramos-core, but it succeeds in being so much more than that. Classical arrangements, orchestra, choirs, and organs belie the curb-stomping punishment underneath, with breakneck tempos, shifting rhythms, adding a sense of urgency atop the slight blackened frigidity. While “Death Empress” and “I, the Devourer” execute excellent symphonic deathcore in their own right, the title track rips the brutality into a whole ‘nother mythology, thanks to the crescendo that ends with the devastating guest appearance of Shadow of Intent’s Ben Duerr. This songwriting carries over into the punishing closer “Winter,” as startling heaviness and clever uses of tempos give it a likewise backbreaking blend of mammoth and breakneck. The Poetic Edda is deathcore that follows the trends, but it’s a better-than-usual breed indeed. – Dear Hollow

Olde Throne & Paisaunt (Split) // Cearwylm & Misneachd – This split sees New Zealand’s Olde Throne team up with their former bandmate, Zannibal (also ex-Marrasmieli), in his guise as Paisaunt, to deliver a tantalizing sliver of raw, medieval black metal, with heavy folk influences. Paisaunt occupies the first half of the split, majoring in stripped-back, very lo-fi battery. He shifts between something that could easily be an early demo for Spectral Lore-side project Mystras (“Cearwylm”), screaming, screeching, yet eerily melodic, black metal, like Ancient Mastery played through a 90s games console (“Killicrankie,” a cover from Olde Throne’s very good In the Land of Ghosts), and something completely different. The something completely different is the highlight of the whole split: “Bjørgvin” sees all percussion ditched, leaving only picked guitars, mountains of distortion and croaking vocals to create something truly haunting and curiously beautiful. On their half, Olde Throne carry on from where they left off on In the Land of Ghosts, delivering folk-infused, harsh fare, with Harrison McKenzie’s razor-wire shrieks leading the charge. Their frenzied cover of Paisaunt’s “Nigh is Time,” amps up the folk instruments to great effect, while percussion-free folk ditty “Causantín mac Áeda,” ditches all vocals save for sparse female cleans that add an ethereal note to it. – Carcharodon

Daxma // There Will Come Tomorrow – Daxma’s Ruins upon Ruins, which was my first ever TYMHM here,3 was a starkly beautiful slab of post-doom and, since discovering it, I’ve been a bit of a Daxma fanboi. There Will Come Tomorrow is probably closer in tone to Ruins, than their last LP, Unmarked Boxes. Almost entirely instrumental, there is so much space on There Will Come Tomorrow, that it feels like you’re wandering across a vast desert beneath the stars. It’s not empty though, Jessica T.’s violin laps around you like the wind, while Isaac R. and Forrest H.’s guitars rise and swell like towering dunes. The drumming (Thomas I.) fades in and out, only shifting out of first gear occasionally, like on “Wings to Andromeda,” the back end of which raises the tempo and intensity as if a sandstorm is blowing in. The only vocals are the harmonized cleans (Isaac and Jessica) in the background of “Tower of Silence,” which, with the keys, give the closer an air of resigned finality. This stands at odds with the rest of the EP, which gives off a faint sense of hope and light, set against brooding skies. – Carcharodon

New Money // Dinero Nuevo – Groove is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes, and New Money has arrested my booty-shakin gaze with their debut EP, Dinero Nuevo. But despite their moniker of inexperience, both Christian Bonnesen (LLNN) and Niclas Sauffaus (Elitest) have grown from their underground grindcore Piss Vortex roots to reunite again in New Money, an amalgamation of furious Danish hardcore colliding with Meshuggah-toned noise rock groove. The steady lockstep of syncopating kick and fuzzed-out bass stomps maintains a pace through these seventeen minutes as if all eight tracks were one long, twanged-out head-bobber. In its perpetual stew of slinky shuffles and amp-shaking breakdowns, New Money finds standout moments in extra bass-loaded pit-churners (“Nithing Pole (Olé Olé),” “Performancer”), Pronged assaults on sanity (“Perpetual Stew,” “Hamleb”), and a fitting Doug Moore (Pyrrhon, Weeping Sores) guest spot that waves heavy the modern KEN mode flag. I’m not a bettin’ man, but I’d venture to say New Money is on the verge of wrecking necks with a grand scheme on a horizon rapidly approaching. Listen thrice and then some. It pays. – Dolphin Whisperer

PISSSHITTER // Human Toilet Garbage Piss – Just about every day the crowded halls of Bandcamp new releases brings forth untold potential for nuggets of enjoyment. At the same time, the pipeline finds clog in the warped bolus of meme-addled, sub-demo quality bedroom trash. However, at this intersection of flowing sound and crumpled talent, certain expressions, particularly those of the lower-brow kind like goregrind and slam, can find a smooth enough contraction to pass to those who need it. And, last January when Human Toilet Garbage Piss emerged, I needed it. This January again, I need it. After the extended push of list season, every writer needs to decompress in some way. For me, the constant toilet-sloshing gurgle, the incessant chromatic chuggery, and the programmed peristaltic rhythms that adorn the fifteen-minute filth that PISSSHITTER has chewed and churned brings an untold level of thought-free joy. And particularly in a short release, that’s all anyone really needs. Sometimes you piss, sometimes you shit.4 – Dolphin Whisperer

Velothian // Path of the Incarnate – Epic black metal can be a difficult thing to pull off, but that hasn’t stopped Velothian from debuting with one of the coolest pieces of epic black metal I’ve heard in a long while, Path of the Incarnate. It’s mid-tempo, highly accessible black metal with big chords, big melodies, and a shockingly pleasant, clean mix that breathes life into the layers of Velothian’s atmosphere. Just shy of 30 minutes spread across five songs, the Morrowind-inspired Path of the Incarnate explores an impossibly wide array of moods and tones, from the solemn determination of “Outlander” to the lonesome riffs and mournful wails of the lead guitars of “The Mire.” The slower pace, solid riffs, and focus on atmosphere both highlights and strengthens the music’s moodiness, and the brief moments of blistering aggression land all the stronger for their infrequence. This is a genuine musical journey that envelops and becomes you; the atmospheric layers and expansive melodies may speak of far-off mountains and slumbering gods, but the intimacy within the riffs of songs like “Outlander,” “Eye of Night,” and “Nomadic” grounds the music in a very tactile way—an epic journey this may be, but one that respects the ground you must tread to arrive at journey’s end. Fine by me, but Dagoth-Ur better have some sick loot. – Mystikus Hugebeard

Sedimentum // Derrière les Portes d’une Arcane Transcendante – With a third logo and sporting artwork looking like it was pulled from a forgotten ’90s Finnish death release, Sedimentum announce another subtle change in sound. Derrière les Portes d’une Arcane Transcendante replaces the anvil-heaving crush of their debut with a much slimier, grease-coated presentation. Drenched in vintage-sounding synths, the mood of “Vilénie” channels a ghastly, creeping abomination crawling out of your speakers, leaving ectoplasm and filth wherever its tendrils touch. But fret not, Sedimentum still know how to bring the pain, with monstrous chugging sections in “Le labyrinthe sempiternel” and “Inhumation céleste (Au carillon mordoré)” invoking the Incantation and worshiping at the Malignant Altar without sacrificing an ounce of the sinister atmosphere. Some might miss the teeth-to-powder assault of previous releases, but if Derrière les Portes d’une Arcane Transcendante is a signal for the future of Sedimentum, we might be in for a grotesque horror indeed. – Alekhines Gun

#2024 #BlackMetal #BlackenedFolkMetal #BlogPost #BrutalDeathMetal #CearwylmMisneachd #Daxma #DeathMetal #Deathcore #DerrièreLesPortesDUneArcaneTranscendante #DineroNuevo #DisembodiedTyrant #DoomMetal #epicBlackMetal #Goregrind #Hardcore #HumanToiletGarbagePiss #ItExistsBetweenUs #Mathcore #NewMoney #OldThrone #Paisaunt #PathOfTheIncarnate #PISSSHITTER #PostMetal #Sedimentum #Slam #SymphonicDeathcore #Synestia #ThePoeticEdda #ThereWillComeTomorrow #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #Underneath #Velothian

Cherd’s Raw Black Metal Muster [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Cherd

There are two types of people in this world: those who appreciate raw black metal, and those who live fulfilling lives with friends and careers and family who speak to them at holiday gatherings. Since the advent of Bandcamp, the kvltest of all metal genres has become infinitely more accessible. Every year I wade through acres of tape hiss and tinny treble, looking for the half dozen or so raw black releases that rise above the buzzing tangle of cobwebs to rarified, putrid air. The following represent a cross-section of the seemingly infinite number of corpse-painted weirdos in basements the world over making music with no hope of even the smallest commercial success. This is for the fans, like me, as well as the curious. And if anyone in the comments says “This would be pretty good if the production wasn’t so shitty,” I swear on Quorthon’s grave I’ll craft a 1920’s flapper fringe dress out of strips of raw bacon, show up to your niece’s bat mitzvah, and shake my money maker on the dance floor. The shitty production is the point.

Conifère // L’Imp​ô​t du Sang – Let me get this out of the way: this is much less raw production-wise than a lot of raw black metal, but it’s my piece and I decide what goes in it. Besides, look at that shitty cassette tape cover art. See? Lo-fi. Montreal’s Conifère play the kind of Québécois melodic black metal their stomping grounds are well known for, but they run it through with punk undertones and rollicking black’n’roll. Their main goal on L’Imp​ô​t du Sang is packing as many blazing riffs into 31 minutes as possible. After spinning this taut little meloblack gem over and over, I’d say they’re lucky the seams haven’t blown out completely.

Hekseblad // Kaer Morhen – For those of you looking for that contemporary black metal album that captures the gloomy piss and vinegar of the 2nd wave 90s heyday, Kaer Morhen awaits. With lyrical themes set in the world of The Witcher, also a product of the 90s, Hekseblad owe much of their sound to the likes of Emperor and Gorgoroth. It’s not quite all pastiche, however, as the old-timey piano waltz segment of “A Grain of Truth (Nivellin’s Waltz)” and the organ grinder/harpsicord-ish melodies in “The White Flame” and at the end of the title track help throw the band’s serrated riff-craft into sharper relief. Closer “Vatt’ghern” even wanders through a stretch of atmospherics before bringing the record to a triumphant close.

Keys to the Astral Gate and Mystic Doors // Keys to the Astral Gate and Mystic Doors II – This is the stuff here. Raw black metal. Look at those two weirdos standing on a pile of snowy rocks in a Wisconsin winter, holding swords, while their buddy takes a picture with their phone. Look at the OCD doodle for a logo. Listen to that production. Doesn’t matter if I listen to it on my expensive headphones or on an answering machine from 1993, it sounds exactly the same. That said, unlike so many of their self-serious peers, Keys to the Astral Gate and Mystic Doors are downright gleeful, not only in their melodic riffage, but in their presentation. Not to mention the closer to this their second demo/EP, “What Is the Glimmer ‘Top the Looming Castle Bell” has an infectious jangle-rock structure that hints at evolutions to come.

Lander // Heroic Lands – Most of the bands here were on my radar before their respective releases, but Lander crashed this list out of nowhere, making it my favorite raw black find of the year. This Seattle based, two-person, war themed project has a mean streak the other entries don’t; heavy, knuckle-dragging riffs mixed among the triumphant Viking metal melodies and tastefully restrained synths. With a dedicated drummer in Krieger, a rarity in raw black projects, Lander boast a more organic sound than many of their genre counterparts. On the same day Wergild Records released this EP on cassette, they also released the band’s first full length—10 whole minutes longer in run time—Boreal Tactics. While I also recommend visiting that release, it’s Heroic Lands that hit me hardest.

Nimbifir // Der b​ö​se Geist – I’ve been waiting quite a while to put Nimbifir on one of these lists. Five years ago, I was just getting into raw black metal when I discovered their first two demos and four-way split Ruins of Humanity. Something about these Germans’ hard charging songs and exultant riffs stuck in my craw. I had to wait until 2024 for their debut full length Der b​ö​se Geist, and thankfully it did not disappoint. There’s no one song that rises above the others, so it’s best to take this record all in one sitting. Easy enough since it’s a brisk 36 minutes front to back. There’s an ebb and flow to each song and to the album composition as a whole that gives the impression of a battle, desperate in places, epic in others, with an almost cinematic sweep that keeps you riveted.

Vampiric Coffin/Enshroud // Reek of a Thousand Graves – This wouldn’t be a decent raw black metal list without a Grime Stone Records release, and for the second year in a row, it’s Vampiric Coffin leading the charge, with Enshroud covering their six. Count Jeffery the Vampire contributed to two splits on Grime Stone this year, and his new batch of the combined 11 songs are the same thrashy, punky, raw blacky, infectious as MRSA ditties he’s come to be known for. Reek of a Thousand Graves gets the nod over his split with 1692 AD thanks to Carmilla Dracul and Ysbryd of Enshroud and their ability to craft a complimentary set of dungeon synth infused black metal songs that never forget to be vicious on top of lugubrious.

Wraithlord // Phantasmal Warfare – If Wraithlord’s 2022 full length Dawn of Sorrow had been released any time before or after December 22nd, it would have made my ’22 or ’23 list. It got lost in the shuffle of the holidays, as all releases do around that time, which is probably why the kvltest of the kvlt like to release around then. Thankfully, the June release of Phantasmal Warfare gave me plenty of time to acquaint myself with another quality release by this one-man Flint, Michigan project. M, the mono-consonant moniker of Wraithlord’s brainchild, has a knack for stringing together riffs and transitions that don’t end up in the places you expect them to. This is easily the longest release in this feature at 48 minutes, but it suspends time by pulling you into its own twisted internal logic.

#AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #BlogPost #CanadianMetal #Conifere #DerBöSeGeist #EmptyPitRecordings #Enshroud #GermanMetal #GrimeStoneRecords #Hekseblad #HeroicWorld #HypnoticDirgeRecords #KaerMorhen #KeysToTheAstralGateAndMysticDoors #KeysToTheAstralGateAndMysticDoorsII #LImpôTDuSang #Lander #Nimbifir #PhantasmalWarfare #QuebecoisMetal #RawBlackMetal #ReekOfAThousandGraves #SelfRelease #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #VampiricCoffin #WergildRecords #Wraithlord

The Nidra – Destination Locked [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Twelve

In the last few months of 2024, I found myself on an Eternal Tears of Sorrow kick. I’ve loved their music for a long time now, and am sorely missing new releases. The news of the band’s official hiatus was rough to read, and it got me wondering what other projects the band members are involved in. Lo and behold, Risto Ruuth and Jarmo Kylmänen (guitars and singing respectively) teamed up with drummer Heikki Vähäkuopus just this year to form The Nidra, a melodic progressive metal project that released its debut, Destination Locked, in April. Destination Locked does not fill the Eternal Tears of Sorrow-shaped hole in my heart, nor does it try to, but it does boast the impressive musicianship and quality I’ve come to expect from this beloved group.

You could be forgiven for thinking initially that Destination Locked is a power metal album, as opener “Akasha” takes the general brightness and shine of Before the Bleeding Sun and ups the speed manifold, involving wild duos of guitar and keys solos that leave Kylmänen practically racing to keep up. The wild spin is a great start, but as Destination Locked, its general sound becomes rooted in more standard melodic/prog metal unions. What makes it stand out, then, is the compositions, both in the serious songs and the fun ones. Ruuth in particular is never predictable but always strong, whether his guitars are taking the lead as in “Swaying Bridges” or are supporting players in “Less Than Meets the Eye.” When he does break out the solos, they’re mesmerizing—”The Colors of Reality” in particular boasts his skill. Someone is doing similarly impressive work on the keys, though I have no idea who. Generally, they’re in solo mode, but are there as backing instruments, adding a melodic sheen to the album.

Destination Locked has a clean mix and strong songwriting, so it’s naturally at its best when all three musicians are allowed to shine together. “The Seventh Wave” is a great example—the keys are constantly soloing, the guitars and drums a perfect backdrop of heaviness, and Kylmänen’s singing is layered in the chorus to great effect. These choruses are where he shines best; his vocal style reminds me of Manne Ikonen’s in Ghost Brigade, including a tendency for asymmetrical vocal melodies. While I can see that taking a spin or two for some to get used to, his range across Destination Locked gives it a depth and dimension that is harder to achieve with just a (really fast) drummer, guitarist, and keyboard, and I appreciate his style. Another highlight of his is on “Degenerated,” where his impassioned delivery in the verses and high notes in the chorus are awesome to hear—right before Ruuth gives one of the best solos of the album.

As far as I can tell, Destination Locked was put together for the fun of it—I’ve found barely any promotion for it, the entire album is available on YouTube, and it comes from a group of musicians whose other projects are not particularly active. Despite that, the songwriting, production, and musicianship are consistently superb throughout. This is an easy one to have missed in 2024, but is well worth checking out if you enjoy bright, zany music as much as I do; The Nidra make Destination Locked an absolute delight.

Tracks to Check Out: “The Colors of Reality,” “Apocalyptic iShine,” “Degenerated”

#2024 #DestinationLocked #EternalTearsOfSorrow #FinnishMetal #GhostBrigade #PowerMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TheNidra #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Dear Hollow’s Mathcore Madness [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

The equation above is AMG’s freakishly rigid and completely objective algorithm for scoring albums and determining quality. We incorporate statistics and abstract algebra, which I understand are very complicated maths, in order to get you the highest quality extreme music this side of the Hudson or Atlantic or Yangtze or wherever the hell you are. The trouble is, you bastards don’t listen to math (i.e. “hurr durr, Wilderun is so much better than this shit.”).1 So I listen to math because I’m a contributing citizen and patriot – I listen to mathcore for you. I wade through the cesspools of skronk and sass – RYM and Reddit – for the best of the best. I do it for the, like, three of you who dig it and the, like, eight billion of you who tell teens to turn it off before shuffling back inside for a bowl of Great Grains. What I do is super mathematical so you know it’s super serious. Mathcore is about as unlistenable and scathing as it is a total sellout – so you can offend nearly everyone who hears it. Random rhythms, migraine-inducing tempo shifts, painful squeals, no sense of melody or counting, vocals a la cheese grater to the throat – it’s skronk. So enjoy my bounties, you three. The rest of you can fuck right off.

Commence panic chords!!

Better Lovers // Highly Irresponsible – Last year’s barnstormer debut EP God Made Me an Animal set one hell of a precedent for Buffalo’s Better Lovers, and their debut full-length does not disappoint. Yes, it’s a revenge album against Keith Buckley’s lesser rival project Many Eyes, but Highly Irresponsible is soooo much more than petty Every Time I Die drama. Amplifying every facet of their sound, you get more manic barks and charismatic croons from legendary former The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, more chunky riffage from Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney, and more of a southern fried good time from three-fifths of the defunct-and-dramatic Every Time I Die.2 While unafraid to embrace hooky rock sensibilities (“Deliver Us from Life,” “At), the punky, bluesy, and sleazy all-out assaults of tempo-abusing insanity (“A White Horse Covered in Blood,” “Love As An Act of Rebellion”) collide with fret-squealing riff fests of the highest caliber (“Lie Between the Lines,” “Future Myopia”) in an insanely catchy, dynamic, stupid heavy, and stupid fun album with legendary status awaiting.

Frontierer // The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like a Life Vest As the Night Wept – Look, I get that it’s a thirteen-minute EP released super late 2024, but, c’mon, it’s fucking Frontierer. Somehow seeming more punishing than usual across its four tracks, thick-ass slogs hit like sledgehammers to the temple – translating well across its more frantic moments and slower menace – while rhythms attack with the ferocity and doomed inevitability of a swarm of locusts and vocalist Chad Kapper spits blood, vitriol, and insanity into the mic. Channeling the glacial suffocation that coursed through Oxidized, it doesn’t matter if the tempo is more upbeat and energetic (“As the Night Wept”) or if it’s content sludging in its own muck (“Wearing Hell”), or indulging in both (“The Skull Burned”), the vibrant dissonance swirls in dizzyingly mechanical intensity and the down-tuned riffs smother with ruthless arrhythmic beatdown chugs. While comparable to Ion Dissonance, Car Bomb, and this year’s Weston Super Maim in emphasis on down-tuned mathcore punishment, Frontierer remains one of the genre frontrunners and trendsetters by a significant margin – in a short thirteen minutes.

The God Awful Truth // All That Dark & All That Cold – Denton, Texas’ The God Awful Truth is likely everything love or hate about mathcore. Dissonance spilling sloppily across its shaky breakdowns, deathcore gut-punches, vocal attacks as insane as the squawking panic chords that paint the background like Jackson Pollock on too much crack, and rhythms jolting about like a toddler on a go-cart. Alongside these traditional The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-isms (“Hail Paimon,” “Street Rat”), there is a lighthearted banter guided by vocalist Jordan LaFerney’s cowboy vocals and resulting poppy rhythms, punky tempos, and loose grind-esque composition (“Symbology,” “Slicked Back,” “Bad Tooth”), though the menacing still manages to punch through when least expected (“The Rainmaker,” “Omelette du Fromage”). It’s brutal whiplash of an album, not a semblance of traditional melody to be found, with deathcore breakdowns acting more as the punchline of a song-long joke. You’ll get a headache, but you’ll have fun along the way.

meth. / See You Next Tuesday // Asymmetrics – Mathcore and noisecore have a lot in common, namely unlistenable blasting. Your favorite Michigan deathcore/mathcore darlings See You Next Tuesday teams up with Chicago noisemongers meth. for Asymmetrics, more a collaborative experiment than a split. Each band records three songs, then shares only the drum tracks with the other, who records another song over that drum track. Toss in guest spots from The Red Chord’s Guy Kozowyk and Memphis-based sludgecore act Nights Like These, and all elements practically topple under Asymmetrics’ blazing intensity and immense weight. CUNT’s influence in relentless blasters (“The First Steps of Suffering,” “Syntax Error”) and blasting deathcore chug-and-squeal-fests (“Breaking Under the Weight of the Heaviest Burden,” “Tomb of Woe”) collide with meth.’s more ominous slow burns (“Succumb,” “Guest,” “Willing Participant”) in a surprisingly well-rounded package, all wrapped up in a tidy – and fuckin’ noisy – twenty-seven minutes. It’s the best of both worlds!

Utopia // Shame – A breed of technical metal recalling the fretboard-frying abilities of The Human Abstract or Scale the Summit, this UK-based group (including prolific bassist Arran McSporran of Virvum) balances a jazzy warmth and lush atmosphere to balance out the Dillinger rhythmic attack and Psyopus-inspired shredding, made further vicious by vocalist Chris Reese’s attack of frantic fries, manic shrieks, and ghastly roars. From intense attacks of intensity and brutality (“Shame,” “Social Contracts”), wonkier exposes of dissonant motifs and jagged rhythms (“Never Argue With an Idiot,” “The Gift of Failure”), and lush vistas of warm fretless bass and jazzy chords (“Sun Damage,” “Zither,” “Moving Gently Towards the Grave”), the dark themes of shame and morbidity are offset by a truly transcendent atmosphere that ties Shame together into something beyond mathcore.

Missouri Executive Order 44 // Salt Sermon – Absolutely unhinged mathgrind with a religious theme both belying and echoing their LDS missionary aesthetic (short-sleeved white button-ups, ties, shorts, and bicycle helmets) and ominous black masks, anonymous Independence collective Missouri Executive Order 44 approaches a morbid history of religious intolerance with the goal of utter annihilation. Cramming eleven songs into a mere sixteen minutes like blasters Sectioned or Fawn Limbs, you can expect it to hit hard and fast, complete with unhinged mathy meltdowns that spill across the face of concrete rhythm, meatheaded powerviolence chugs (“Christian Pornography,” “They Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion”), surprisingly groovy riffs (“The Unbuckling,” “Seven is a Holy Number”), tied together with vocalist Jarom’s cult leader shrieks and sinner wails, alongside wickedly distorted Mormon spoken word and gospel samples. Posing no stance of their own aside from the dethroning of tyranny, Salt Sermon stands with all its tragedy and iconoclasm, both utterly devastating and utterly enticing.

Shiverboard // Hacksaw Morissette – Aside from the silly genius of the album name, New York’s Shiverboard eludes easy definition. Most consistently planted in grind, art-punk, screamo, and mathcore sensibilities, Hacksaw Morissette deals with fifteen tracks that feel like a shotgun blast. Punk is a common thread coursed through this tapestry of asininity, ranging from Sex Pistols-with-animalistic-snarls (“All Black Snoopy,” “Stain Remover”), complete collapses into noisecore (“Cryptic Bismuth,” “Chastity Jeans”), over-the-top deathcore blares (“Chainsaw Fruit Punch,” “Angelina Shit Ton”), math rock and Midwest emo musings straight outta Delta Sleep or American Football (title track, “Drug Test,” “The Garbage Stork,” “Vitamins of Darkness”), and complete grind and mathcore meltdowns (“If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power,” “Torrential Drencher”) – there’s something for everyone aboard Hacksaw Morissette. With just enough dynamic to keep things interesting but not too much experimentation to throw listeners (thanks to the tasteful brevity), Shiverboard could stand to throw some more my way.

Traveller // Broken Home – Sometimes bumping mathcore is just an excuse to include djent, and Germany’s Traveller falls into this category. Utilizing Erra’s Impulse-era formula, Architects’ melodic sensibilities, a touch of Northlane’s ethereal moments, and a DIY grit whose “loud and ouchy” weight is sure to be divisive. Guided by ferocious roars, sporadic cleans, and “thicc thiccly” breakdowns galore it often emulates that mid-2000s metalcore that recalls a djentier Feed Her to the Sharks (“Never Cared (2002),” “Mismatch,” “Limbo”). Other times, it incorporates a groove and technicality that recalls the shenanigans of last year’s MouthBreather, making it a curb-stomping affair with an edge of the menacing melodies and ethereal keys (“Acheron,” “Orpheus”). Traveller is more djent and less mathcore, sure, but (1) you’re getting a lot more with Broken Home and (2) that’s why it’s at the end of this list.

#2024 #AllThatDarkAllThatCold #AmericanFootball #Architects #BetterLovers #BrokenHome #DeltaSleep #Djent #Erra #EveryTimeIDie #FawnLimbs #FeedHerToTheSharks #FitForAnAutopsy #Frontierer #Grindcore #HacksawMorissette #HardcorePunk #HighlyIrresponsible #ManyEyes #Mathcore #Meth_ #MissouriExecutiveOrder44 #Mouthbreather #NightsLikeThese #Noisecore #Northlane #Psyopus #Punk #SaltSermon #ScaleTheSummit #Screamo #Sectioned #SeeYouNextTuesday #SexPistols #Shame #Shiverboard #TheDillingerEscapePlan #TheGodAwfulTruth #TheHumanAbstract #TheRedChord #TheSkullBurnedWearingHellLikeALifeVestAsTheSkyWept #TheTonyDanzaTapdanceExtravaganza #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #Traveller #TYMHM #Utopia #Virvum #Wilderun

Sergeant Thunderhoof – The Ghost of Badon Hill [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Saunders

Back in 2022, a sneaky filter piece alerted me to the existence of UK progressive, psych-drenched stoner rock/metal band Sergeant Thunderhoof and their wonderfully written fourth album, This Sceptred Veil. It nabbed a well-deserved spot on my year-end list, remaining in solid rotation since its release. November 2024 saw Sergeant Thunderhoof return with their highly anticipated follow-up to that game-changing album. Dropping midway through the month, conceptual album The Ghost of Badon Hill took a few listens to sink its teeth in. Meanwhile, as the year rapidly drew to its conclusion, it didn’t quite garner the level of attention it inevitably deserved to properly consider for list season. With their signature style and inventive songwriting on full display, Sergeant Thunderhoof delivered a finely crafted offering and differing beast to its immediate predecessor.

Despite its epic, slightly bloated length, This Spectred Veil was a more immediate, punchy album, featuring epic progressive compositions and a swaggering, hard-rocking immediacy, particularly on such boisterous, rollicking numbers as “Devil’s Daughter,” “Woman Call,” and “Show Don’t Tell.” In comparison, The Ghost of Badon Hill is a more subdued, measured affair, exemplified by brooding, slow-burning opening cut “Badon,” a haunting, acoustic heavy offering that builds satisfyingly to a sludgy, psych-doom-addled climax. It’s the kind of tune that takes a handful of listens to fully appreciate, rewarding repeat listens. “Blood Moon” contains a similar vibe to the straightforward rocking material from This Spectred Veil. Groovy, punchy riffs, emotive leads, and a typically gritty, yet soulful singing performance from immensely talented frontman Dan Flitcroft defines another well-crafted, hooky rocker in the Thunderhoof repertoire. “Salvation for the Soul” demonstrates their bread-and-butter knack of throwing down thick, burly stoner-doom riffs, fat grooves, and irresistible hooks within tightly coiled, progressive frameworks.

Conceptually delving into the history, mysticism, and folklore of Somerset (set in the 4th Century AD), The Ghost of Badon Hill possesses a darkly enchanting, melancholic atmosphere, dripping with their trademark moody and emotive delivery. Sergeant Thunderhoof’s muscular progressive tendencies amidst the album’s restrained approach, are given platforms to gradually unfurl and develop on the stirring longer form epics (“The Orb of Octavia,” and heart-wrenching closer “Beyond the Hill”). Shifting effortlessly through dynamic arrangements, moods and textures, earwormy hooks, and melodies are never far from the surface, as skilled musicianship, excellent vocals, and exemplary guitar work cuts deeply. The highs may fall short of its predecessor, however, The Ghost of Badon Hill wins points for its interesting concept, cutting emotional resonance, and compact duration (sporting a significantly shorter runtime than This Spectred Veil). Each song comes uniformly well-constructed, nuanced, and deceptively infectious.

The writing is never less than engaging and the hooks penetrate deeper with subsequent listens. Following initial reservations, The Ghost of Badon Hill developed into an increasingly addictive listen, a genuine grower, demonstrating the band’s continued growth and maturity and standing tall alongside higher profile contemporaries, such as Green Lung. The Ghost of Badon Hill is a richly rewarding platter of groovy, proggy, emotive delights, reinforcing Sergeant Thunderhoof as an elite and unappreciated heavyweight in the hazy realms of psychedelic, progressive and stoner-influenced rock/metal.

Tracks to Check Out: “The Orb of Octavia,” “Salvation for the Soul,” “Sentinel”

#2024 #GreenLung #HeavyRock #PaleWizardRecords #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #SergeantThunderhoof #StonerMetal #TheGhostOfBadonHill #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Grendel’s Sÿster – Katabasis into the Abaton [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Angry Metal Guy

Grendel’s Sÿster’s Katabasis into the Abaton (out August 30th, 2024 from Sur Del Cruz Music [Bandcamp]) caught me off guard. Unlike other members of the Angry Metal Guy staff—such as the venerable, self-aware ape suit they call Druhm who’s just one death away from actually running this show if anything should happen to me—I am not a sucker for just anything that sounds old. Such things do not remind me of my wasted youth, and thus do not earn nostalgia points.1 I was, therefore, thoroughly surprised that, upon listening to Grendel’s Sÿster vicariously through an ill-fated n00b review, I fucking loved it. Billed as “epic metal”—a sound that ranges between “Man do we love Bathory” and, apparently, Grendel’s Sÿster—this German four-piece drops metal that reeks of patchouli and “Atomkraft? Nein, Danke!” to surprising effect. The core of Grendel’s Sÿster’s sound is the combination of fuzzy guitars, bubbly p-bass, and boxy drums into something that will undoubtedly call to mind the ’70s hard rock of your choice: Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull, Thin Lizzy or nostalgia merchants like Gygax. You know the comps; blend guitar-driven rock with folksy vibes and you have Grendel’s Sÿster nailed down (pretty much).

What differentiates Grendel’s Sÿster from other nostalgiacore acts is twofold: first, unusually catchy hooks (“The Plight of the Sorcerer,” both the start-and-stop intro riff and the gorgeous outro or “Rose Arbor” in its classic gallop and simple melody), and second—and more importantly—is vocalist Caro’s unique voice and delivery. Rather than sounding like a classic metal vocalist, Caro’s approach feels like punk. This punky feel results from her unaffected—that is, forceful and clean with no vibrato—delivery, where she sometimes seems like she’s almost barking melodies in a clear Oxford-via-Stuttgart accent in English. Over catchy, short, and energetic songs, Caro gives Grendel’s Sÿster an edge that vocally evokes X-Ray Spex or Elastica and—when mixed with the folky tendencies in songs like the aforementioned “Rose Arbor”—Flogging Molly. Caro navigates folk (“Golden Key [Won’t Fit]”), metalesque vocal choirs (“Night Owl’s Beak”), and something more dour and ominous (“The Fire That Lights Itself”) with aplomb. But she is at her best when giving unexpected attitude over Grand Magus riffs (“Cosmogeny”).

Katabasis into the Abaton taken as a whole combines energetic performances with unique writing—and an old-school, live feel that works for some, but won’t work for others—but that got under my skin almost immediately. Crazily, I’ve been back to this album repeatedly and can’t seem to quit it. Check the Bandcamp and you’ll get both a German and English version. I can’t decide which I like better, but I do like this record a lot but can’t be trusted to write TYMHMs anymore. This is at least a very good record by my reckoning and should appeal to both folk metal dorks and classic rock/metal retrodorks.2 Give Grendel’s Sÿster its due, this is a damned fine debut album.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Cosmogeny,” “The Plight of the Sorcerer,” “The Fire That Lights Itself” – but really, there isn’t a weak track on here.

#2024 #Aug24 #CruzDelSurMusic #Elastica #FloggingMolly #GrandMagus #GrendelSSÿster #Gygax #HeavyMetal #JethroTull #KatabasisIntoTheAbaton #ThinLizzy #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TradMetal #WishboneAsh #XRaySpex

Ante-Inferno – Death’s Soliloquoy [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Mystikus Hugebeard

That was one hell of a November 22nd this year, huh? We had new releases from bands like Múr and Panzerfaust, blog favorites Fellowship and Defeated Sanity, and even the industry titans Opeth. Yes, the metal community ate quite well that day—so well that certain releases might slip through the cracks, such as Death’s Soliloquoy, the third full-length by English four-piece black metal act Ante-Inferno. But I refuse to allow Death’s Soliloquoy to be overshadowed because Ante-Inferno have made one of the most compelling and devastating releases of the year.

Ante-Inferno play a sort of misanthropic atmospheric black metal that blends the biting chill of second-wave black metal with an atmospheric, beautiful melodic clarity. The evocatively titled opener, “The Cavernous Blackness of Night,” reveals the two sides of Death’s Soliloquoy’s coin. The first half of the song wallows in an atmosphere of dissonance through aggressive, sawing guitars that grind out a macabre melody, before almost exactly halfway through, the song shifts gears into a more pronounced melancholic beauty. The gnashing tremolos become gentler, but still vital, as the melody grows clearer and stronger. “Cold. Tenebrous. Evil.” delves deeper into the dissonance, while “No Light till Life’s End” leans further towards the side of melody without sacrificing aggression, but both shades of Ante-Inferno are omnipresent and crucial. The stellar production greatly helps this contrast work. The rhythm guitars vibrate with a wintry second-wave buzz, and the atmospheric side is absorbing and dense. The vocals, which range from distant, crestfallen shrieks to hoarse shouts, come from the primary songwriter Kai. Death’s Soliloquoy is inspired by Kai’s own experiences of depression and hopelessness, and her existential misery is felt in every word.

That misery is the lifeblood of Death’s Soliloquoy, as the whole album radiates the same black light of sorrow as Kai’s vocals. The shorter tracks (“Cold. Tenebrous. Evil,” No Light till Life’s End”) are aggressive and full of emotion, but the real impact of Death’s Soliloquoy is felt in the longer tracks. The bleak riffs of “The Cavernous Blackness of Night” and “Towards Asphyxiating Darkness” evolve slowly and frequently return, like a lingering sadness that’s impossible to break away from. The subtly repetitive nature of the longer songs, paired with their length, might turn away some less patient listeners, but I think this approach is to the music’s benefit. Across the length of the album, a crushing, hypnotic weight sets in as the density and intensity of the music marches on with a suffocating constancy, and Ante-Inferno iterates upon their riffs and ideas enough to keep the energy high and the pace from dragging. Everything that comprises the nature of Death’s Soliloquoy collides in the genuinely sublime “An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet.” Here, dissonance has been cast aside for an assault of riffs that burn with a cold fury, while the melodies, almost crystalline in their clarity, carve a path through the indifferent noise. It commands your attention with paramount urgency, and like Death’s Soliloquoy as a whole, is hopelessly, heartbreakingly bleak.

Ante-Inferno have crafted an incredible piece of atmospheric black metal that, for my money, is the best release to come from this historic November 22nd. It’s possible that Death’s Soliloquoy may take some time to fully sink in. I surprise myself by admitting that even I was unimpressed on my first listen, before the slow riff and anguished scream at about 4:55 into “An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet.” moved me in such a way that the full album was re-framed in my mind, and now, to this day, every listen is better than the last. Death’s Soliloquoy is everything I love about black metal—it’s heavy, harrowing, and honest.

Tracks to Check Out: “The Cavernous Blackness of Night,” “Cold. Tenebrous. Evil,” “An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet.”

#2024 #AnteInferno #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #DeathSSoliloquoy #Nov24 #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #VendettaRecords

EP / Split / Single Roundup of 2024, Part 1

By Mystikus Hugebeard

In case you’re asking yourself “Where did El Cuervo go and why has he been replaced by a handsome, bearded wizard who is also ripped and buff?” rest assured that all is well with the original EP wrangler. In what could only be described as a Christmas miracle, he has passed the privilege of organizing AMG’s yearly EP post unto myself and Dolphin WhisEPerer so that he might finally have the time to catch up on reading all the comments on his Opeth review. Let it be known that we treat this gravest of responsibilities with the utmost respect.

But enough faffing about, the most important thing is this cornucopia of EP’s, splits, singles, and demos we’ve arranged for you. Shorter-form releases like these are the patron saint of hidden gems. Rarely do they fall in the same hype cycle typically reserved for LP’s, so once a year we like to pay our respects to the oft-overlooked, unsung heroes of our metal community. They provide a necessary space for both fledgling and established bands to experiment with wild ideas that might not sustain a full release, or they can be a great outlet for bands to focus on their strongest material without weaker songs diluting the overall experience. Come, rejoice! Take a well-deserved break from the exhausting bloat of boring, regular albums, and bask in the majesty of the tighter focus and accessibility of short-form release with your bearded pal, Mystikus Hugebeard!

Make sure to return for Part II so that our Dolphin may Whisper1 to you of a whole new collection of releases!

Lathe // Hillclimber – Lathe are what you get when you mix the pedal steel and blues of country music with the atmosphere, weight and build-ups of post-metal. Hillclimber is written for a new lineup, adding an additional guitarist and a bassist, and it shows in the added density of their sound. As with their previous work, Hillclimber builds as it goes. “Weave” provides an almost spacey opening with a simple, twangy guitar melody and pedal steel embellishment. By “Blood,” trem-picked pedal steel, pounding drums and big riffs trade places with amp noise. Hillclimber isn’t revolutionary, hewing close stylistically to the post-ier, less dancy or rocky side of Tongue of Silver. But the riffs are big, the melodies pretty, and the atmosphere dense, and it says promising things about the new lineup. – Sentynel

Mammoth Grinder // Undying Spectral Resonance – Ever since the early 2010s Entombedcore wave fizzled out, I’ve longed for a band to revive that sound. With Undying Spectral Resonance, Mammoth Grinder seem to have answered the call. The band’s punky take on Swedeath has long offered Power Trip drummer Chris Ulsh a brawny way to flex his guitar and vocal abilities, but I never expected him to break Mammoth Grinder’s recording silence with something this heavy. Throughout most of these 14 minutes, Ulsh offers a hoarse roar that’s monstrous, a guitar tone that could crush boulders, and riffs that are downright punishing. “Corpse of Divinant” plows forward on muscular grooves that will have your inner hardcore kiddo dripping with arousal, while “Obsessed with Death” closes out the EP with a D-beating for the ages. Plopping an atmospheric synth interlude in the middle of a five-song tracklist was an odd choice, but at least it makes the midpaced lurch of “Decrease the Peace” sound even more massive. Let’s just hope we get more from these guys sooner rather than later. – Mark Z.

Glassbone // Deaf to Suffering – Frens of the blog know that I love me some good slam. The harder it hammers, the better. And while there were several tectonic options released this year, none hit the way latecomer EP Deaf to Suffering has. Courtesy of French buzzsaw hardcore/slam brutalists Glassbone, Deaf to Suffering springs into action with the absolutely devastating “Post Mortem Declaration” and doesn’t let up for nearly twenty minutes of high-octane, hook-laden, filthy slam. Highlight “In Your Guts” sends me into a feral state with rabid riffs that are as lethal as the disease itself. “Sanctified By the Blade” transforms my body into this musclebound mass of testosterone mountainous enough to flatten entire plots of sequoia trees. The title track even brings a certain old-school death vitriol, characterized best by a classic sounding solo, that adds substantial dynamics to Glassbone’s slam-based concoction. Every song offers its own voice while still maintaining the status quo of total demolition, and yet it feels like Deaf to Suffering elevates the slamscape past the norm and into the extraordinary. –TheKenWord

Counterparts // Heaven Let Them Die – Counterparts is renowned for their confrontational and vulnerable take on melodic hardcore and notable contributions to metalcore. Heaven Let Them Die is the Canadians’ heaviest release by far, delivering the weight of its title in its clear influence from vocalist Brendan Murphy’s time in caustic hardcore act End. With crushing riffs and breakdowns ripped at vicious speed, vocals spit with vitriol and venom, there’s a distinct weight, both aurally and existentially, that gives Heaven Let Them Die its power. From its reverb-laden plods that let the haunting leads guide the blastbeat-inclusive fury (“A Martyr Left Alive,” “Praise No Artery Intact”), to all-out assaults that abuse tempos with their punishing heft (“With Loving Arms Disfigured,” “No Lamb Was Lost”), it’s hard to believe that this is the same group that released You’re Not You Anymore or A Eulogy For Those Still Here. Punishing, vitriolic, and existentially weighty, Counterparts embarks on unforeseen journeys of blasphemy and pain. Closer “Heaven Let Them Die” exemplifies this act’s strengths, tying up the common lyrical motif screamed with throat-shredding intensity, that you’ll be howling for days: “HEAVEN… LET THEM… DIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!” – Dear Hollow

夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker) // Delirium Pathomutageno Adductum2 – The last outing by Russian/Japanese/American experimental, avant-garde, blackened noise outfit 夢遊病者, Noč Na Krayu Sveta, was my favorite EP of 2021. This year’s Delirium Pathomutageno Adductum is, if anything, even more unhinged. Like stepping into one of those nightmares that you don’t initially realise is a nightmare, parts of DPA are strangely soothing and delicate, wrapping you in lullaby-like melodies. But then, sometimes without you even noticing at first, warped melodies weave their way into the mix, before distorted, blackened vocals creep in, even as half-heard blast beats start to pound in the background. Shifting through their chameleonic palette, 夢遊病者 deploy bouzouki, uke, vibraphone, church organ and more, alongside more standard instrumentation, to create soundscapes worthy of the title Delirium. Tracked across three continents, this doubtless adds to the disconcerting sense of dizzying vertigo that infuses much of the EP, furthered by contributions from various gospel, Americana, and jazz guests. If you’re looking for a really weird night in, check this out, especially the closing duo of “Telepath Transport Wing” and “Aurum Iris Loop.” – Carcharodon

Entheos // An End to Everything – As Entheos continues to move into waters with increased breaks into clean, melodic refrains as peak points—a step first taken with 2023’s Time Will Take Us All—a continued adherence to their riff-led, groove-centered brand of techy death metal remains vital to their impact. Chunky riff after chunky riff after chunky riff hits first and repeatedly allows An End to Everything to crackle as the leanest both in length and pit-stirring effect of any Entheos album since 2016’s The Infinite Nothing. But more than just offering slinky slide-to-triplet rushes (“And End to Everything”) or snaking staccato beatings (“Life in Slow Motion”), Entheos offers throat-ripping breeeees, snarls, and hissing goblin assaults via Chaney Crabb’s extreme vocal commitment. Though comparable to frequent touring mates Alluvial3 in tone and tumble, Crabb delivers the necessary differentiation, complete with melodic chorus cries that stick like anthemic ear candy to an audience who patiently awaits sweet indulgence. Fit for a fifteen-minute power set, a pre-meeting energy blitz, or simply a destructive arm-throwing about your own home, An End to Everything feels both complete as a short-form work and steadfast a promise that Entheos plans to continue on a grooving path to success. – Dolphin Whisperer

Sylvaine // Eg Er Framand – Widely maligned for their ear-splitting volume and indecipherable vertical chords, pipe organs have a softer, ethereal side that often goes overlooked. Sylvaine’s gorgeous EP pits her otherworldly voice against hypnotic, shimmering high organ registrations, a duet custom-built to melt this frozen heart. Organs are designed for the spaces they inhabit,4 ensuring their resonance melds with the architecture of their home, and the descending spiral motif that bookends “Dagsens Auga Sloknar Ut” and “Tussmørke” duplicates this integration into Sylvaine’s music. There’s something of the eternal about this EP, its vibrating vocal harmonies and sustained wind tones suspending the passage of time and evoking both dusk and dawn. My 2024 opened with a death and ended with a birth; I can think of few soundtracks more fitting than Eg Er Framand. – Iceberg

Persefone // Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 – How shall I put this? What Carcharodon is to Kanonenfieber, I consider myself to Persefone. These Andorrans have always been a masterclass of blending insanely good musicianship with effortless technicality and rousing melodic movements. After longtime vocalist Marc Pia was replaced by Eternal Storm’s Daniel R. Flys, I feared that my beloved Persefone was gone, but I’m happy to say Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 dispelled my doubts. For one, it utilizes what Persefone has always done best; the music growing in intensity at the end of “Lingua Ignota” channels the iconic escalations from “Living Waves” (Aathma) and “Spiritual Migration (Spiritual Migration). However, as always, Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 is another step in Persefone’s evolution. “One Word” is one of Persefone’s most direct songs to date, with a powerful, memorable chorus betwixt tight, technical riffage, and adds a new dimension with Flys’ clean vocals joining Miguel Espinosa’s previously solo cleans. “Abyssal Communication” closes the EP with moving ambience, which Persefone has always loved to do, but follows Metanoia’s further emphasis on synth tones and is pleasantly dynamic, working well as a standalone track instead of just a send-off. It’s all fantastic, because it’s quintessentially Persefone, only now in a bite-sized and endlessly replayable size. Compact and to the point, yet still offering a wide breadth of intoxicating riffs and solos, Lingua Ignota Pt. 1 stands strong in their discography and even brings back a consistency I felt was slightly missing from 2022’s Metanoia. – Mystikus Hugebeard

Dislimn // Esmee – You never appreciate how good Bandcamp can be until a band doesn’t have one, and it has made Dislimn tragically difficult to find. I was lucky to stumble upon them in the promo sump whereupon I made a mental note to check later, but most people lack that kind of resource. Dislimn’s Esmee is a lovely piece of shimmering doomgaze with a heavy stoner edge, and I think they deserve a fair bit more attention than they’ve received. It’s a queer mix of stoner, prog, and post that lands through Dislimn’s impeccable vibes and simple but gripping songwriting. Esmee starts off gentle; the radio-friendly post-lite opener “Anxiety” is the perfect tune to float through a depressive dreamlike haze, but as time passes, the music develops some bite. The riffs in tracks like “Esmee’s Story” and “In My Mind” are straightforward, memorable, and crunchy with just the right amount of fuzz, while vocalist Alix’s dreamlike ever-soft vocals serenely soar above. “Gullfoss” is a bit of an oddball; a rockin’ and a rollin’ riffy jaunt sandwiched between emotive, brooding doomgaze is a bit of a lurch, but it grows on you. Overall, Esmee is the sort of unassuming EP that stealthily sinks its claws into you. I’ve returned to Esmee’s dreamy gloom many a time now, and I reckon you will too. – Mystikus Hugebeard

#2024 #AnEndToEverything #Beatdown #Counterparts #DeafToSuffering #DeathMetal #DeleriumPathomutagenoAdductum #Dislimn #Entheos #Esmee #Glassbone #GothicDoom #GothicRock #Hardcore #HeavenLetThemDie #Hillclimber #Lathe #LinguaIgnotaPt1 #MammothGrinder #Metalcore #Persefone #PostMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Slam #Sleepwalker #TechnicalDeathMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #UndyingSpectralResonance #夢遊病者

Laudare – Requiem [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Killjoy

Requiem is a concept album in the truest sense. Laudare, a young group from Leipzig, Germany that promotes its music as “violent poetry,” chose to follow one of the oldest musical themes: a Requiem Mass. All lyrics are in Latin and taken directly from the liturgical text of a Catholic Mass for the Dead, which puts Laudare on a well-trodden path with the likes of Mozart, Verdi, and countless other famous historical composers. This association is reflected in the music of Requiem, wherein Laudare have assimilated classical chamber music into their modest brand of post-metal. Rather than mourning the death of a specific individual, Requiem is an ode to the concept of death, “the inevitable, that we fear so much and that makes us human after all.”

The members of Laudare have matured rapidly as composers since their formation in 2017. I presume this is largely due to the arrival of cellist Almut Voigt. Her cello is allowed equal—and often greater—opportunity than Daniel Kaltofen’s guitar to carry the lead melodies. This places Requiem in a similar space as Anareta’s debut from last year, though the absence of the violin and viola gives Requiem a deeper, warmer sound. True to the theme, grief and mourning manifest in diverse ways. Sometimes with a doleful croon from Voigt or Kaltofen laced with tender piano, cello, or acoustic guitar passages (“Hostias,” “Rex Tremendae”), but more often through the anguished growls, screams, and wails of bassist Marie-Luise Thurm (best exemplified in “Offertorium”). The transitions between these two extremes are some of the smoothest I’ve ever heard, much to the benefit of the overall pacing of the record.

Requiem is a perfectly balanced affair with incredible synergy between all four band members. The first track, “Introitus,” opens with all three vocalists singing in reverent harmony, then shifts to Thurm’s biting barks embellished by female choral notes from Voigt. The cello and bass guitar complement each other, particularly during the quiet passage in “Quid Sum Miser” that leaves the two of them exposed. Drummer Oliver Ruß1 deftly matches whatever tempo and intensity is required, from frenetic rhythms (“Sanctus”) to soft drum rod taps (“Lacrimosa”) and rim clicks (“Quaerens Me”). As if all of this weren’t enough, they even collaborate with a live choir—courtesy of Unichor Leipzig—in a few of the latter tracks. The choir elevates the music to epic proportions in the finale of “Lacrimosa,” and when the powerful chorus of voices is punctuated by chilling screams is the high point of Requiem.

Like an obsidian dagger, Requiem is beautiful, delicate, and piercing in equal measure. Not a single note feels out of place; every single second is supremely sublime. I can think of nothing that I would change after dozens of listens. Even the total runtime is an ideal 42 minutes. With this, their sophomore full-length, Laudare ascend to a higher echelon of composers. Violent poetry, indeed!

Tracks to Check Out: “Dies Irae,” “Quid Sum Miser,” “Lacrimosa”

Show 1 footnote

1. Who left Laudare shortly before the release of Requiem. ↩

#2024 #Anareta #ChamberMusic #GermanMetal #Laudare #MomentOfCollapseRecords #PostMetal #Requiem #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Khirki – Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Kenstrosity

In 2021, Greek hard rock trio Khirki single-handedly reignited a fire inside a genre I, for a long time, felt had decomposed six feet under the soil. It just felt like every hard rock act regurgitated the same albums over and over throughout the mid-aughts, with little to no variation or innovation to speak of since. Yet, Κτηνωδία absorbed all of the latent creativity nobody on Earth seemed to exploit and shoehorned every drop into a massive triumph of a debut. Three years later, on comes Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς. Does it prove Khirki to be a one-trick pony like so many other bands before them, or are we in for another unqualified success?

It’s safe to say you already know the answer to that question. Of course Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς kicks ass! A testament to exuberant, explorative, and exquisite songwriting, Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς represents everything that was great about Khirki before, elevated by a greater sense of cohesion, smoothness, and vibrancy. Throughout its forty-seven minutes, lush acoustics, tumbling drums and claps, weeping violin, and jaunty woodwinds provide effervescent decoration informed by traditional Greek folk music. Meanwhile, ascendant tremolo leads invite a shimmering post-metal accent to many songs, providing a nice shift away from the doom-tinged atmosphere of the first record. “Heart of the Sea” in particular shows how adventurous Khirki are with that post-metal influence in their chosen format; Khirki refuse to stick to a singular formula yet strive for an unmistakable voice entirely their own. And it works.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς doesn’t share the immediacy of Κτηνωδία, but not for assessing that as a detractor. In fact, it is its subtlety, sophistication, and nuance that puts Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς on the map. Infused with myriad themes and spine-tingling harmonies, major hits like “Pumping the Vein,” “The Watchers of Enoch,” “Συμπληγάδες,” and Song o’ the Year contender “Heart of the Sea” showcase an epic character bolstered by killer performances across the board. A greater presence of extreme metal-inspired drum patterns, implemented with a light touch, prove to be an especially exciting development. Using these flawlessly integrated techniques—especially the double-bass power metal run in “Father Wind” and post-y blasts in “Heart of the Sea”—many of Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς’s best songs overtake the high points of Khirki’s previous work.

Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς is also the more consistent of the two records, both in tone and in style, without sacrificing its sense of adventure. Stoner-heavy closer “Hekate” constitutes the starkest departure from Khirki’s approach album-wide, and yet their trademark bluesy swagger and folky bounce hold the line, strong and unfazed. “Featherless” reminds you what Khirki’s base structure sounds like, yet it wouldn’t work nearly as well in their back catalog as it does here. “Your Majesty” takes it slow and steady, much like how Khirki had when exploring doom aesthetics previously, but its brightness and reverential air make it an ideal companion to its more upbeat album-mates. “Pumping the Vein” aggresses with much of the same upfront bravado as 2021’s “Deadpan” or “Raging Bull,” but its funkier attitude makes it a shoe-in for Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς’s ebullient musical palette.

In short, all of Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς’s pieces fit snugly and seamlessly together, forming a buttery-smooth and consistently engaging record in a genre not known any longer for either trait. Khirki, as far as I’m concerned, single-handedly carry the genre on their more-than-capable shoulders. Κ​υ​κ​ε​ώ​ν​α​ς is the proof.

Tracks to Check Out: “Pumping the Vein,” “Συμπληγάδες,” “Heart of the Sea,” “Hekate”

#2024 #EpicMetal #FolkMetal #FolkRock #GreekMetal #HardRock #Khirki #PostMetal #StonerRock #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #VenerateIndustries #Κυκεώνας

La Torture des Ténèbres – V / The Lost Colony of Altar Vista [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

The breed of noise that courses through Ottawa one-woman act La Torture des Ténèbres is truly disorienting and off-putting,1 but it takes on a hypnotizing and triumphant quality when its curious blend of caustic and decadent settles into your bones. While 2016 debuts Acadian Nights and Choirs of Emptiness captured a predictable blend of raw black and spacefaring dark ambient, Civilization is the Tomb of Our Noble Gods found mastermind J.K. taking influence from classic science fiction and decopunk: raw black played as an accompaniment to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, perhaps. With this breed of raw punishment, discernment is a spiritual gift – V praises a grand civilization, The Lost Colony of Altar Vista laments it. Viciously raw, relentlessly noisy, and painfully discordant, while also beautifully grandiose and subtly tragic, La Torture des Ténèbres offers decadence and venom as few can.

April’s V is the more straightforward of the 2024 releases, reflecting its grainy album art basking in a birds-eye view of the grand metropolis.2 There’s a robotic quality about V that pairs neatly with its predecessor IV – Memoirs of a Machine Girl, as La Torture des Ténèbres saturates the palette of relentless blasting, dense and raw tremolo tinnitus, and tortured wails and harrowing shrieks with grimy feedback, noise, industrial ambiance, and the act’s trademark flaying melodic sensibilities. Reverb-laden melodic interludes would seem to offer reprieve during the punishment, but their blaring distortion and clipping only drive the knife deeper with a shrill and warped quality, like ringing sirens during the calm before the storm. Inspired by the shimmering deceptively utopian and futuristic civilizations, the juxtaposition of the grandiosity of tomorrow (“Accelerated Degeneration Descent,” “Valley of the Unclean”) and the horrors of today (“Descent into Suburban Hellscape,” “Catalyst of Tomb Reconfiguration”) only heightens J.K.’s themes. Lyrics detail paranoia, sexual oppression, obsession, and horror, idolizing beautiful cities built atop the broken backs of the ugly. And despite its triumphant ambiance, V is one of the ugliest black metal albums of the year.

October’s The Lost Colony of Altar Vista is a more lonely and contemplative affair,3 reflected in its artwork of the same city at a grimmer low angle and in a filthier light. La Torture des Ténèbres’ punishing palette and caustic rawness remain largely the same, but the empty tinny melodies contrast to the decadent gloss of V. Paired with experimental samples stuttered from audio clipping and perverted by distortion,4 the tremolo-picked melodies atop subtle ambiance and silence are more abundant and dwell more in somber countenance (i.e. “The Reflection of the Moon in Her Skyline Eyes”), with more complete collapses of noise (“Allison”) and doomed piano (“The Axis of the Exaltation and the Fall of Venus”). The Lost Colony of Altar Vista basks in its forlornness, its relentless rawness a jagged and jaded vessel for fragile pain.

V and The Lost Colony of Altar Vista showcase both sides of La Torture des Ténèbres, streamlined with a propensity for vicious noise and flaying rawness. It’s completely unforgiving, painfully harsh, and alienating to even the most hardened black metal fans. It’s jaggedly pieced, tracks cutting off abruptly and samples seeming to have no relevance to the sound, but every element adds to the themes of dissociation of both the beautiful glimmer and filthy underbelly of this metropolis. Truly a thin glossy mask atop a horrific face.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Descent Into Suburban Hellscape,” “Phantoms Over Altar Vista,” “Allison,” “Spectres Over Altar Vista”

#2024 #AmbientBlackMetal #AmbientNoise #BlackMetal #CanadianMetal #ConnieFrancis #IndependentRelease #JillianBanks #LaTortureDesTénèbres #Noise #RawBlackMetal #TheLostColonyOfAltarVista #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM #V

Kalandra – A Frame of Mind [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By sentynel

Before festivals, I like to listen to at least a song or two for every band on the lineup I don’t know so I can optimize my schedule.1 When Kalandra came up as I prepared for ATG, I had to force myself to stop listening and move to the next band. “Folk/prog rock, really good, definitely see,” I wrote. This was an understatement. Their set was fantastic. Some bands just have presence. Through some combination of writing, musicianship, and the way they move, they step out onto the stage and everybody is immediately captivated. Kalandra is one of them. From their opening notes, they conjure something spellbinding… and then Katrine Stenbekk sings, and the results are something else.

Folk/prog rock is indeed the basis on A Frame of Mind. Acoustic guitars and strings play Nordic folk-inflected melodies. Electric guitars, distorted but rarely harsh, come in for the swells and crescendos. The instrumentation alone is great. The composition is consistently stellar. The use of, and transitions between, sparse and heavy movements are deft and surprising. Every song is beautiful and atmospheric. (Just bathe in the interlude track “Hytta,” for example.) But the real standout is the vocals. Katrine Stenbekk is incredibly charismatic and emotive. She flows from fragile to powerful, warm and folky to cutting, often within a single song. Live, she’s even better, as she’s also a great performer. This isn’t to say this is a one-woman show; her voice ebbs and flows with the instruments. Little musical twists reflect and reinforce the lyrics and stick in your mind.

A Frame of Mind tackles some heavy themes with an openness and occasionally bluntness that recalls GGGOLDDD, and this is a major contributor to its success. Opening track “I Am” is about generational trauma. “Are You Ready?” is a wonderfully creepy song about cult recruiting. The different perspectives are woven subtly through the music, and I adore how the song shifts as the narrator gets drawn in. “I Remember a Time” and “The State of the World” discuss, well, the state of the world, with a level of self-awareness that lands what’s ultimately a naively hopeful message in a bleak place. “Bardaginn” is perhaps the most straightforward, and heaviest, song on the record, with a great groove. It’s also written in Old Norse (helpfully with an official translation provided), about fighting on when it’s hopeless. It’s rare that I particularly care about the lyrics on a record, and it’s the interesting subjects combined with composition that actually works with the lyrics that pull me in here.

Kalandra are one of those bands where I wonder how I didn’t discover them earlier. Everything about them appeals to me, and their prior album The Line is also brilliant but had entirely passed me by. Fortunately, those of you who had also missed Kalandra need do so no longer. I cannot recommend A Frame of Mind enough. Clever writing, gorgeous atmosphere, moving themes, and the year’s best vocal performance make for a fantastic album.

Tracks to Check Out: “Are You Ready?,” “Bardaginn,” “The State of the World,” “I Am”

Show 1 footnote

1. There are two types of festival goers and the more vibes-driven type is baffled by this approach, but I don’t want to risk missing stuff like this. ↩

#2024 #AFrameOfMind #FolkRock #GGGOLDDD #Kalandra #NorwegianMetal #ProgressiveRock #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Haunted – Stare at Nothing [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Tyme

Despite my rabid proclivity for metal’s deathlier side, I have a soft spot for well-executed female vocals. As the metalverse has become exponentially more accepting of the fairer sex within its midst, I am happy to reap the benefits of this “it’s-about-time” evolution. The result has placed some infinitely talented musicians on my all-time list. Darkher‘s Jayn Maiven, for instance, is my favorite artist running right now, alongside Windhand‘s Dorthia Cottrell1 and Messa‘s Sara Bianchin all continue to leave their indelible mark on metal’s doomscape and my regular listening rotation. Is this a long-winded way of getting to the point of this piece? Perhaps. But it is essential as I add Christina Chimirri firmly to that list, who, along with her Italian cohorts in Haunted, released a sneaky good doom album, Stare at Nothing, in April, and it’s one of my favorites of 2024.

After sophomore album Dayburner dropped, receiving a mixed review here in 2018, Haunted disbanded and reunited with a fresh line-up the following year. During that brief hiatus, they went from a five-piece to a quartet, with Chimirri and bassist Frank Tudisco bringing new guitarist Kim Crowley and drummer Luca Strano into the fold. Still rooted in Black Sabbathian St. Vitus worship, this slightly leaner but meaner version of Haunted emerged with a new energy that breathes electrifying life into the songs on Stare at Nothing. Crowley’s guitar work, in particular, is mesmerizing. Whether she is laying down a hulkingly fat Windhanded riff (“Malevolent”), a slithering bluesy intro (“Garden of Evil”), or a fuzz-drenched solo (“Catamorph”) that pierces the heavier-than-thou haze with tons of seventies sensibility, Haunted‘s doom game is all the more deadly for her addition.

Like Atlas, Tudisco’s muscle-bound basslines and Strano’s monstrous drumming shoulder the weight of Crowley’s massive world of riffs, which, when combined with Carlo Longo’s warm mix and Esben Willems’ doom-heavy master, complete Stare at Nothing‘s impenetrable wall of sound. Spread over the top of this monolith like a lightly caressing death shroud are Chimirri’s lilting incantations. While Cottrell and Bianchin comparisons are valid, some Stevie Nicks badassery and Ann Wilson grit are at play in Chimirri’s vocal delivery, which tops the whole thing off like a perfectly placed cherry. Her performance unites all the pieces of Haunted‘s puzzle to a tee and will have you yearning for a well-worn leather chair in a cozy room draped with Persian rugs. A place where you can sit with a nice glass of whiskey and watch the swirling haze of incense and other smoky emanations intertwine with the sounds wafting from the speakers, washing over you in waves of fuzzy warmth.

It has not been a particularly good year for doom. And while 2024 has not been entirely void of quality—Crypt Sermon, Counting Hours and Endomos notwithstanding—the pickins have been pretty slim. I heartily invite you to check this Thing out because if you’re searching for something that will cave in your chest and crush your heart but bathe your dying body in angelic siren-song as you pass over to the other side look no further than Haunted‘s Stare at Nothing.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Catamorph,” “Garden of Evil,” “Potsherds,” “Stare at Nothing”

#2024 #DoomMetal #Haunted #Italy #Messa #RippleMusic #StareAtNothing #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #Windhand

Cave Sermon – Divine Laughter [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Thus Spoke

When I finally heard Divine Laughter, it was closer to January 2025 than it was January this year, when Cave Sermon released it. This temporal technicality turned out to be trivial because its brilliance was immediately obvious. Divine Laughter traverses death, black, sludge, post, ambient, and more, exploring further, and committing harder to mania—as I later discovered—than debut Memory Spear, which I also devoured eagerly. There is primarily just one person behind Cave Sermon, Aussie musician Charlie Park, and until now, the project was instrumental. Miguel Méndez’ vocals—with an impressively versatile, unhinged, and savage performance—are a perfect accompaniment to what appears to be Cave Sermon’s signature abstract and interpretive compositional style, channeling a kind of musical stream of consciousness that must be experienced to be understood.

To say that Divine Laughter is affecting would be criminal understatement. The lyrics alone are touching in a sense totally devoid of sentimentality, reflecting a singularly modern capitalist loneliness, a hatred of human apathy, and a guilt in one’s complicity. But it is the truly magnificent way in which Parks tells (and Méndez narrates) this story musically which makes it so arresting. It feels, at its core, refreshingly and exhilaratingly organic; vibrant and smart and true. Reprises feel like the returning edges of a persistent thought, percussion is as often a tech-death texture as a sludgy battering ram (“Crystallised”), or a vague tap in a noisy void (“Birds and Machines in Brunswick,” “Divine Laughter”); barks pitch upwards into howls in sudden gasps of the realization of some depressing, mundane, and fearful reality (“Liquid Gold”). Quieter moments of almost folky naïveté brush up against acerbic sludginess, alien synth, and the pseudo-chaotically mixed nuts and bolts of razor-sharp death and black metal with a facile deftness I’ve not heard outside of Vicotnik’s work.1

With so few words, how can I convey Divine Laughter’s mania? Comparisons feel stale. The through lines, like paint in abstract art,2 play with and subvert the expected course of a given genre’s template. Energetic black(ened death)3 (“Beyond Recognition,” “The Paint of An Invader”) comes as a thrillingly uneven rain of vitriol. Angular, dissonant extremity tumbles into echoing industrialism, or dizzy ambience (“Beyond Recognition,” “Divine Laughter”); sludgy death remains off-kilter and wild, while charging prog-death rhythms stumble suddenly, (“Crystallised”) and spiraling solos precipitate turns to gazey post (“Liquid Gold”), and every other influence on display. Though there’s a rawness and frightfulness about the relentless transformations of guitar, vocals, and tempo, the use of synths and atmosphere, they remain surprisingly alluring thanks to the powerful emotions bubbling up in subtle resurgences of themes. A lot of this has to do with Méndez’ incredible vocal performance, another lot are these tangled, gorgeous compositions. There are so many of these beautiful, cathartic rises of yearning, urgent melody, and many of them come with the unforeseen force of involuntary emotional reaction (“Beyond Recognition,” “Liquid Gold,” “The Paint of An Invader”), though multiple listens show their edges were presaged.

The only potential stumbling block for Divine Laughter I can concede, is the noisy, sample-spliced “Birds and Machines in Brunswick.” Transitioning into the rather terrifying opening to “Divine Laughter” with its almost Portal-esque bellows, its five minutes stick out perhaps a little too much from the rest. It’s clear that this is an experiment, taking place in a transition period for Cave Sermon. Given the excellence of everything else about Divine Laughter, it is very easy to forgive this trifle. I can truly say that no album—at least in recent years—has so instantaneously affected me, smashing down the doors of my musical perception, and settling deep in my soul. Cave Sermon may have received shockingly little recognition so far,4 but they will no doubt soon be a name on the lips of many in whatever strange sphere of metal we find ourselves in.

Tracks to Check Out: Every one except “Birds and Machines in Brunswick” is mandatory listening.

#2024 #AustralianMetal #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeath #CaveSermon #DeathMetal #DivineLaughter #ExperimentalMetal #PostMetal #SelfReleases #Sludge #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Sorcerer – Devotion [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Mystikus Hugebeard

French melodic hardcore act Sorcerer released Devotion all the way back in March, and I’ve been listening to it regularly since then. It made quite an impression on me in that time, but I feel it necessary to admit that the strongest impression left on me is the expression of the man on the album cover. Every punch his face has suffered stripped away another wall, revealing in turn indignation, sorrow, confusion, exhaustion, acceptance, and even a subtle bloodlust. It’s the face of a man lost in his world of violence, as senseless as it is inescapable, and Devotion paints a vibrant and unforgettable image of this violence.

One of the strongest aspects of Devotion is simply how great it sounds. Devotion is unquestionably hardcore music, but it’s much deeper and dirtier than most hardcore I’ve heard before. This isn’t to say the production is raw or anything. The guitars are crisp with a subtle buzz that shines during the heaviest riffs, and the bass has a hefty chug like it’s throwing its full weight around. What really sticks out for me are the vocals; hardcore music can live or die on its vocals, and I can comfortably say that Sorcerer’s vocalist is a cut above. He has a coarse, exhausted yell that sounds both professional and like a passionate newcomer screaming their voice to shreds. It’s a shockingly good vocal performance that sounds unhinged without losing control. The guest vocalists on “Fortress” and “In the Arms of Mortality” are both solid screamers, but I’d be lying if during their sections I wasn’t selfishly thinking to myself “alright yeah but bring back the other guy.”

The strength of Devotion’s sound allows the music to cut all the deeper, lending an unstoppable momentum to the riff onslaught. The strongest, heaviest sections aren’t imprisoned only to the breakdowns, allowing entire songs to be dynamic and memorable. There are standard thrashers like “The Eternal Grief” and “Devotion” if you want a quick fix of violence. Still, I love the more adventurous songs, like the seven-minute closer “Someone Else’s Skin” which closes on my favorite kind of escalating riffs with growing layers of noise. “The Bell Jar” is a crazy fun tune that cycles through tons of catchy ideas at a fast pace, and the massive opening verses of “Badlands” and “In the Arms of Mortality” are addictive. The aggression and energy is always high, but it feels focused on a single point; if I were to describe the spirit of hardcore music as the frenetic chaos that comes with the flailing of arms in a mosh pit, then the music of Devotion is targeted violence, focused into a singular, unstoppable beat-down.

At just over 30 minutes, Sorcerer’s Devotion is a slick and brutal album with violence in its heart and without any low points that I’ve been revisiting like clockwork for months now. It’s just the right kind of heavy that hits all the harder for how focused it is. I’d wager that the beefy guitar tone and stellar vocal performance might even convert some listeners who have never been all too into hardcore music. Or maybe I’m wrong, in which case Devotion will leave you lookin’ like the guy on the cover.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Badlands,” “In the Arms of Mortality,” “Fortress,” “The Bell Jar,” “Someone Else’s Skin”

#2024 #DelivranceRecords #Devotion #FrozenRecords #Hardcore #Mar24 #MelodicHardcore #Sorcerer #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Convulsing – Perdurance [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

If you’re not familiar with Australia’s Convulsing, you’ve likely been exposed to mastermind Brendan Sloan’s impact on underground extreme metal. Alongside serving as bassist/vocalist of Altars (beginning with 2022’s Ascetic Reflection), guitarist of cinematic post-rock act Dumbsaint, and one-man show behind dissonant death/black distortionist Convulsing, he has contributed in some way or another to acts like Greytomb, Cosmic Putrefaction, Defacement, Gonemage, and Nightmarer. Convulsing remains his flagship project, and after two excellent LP’s Errata (2016) and Grievous (2018) of consecutively higher praise and a fantastic split with Siberian Hell Sounds, we are finally met with a gem of dissonant death metal after a six-year absence, an iconic record and monolithic sound steeped in nuance and imbued with dynamics, contrast, and texture: Perdurance.

What makes Perdurance such a resounding and enduring success is its ability to attack with intensity and dissonance that outdoes the best of its genre-mates. Warped rhythms are graced with staggered riffs and blazing percussion, as Convulsing explores every nook and twist of a rhythm and melody until its inevitable conclusion is happened upon in tragic and fatal fashion. Dissonant leads are the guide of Perdurance, providing scenic vistas to punishingly heavy riffs while reminding listeners of the inevitable doom that awaits. Like this year’s Ulcerate, the devastation is beautifully nuanced and dynamics are secured, giving a sense of freedom, sentience, and lushness amid the relentless darkness and discordance. Tempo-abusing, blastbeat-wielding, and heavy as mountains, the more immediate offerings (“Pentarch,” “Flayed,” “Shattered Temples”) offer this weight in pulverizing chuggy progressions, with a lurking monstrosity and humanity beneath its processions somehow more mammoth than its ten-ton riffs.

Beginning with “Inner Oceans,” we are graced with Convulsing’s massive sense of crescendos and atmospherics. A slow burn guided by the leads, the riffs are explored more subtly and incrementally – leading to a sense of immense claustrophobia and suffocation. Beginning delicately and organically, the tracks warp and shift while constantly growing in size and intensity, leading to what feels like cave walls closing in. The organicity suggests a warmth unexpected in this breed of death metal, as lush progressions morph to menacing tones seamlessly (“Endurance”), while devastation and grandiosity are the killing blow for natural growths and crescendos (“Inner Oceans”). The episodic nature of closer “Endurance” is aptly climactic and cinematic, its different three-minute portions threaded together with lush and yearning progressions slightly twisted to uncanny valley’s version of the heartfelt, amplified by brief passages of clean vocals and punkish beats.

Perdurance shows that Sloan remains at the top of his game – Convulsing cements itself as one of the best offerings of underground extreme metal and death metal in general. The second you think you’ve heard a progression or passage before, Sloan distorts it with the precision of a mathematician and the ambition of a madman. It never neglects punishment or overstays its welcome, and every twist and turn feels beautifully executed and stunningly methodical. Even the cleanly sung bonus track Porcupine Tree cover “A Smart Kid” feels at home following “Endurance.” Reflected in its evergreen title, Perdurance represents an immortal statement in dissonant death metal and extreme metal in general: ceaselessly brutal, meticulously crafted, and indubitably iconic.

Tracks to Check Out:1 “Flayed,” “Inner Oceans,” “Endurance”

#2024 #Altars #AustralianMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #Convulsing #CosmicPutrefaction #DeathMetal #Defacement #DissonantDeathMetal #Gonemage #Greytomb #Nightmarer #Perdurance #PorcupineTree #ProgressiveDeathMetal #SelfRelease #SiberianHellSounds #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM #Ulcerate

Walg – IV [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By GardensTale

I tend to be wary of bands that release a new record year after year. Usually, this means the output is rushed and under-edited. But Walg is intent on bucking that trend, and their third record managed to worm its way onto my list last year. A duo from the northern Netherlands, Walg (meaning ‘disgust’) started off during the pandemic when multi-instrumentalist Robert Koning and vocalist Yorick Keijzer reconnected after playing together in metalcore band None Shall Pass. Instead of figuring out a sound first and recording music after, their philosophy seems more akin to ‘fuck it, we ball.’ But instead of the expected messy overblown demo, they started pumping out high-quality melodic black metal, and as IV demonstrates, this is not even their final form.

Now, admittedly, the duo’s production schedule is helped by two factors. One, as a studio project, they currently don’t need to waste time touring. Once they release an album, they can go right on to writing the next (V is already on its way!). But in addition, Walg isn’t reinventing the wheel here. This is straight-up melodic black metal, centered entirely on high-octane frosty riffs, drums that weave from blasting to galloping to more blasting, and impassioned, throat-ripping gargles. But what riffs! What blasts! What gargles! The guitars don’t stick to repeating the same measure four times; they build and evolve singular phrases into multi-part melodies. …and Oceans’ “Cosmic World Mother” was my song of the year in 2020, and here “Foltering” sounds like its more grounded second cousin with just as addictive a main riff. Keijzer puts everything in his vocal performance and his phrasing frequently includes desperate inflections reminiscent of DSBM styles, but he pulls off ICS Vortex style cleans just as powerful.

Though the frills are few, they help accent the individual tracks and make each composition stand out on its own. “Vuurdoop” sounds that much more epic thanks to a touch of symphonics, reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir’s older and more aggressive tracks. Folk touches like the hurdy-gurdy (or facsimile thereof) on “Speel Met Mij” and “Geen Einde in Zicht” add a welcome peat-bog earthiness. But the easiest to overlook is how much emotional pull the album carries. The riffs balance righteous fury with a sadness and longing, matched effortlessly by Keijzer’s raw performance. His clean vocals are used sparingly, but they really elevate the bridges of “Radeloos” and “Speel Met Mij.” The standout track, “Als een Korrel Zand,” sets the mood with acoustic guitars before matching the melody with trilling tremolos that hit the heartstrings hard.

Where other bands work on the road to recognition for many years, occasionally releasing a meticulously composed album, Walg is speedrunning their way to the top of the Dutch black metal scene. It’s almost frightening how easily the duo shits out killer track after killer track, not just technically proficient but containing variety and engaging songwriting and an emotional backbone. IV absolutely destroys; let’s see in a couple months whether V can top it!

Tracks to Check Out: ”Radeloos,” “Als een Korrel Zand,” “Foltering”

#AndOceans #DimmuBorgir #DutchMetal #IV #MelodicBlackMetal #NoneShallPass #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM #Walg

Cemetery Skyline – Nordic Gothic [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Steel Druhm

When members of Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, Omnium Gatherum, Dimmu Borgir, and Sentenced come together to record a Goth rock album, people take notice. That’s exactly what happened when Cemetery Skyline hit the streets this October with their Nordic Gothic debut. A project overflowing with talent, this Scandinavian collective stirred hopes for good things, and by and large, good things were delivered. Nordic Gothic is 100% pure Goth rock and it’s consistently earwormy and hard-driving with knowing nods to Sister of Mercy, The Cult, and Fields of Nephilim, as well as more metalized acts like Type O Negative, and To Die For. That means there’s just enough of a harder edge to offset the weepy Goth aesthetics and keep things bold and badass. That’s a big win for the sadbois!

With the always excellent Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity) on the mic, Nordic Gothic takes you from one hooky Goth rocker to another. Cuts like opener “Torn Away” and the excellent “In Darkness” suck you in to the album’s polished, dark mood, and huge ear candy numbers like “Behind the Lie” make sure you don’t get away. The level of writing and attention to detail is impressive and the whole package plays out like a sleek release crafted by Goth scene vets. The supergroup ensemble acquits itself very well along the way, creating gloomy, grey textures and backdrops for Stanne to paint on with his plaintive clean vocals. The album is blessed by a killer pair of opening cuts, but later tracks like “Never Look Back” and “Anomalie” also have strong legs and big hooks. I have the chorus of the former percolating through my brain at least once a day and I may need to consult a mental health professional if this continues. Lest they fall too far into olde Goth idioms, Cemetery Skyline throw some curveballs at the listener. “The Coldest Heart” sounds like Faith No More trying to mimic Type O Negative and its slightly jazzy swing struggles amusingly against its intrinsic Goth glumness. Even the mega-sullen, uber-morose 7-plus minute closer “Alone Together” hits the sadz bone and avoids feeling too languid.

Of course, the star of the show is Mr. Stanne. Completely removed from his death metal background, he spreads his wings and soars vocally, showing depth and versatility. He’s always been good at cold, Gothy vocal tricks but he elevates his game across Nordic Gothic and shows just how much he’s grown as a singer over the years. Markus Vanhala (Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium) finds the sweet spot between sulky Goth noodling and more forceful riffage. His playing provides ample Goth flavor but never entirely lets you forget that there’s a bunch of hardened metal maniacs behind it all. An excellent job by all involved.

Nordic Gothic is a great album for winter rumination. It will bum you out but rock your ass, thereby finding a near-perfect equipoise. It’s one of the rare “supergroup” projects that fully delivers on its promise and you’ll be impressed by how well these metal cats turn to emo soundscapes. If you love classic Goth rock, you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. If you aren’t a Goth-head, check it out anyway. It just might be The Cure for what ails you.

Tracks to Check Out: “In Darkness,” “Behind the Lie,” “Never Look Back”

#2024 #Amorphis #CemeterySkyline #CenturyMediaRecords #DarkTranquillity #FieldsOfNephilim #NordicGothic #OmniumGatherum #Sentenced #SistersOfMercy #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #ToDieFor #TypeONegative

To the Grave – Everyone’s A Murderer [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Thus Spoke

To the Grave are not fucking around anymore; not that they ever really were. Lyrically, musically, and visually,1 Everyone’s A Murderer is the Sydney outfit’s most brutal, no-holds-barred audial assault to date. Vocalist Dane Evans states that the intention was to be the voice of activists in the fight for animal liberation; “There’s no words, no lyrics and no music that can describe the violence or bring back the lives stolen by human hands so this is for them.” Everyone’s A Murderer isn’t angry, it’s apoplectic. So brimming with bile and blood you can practically taste it in every neck-snapping groove and juddering, pong-snare breakdown.

If you thought you had To the Grave pegged after Director’s Cuts, you’d be wrong. “Dead Wrong,” in fact, as that monster of a closer itself epitomizes. Most of the melodies have faded; gone are the more metalcore-influenced sung choruses, and much of the modern-sounding deathcore polish has evaporated. This more stripped-back approach works wonders for the record’s brutality, in message and medium. Fast riffs are meaner and slow ones uglier, with jerky squeals chucked in a rhythmic, thrilling angles. Vocals are more frequently on the low end of a growl, and when they dip back into a whispered (“TerrorMilitary”) or squealed style (“Vegan Day of Violence”) they’re the vilest and most vicious they’ve been. The drums are blessed with a gloriously thick, clanging tone that culminates in some lethal charges (“Set Yourself on Fire (In Public)”) and primal headbanging moments (“DxE or Die,”2 “Eight Four One Six,” “Dead Wrong”). This is everything To the Grave need to hammer their point home and use the remaining nails to pin your ears back and make you listen.

Deathcore has historically had a reputation for misplaced macho swagger, and To the Grave, here as ever, turn this on its head, jabbing a finger at the ordinary people supporting inherently violent industries, to which the theatrical guts, gore, and vengeance of To the Grave’s music can hardly hold a candle.3 Not only sporting some of the best track titles this year—”Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “Vegan Day of Violence,” come on—these songs are effortlessly invigorating and expertly executed.4 The way lyrics are delivered to the bang of beatdown percussion, and grit of ten-tonne riffs, is incredibly satisfying, whether gutturally drawled (“Dead Wrong”), venomously spat (“A Body for a Body”) or on one guest feature, belted out in song (“Eight Four One Six”). To the Grave have not lost their propensity for groove, and the rougher, rawer sound only makes these rhythms chunkier, more murderous, and much, much catchier—see “DxE or Die,” “Burn Your Local Butcher,” and “Dead Wrong” in particular. And it’s not all ignorant stomping either. Mixed into the massacre is technicality that makes for some truly gnarly moments of rabid flailing and aggression (“Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “Vegan Day of Violence,” “Made in Aus”).

While mainly a perfection of pitilessness, Everyone’s A Murderer grants the listener a little mercy. Instrumental “Gaschamber P.T.” divides the album into two with an ominous ambience that grows uplifting as it closes with an empowering message. The crushing grisliness of “Eight Four One Six”5 is split open by the guest cleans from Sophie Wilcher,6 culminating in a gritty, but sort of beautiful duet that again, amplifies the voices of the activists and the reason To the Grave are doing this at all.

The Venn diagram of vegans and deathcore enthusiasts may be small, so I understand if not everyone can share my joy. But if you occupy either side, even tangentially, you’d be a fool to miss this. Actually, fuck that; just listen to it anyway. With this blaring in your headphones, watch if you don’t march up to your nearest farm and set every captive animal free.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Set Yourself on Fire (In Public),” “A Body for a Body,” “Made in Aus,” “Dead Wrong”

#AustralianMetal #Deathcore #EveryoneSAMurderer #Hardcore #Metalcore #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #ToTheGrave #TYMHM #UniqueLeaderRecords

Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Carcharodon

If, like me, you’re a sucker for classic death doom and The Periapt of Absence is a Thing That You Did, in fact, Miss in 2024 then you’ll want to remedy that. Now. The second full-length by Indianapolis quintet Mother of Graves, it channels all those sweet, sweet sadboi vibes from early Katatonia, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, or even classic Swallow the Sun. Huge, melancholic riffs roil like cloudbanks, always shifting and subtly changing shape, but never less than grey and brooding. This façade of misery and loss seems appropriate, since a periapt, as all you D&Ders out there1 will know, is an item worn as a charm or amulet, meaning that the band is presenting a physical representation of absence and loss. And boy can you feel it. Whether it’s the keening, drawn out guitars that open the title track, or the sonorous keys that launch “As the Earth Fell Silent,” on each track Mother of Graves drink deep of their torment.

As Grymm—who’s fast becoming a feature of my TYMHM pieces this year—observed in his review of Mother of Graves’ debut, Where the Shadows Adorn (2022), the influence of the Peaceville Three (and other 90s death doom stalwarts) is so strong here that it’s almost hard to believe you’re listening to a new band. As Grymm also opined, however, that is neither a putdown nor a suggestion that Mother of Graves are simply aping what has gone before. If that was true of Where the Shadows Adorn, it goes doubly for The Periapt of Absence, which marks a significant step up in quality for an already very good band. For all that they lean into that classic sadboi sound, Mother of Graves should be thought of as the heirs to that scene, rather than imitators of it. From the graceful incorporation of the keys (Brandon Howe) and strings, which at times recall Clouds, to Don E.’s excellent drumming, the songwriting feels fresh and vital, for all the heart-wrenching loss on show.

For a band this early in their career, Mother of Graves display not only incredible songwriting skill but also confidence. The backbone of their sound is Howe’s deep, tortured roars, which are both rich and crushing, paired with the bright guitar harmonies (Ben Sandman and Chris Morrison) that dance playfully around him. However, not only does this description suggest there is some element of levity or hope to The Periapt of Absence, but it also undersells the rest of what the band does. Their willingness to stop on a dime, mid-blast beat and drop down into delicate synth and organ work (“Apparition”) or to tease with stripped-back, percussive guitar lines and stark keys (back third of “As the Earth Fell Silent”), shows that Mother of Graves is willing to take some risks to evolve. Where Grymm bemoaned the lack of smooth build-ups or progressions on Where the Shadows Adorn, this thing is like quicksilver. It flows, thick and viscous, its gleaming surface belying its deadly depths. From the ponderous slow burn of opener “Gallows,” through the delicate, percussion-free first half of “A Scarlet Threnody” to the thunderous closer “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame,” which draws on early Opeth, the record is killer start to finish.

With Dan “the Fucking Man” Swanö back on mastering duties, The Periapt of Absence sounds gorgeous and I can find absolutely nothing to complain about on the sound front. Every element of Mother of Graves (including Corey Clark’s strong work on bass) exactly where it should be, each having room to breathe and complement everything else, with nothing dominating, nor going AWOL. This is so rare that it deserves an extra call-out. I really feel I’m struggling to do justice to what Mother of Graves have achieved with this album, which will undoubtedly occupy a high spot on my list. Suffice to say, if you like any of the many classic influences I’ve cited, but want a fresh and bold take on them, you need The Periapt of Absence in your life.

Tracks to Check Out: “Shatter the Visage,” “As the Earth Fell Silent,” “Upon Burdened Hands” and “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame.”

#2024 #AmericanMetal #Cloud #DeathDoom #Doom #Katatonia #MotherOfGraves #MyDyingBride #Opeth #ParadiseLost #ProfoundLoreRecords #SwallowTheSun #ThePeriaptOfAbsence #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Blazing Eternity – A Certain End of Everything [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Steel Druhm

In a year where I excessively obsessed over low-IQ, unevolved death metal, a few special albums shook me from my brutish ape froth and made me appreciate beauty and melancholy. Counting Hours did it, and this little unsung gem from Denmark did it too. Blazing Eternity saw a pair of releases in the early aughts and then vanished into the ether. They reformed in 2024 and dropped an album very different from the alt-goth-rock heard on 2003s A World to Drown In. Instead, A Certain End of Everything follows in the exact footsteps of my much beloved Rapture, very early Katatonia, and Slumber, with bits of Insomnium and Enshine sprinkled over the frosted tear flakes. In the process, Blazing Eternity finds a sound sure to hit the sadboi heartstrings and bring you the gift of unhappiness just in time for the holidays.

Though hardly offering a new take on the style, these Danes know how to wring all the misery juice from it for maximum heartache. Opener “One Thousand Lights” is over 7 minutes but every second is steeped in such exquisite morositude that you’ll wish it was longer. It captures everything I loved about Rapture and currently love about Counting Hours and it’s in the running for my Song o’ the Year. The weeping, trilling leads, the harsh but downcast vocals, the forlorn noodling, it’s all so glorious! It reminds me of “A Tear From a Beast” from Autumnal’s 2014 opus and that’s very high praise. The title track is equally grand and sullen, doomy and full of icy emptiness. Depressing guitar work seeps grief into your bone marrow and there’s no joy in this void of despondency. The chorus will stick in your soul and form a lasting sorrow reservoir. Fun stuff, right?

One could argue the album is one-note and that note is relentlessly grey and depressive, but that’s true of anything in this genre. There are no weak songs and there are sufficient variations in tempo and vibrancy to prevent everything from devolving into a morass of malaise. “Your Mountains Will Drown Again” has a Goth rock vibe and calls to mind the more upbeat material from Lake of Tears. Closing movement “The Bells” also spikes the energy level just enough to wake up the fast-twitch muscles while submerging you in a frozen Finnish lake. Morten Lybecker is adept at crafting soul-killing leads and harmonies full of forlorn gloom and decorating them with pretty but hopeless trilling, making everything feel like it leads to a funeral. There are some truly beautiful moments captured here (I’m especially taken with the piece beginning at 4:31 in “The Bells”). Vocalist Peter Mesnickow delivers the majority of his lines in a harsh rasp quite like that of Henkka J. Villberg of Rapture which works perfectly with the material.

A Certain End of Everything is sadboi Goth metal done very well. I’ve been returning to it all year and it’s proving to be a great listen on cold, bleak winter days. Blaze of Eternity caught lightning in a frozen bottle here and you should get yourself some of these negative emotions. Only through enjoying of deep sadness can we attain true happiness.

Tracks to Check Out: “One Thousand Lights,” “A Certain End of Everything,” and “The Bells”

#2024 #ACertainEndOfEverything #BlazingEternity #CountingHours #DoomMetal #Enshine #GothicMetal #Insomnium #Katatonia #MightyMusic #Rapture #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Labyrinthus Stellarum – Vortex of the Worlds [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By GardensTale

Black metal and outer space are an excellent match, playing off the cold, cruel, and distant properties they both share. Bands like Arcturus, Mesarthim and Mare Cognitum have explored the reaches of the galaxy in their own ways. But the newest forerunners of this particular niche come from an unlikely background. Brothers Alexander and Misha Andronati, 24 and 17 years old respectively, launched Labyrinthus Stellarum back in 2021 and have persisted through the rain of bombs and shrapnel that’s since descended on their hometown of Odesa, Ukraine. Vortex of the Worlds is their second album, and it has made weekly returns to my spaceship comms ever since I first heard it back in April.

Labyrinthus Stellarum plays a brand of melodic black metal infused through and through with synthesizer magic, piping futuristic trance through aggressive metal assaults. Taking care of lead melody and atmospherics alike, the versatility of the keys and their expert implementation are the shining stars here. There are traces of pre-hiatus …and Oceans, as well as Mesarthim. But Vortex of the Worlds is more organic and atmospheric than the former, yet more concrete and grounded than the latter. Abandoning the screams and guitars would still leave you with an awesome science fiction soundtrack, something that would not be amiss in a Metroid game or No Man’s Sky. But the rhythm guitar, intelligently programmed drums and Alexander’s raw scream combine with the bleep-bloops into a more sinister spectacle, ready to summon unknowable beings from across the universe.

The addictiveness of Labyrinthus Stellarum is down to a level of songwriting far beyond the founders’ years or experience. Every single hook is an absolute banger, from the bouncy blips of “Transcendence” to the quirky split-ascending hook and explosive hard trance of “Interstellar Wandering,” and the lonely echoing melody that sketches a deep space melancholy of the title track. Each of the 6 tracks feels wholly unique, even if some compositional tricks lean towards overuse (the ‘nothing but the synths with an underwater filter’ bridge occurs at least once per song). “The Light of Dying Worlds” is grand and ominous, the soundtrack to Elder Gods tearing down reality, which contrasts with the pulsing nightclub vibes of “Downfall” which outlines an unholy combination of cyberpunk and cosmic horror.

With a tight 37-minute runtime, the album is devoid of fat, even in the longer compositions. The production is slightly woolly, but once I got used to this, it actually feels fitting for an album on the suffocating horrors of deep space. With every spin, Labyrinthus Stellarum amazes me more. The artists are young, their circumstances are harsh, yet the sophistication, eye to detail, and compositional excellence are absolutely out of this world. Vortex of the Worlds leaves you wanting more as soon as the last note fades.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Transcendence,” “Downfall,” “Vortex of the Worlds”

#AndOceans #Arcturus #LabyrinthusStellarum #MareCognitum #MelodicBlackMetal #Mesarthim #SelfReleased #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM #UkrainianMetal #VortexOfTheWorlds

Hypoxia – Defiance [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Maddog

In a year where most death metal gems have come from well-established acts, Hypoxia carries the torch for the underground. Hypoxia caught my eye by advertising two ex-members of Monstrosity: both bassist Michael Poggione and vocalist Mike Hrubovcak appeared on 2007’s Spiritual Apocalypse and 2018’s late-career highlight The Passage of Existence. Along with the likes of Morbid Angel and Immolation, Monstrosity played a critical role in wooing a high school Maddog into death metal. Name-dropping them was bound to grab my attention, especially as Hypoxia’s third full-length Defiance promised girthy vintage death metal riffs. Defiance delivers that and more.

Brief bookends aside, Defiance doesn’t waste a moment. Hypoxia’s mastery of riffs covers both quality and quantity. Defiance comprises unabashed worship of Florida death metal, blending the crunch of Morbid Angel’s Domination (1995) with the shapeshifting stampede of Monstrosity’s In Dark Purity (1999). Some songs rise above the rest, with “Bleed for Blasphemy” and “Scorched and Skinned” both boasting candidates for riff o’ the year. But duds are nowhere to be found, as Hypoxia collars me with both their slower chunky cuts and their waltzy choruses. Defiance lays down colossal riffwork even when you least expect it, like during the melodic solo of “Drowning in Darkness” and the somber midsection of “Black Omens.” Meanwhile, Defiance’s tinges of slam are frequent enough to add swagger but rare enough to avoid eye rolls. While Defiance feels like a mild OSDM overdose despite its 37-minute runtime, it’s a powerful example of an often-underwhelming style.

Hypoxia’s largest similarity to Monstrosity lies in its sneaky complexity. Defiance’s songs evolve at will, with “Pathway to Charon” deftly jumping among a grab bag of OSDM bangers, an explosive chorus, and a late-arriving riff that jams fierce death metal into a surprising proggy rhythm. Similar rhythmic variations help Hypoxia’s catchy choruses stand out even amidst airtight verses. None of these ideas are rocket science, but they distinguish Hypoxia from the cluttered death metal underground. Mike Hrubovcak’s (Monstrosity) vocals sit high in the mix and add fearsome emphasis throughout, like the “sing”-along-able chorus of “Agonized Asphyxia.” The key to Defiance’s success is that every one of its artistic leaps is in service of raw death metal fun. For instance, the opening highlight “Bleed for Blasphemy” uses In Dark Purity-style rhythmic adventures and an infectious extended chorus as vehicles to cram ten minutes of riffs into under four minutes. There is no senseless wank here; every creative risk on Defiance aims to club your ears harder.

“Scorched and Skinned” has served as my morning alarm for the last nine months, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I tried Kryptos, but that just left me laying in bed smiling. I tried Wormed, but that turned me into a chronic snoozer. I tried Selbst, but that turned my dreams into nightmares. Defiance isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s such a well-executed slab of death metal that I don’t care. Hypoxia scratches a primal itch. That’s good enough for me.

Tracks to Check Out: “Bleed for Blasphemy,” “Pathway to Charon,” “Scorched and Skinned”

#AmericanMetal #DeathMetal #Defiance #Hypoxia #Monstrosity #MorbidAngel #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Amiensus – Reclamation: Part 1 [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Thus Spoke

Amiensus really blessed us this year. Their fourth and fifth full-lengths dropped as the two parts of epic Reclamation. Each a beautiful work of art of their own, together, they’re a shining example of progressive black metal, an emotional and music journey of truly Homeric proportions. But it is towards the former of the pair, Reclamation: Part 1, that I turn here, my esteemed spongefren Kenstrosity having given Part 2 its deserved praise elsewhere. The heftier brother—at nearly an hour long—the magnificent breadth of Amiensus’ stylistic prowess is here on still greater display. If the whole of Reclamation were represented by the seasons, then Part 1 is Summer into Autumn, and Part 2 Winter into Spring. Starting in a golden light of innocent reverie,1 Reclamation Part 1 grows ever darker as it moves through impassioned waves of bittersweet yearning to an ellipsis of solemnity for Part 2 to triumph over with harsh, and then cathartic intensity.

Much like its twin, Reclamation: Part 1 is beautiful in more ways than one. The grace with which Amiensus weaves together cello and guitar melodies; pair warm, heartfelt cleans with savage roars; and turn atmospheric introspection into blazing blackened assertiveness, is nothing short of magical. Tempos that trip from a patient sway into a galloping frenzy, or ecstatic dance, only to settle into a whispering of cymbal taps, are the final layer in this tapestry, finalizing the stirring power of meticulously-crafted compositions. Imperceptibly, little drum beats and cascading riffs send you soaring through an anthemic chorus (“Blink of the Moment,” “Spoken into Will”), or a wonderful intermingling of uplifting refrains, passionate screams, and gazey singing (“Reverie”). You might be floating on the calm waters of delicate strings or plucks, and mellow melodies only to be launched into a stormy sea as percussion hammers and those strings twist and writhe to accent the suddenly urgent guitars (“A Consciousness Throughout Time,” “Vermillion Fog of War”). Or things may be truly still, and so it is the most moving of all as the soundscape gently builds (“Sun and Moon”).

Part 1 is so emotionally affective in part because of how masterfully the elements are intertwined. Not one transition between screamed or sung vocals, or shift from peace to turbulence, ever feels artificial; not one cathartic release of thematic tension is overwrought. Though melancholic and introspective at turns, Amiensus infuse the music with a kind of wistful naïveté that makes me personally simply feel joy. “Sun and Moon” makes it to the higher rankings on my Songs of the Year list largely due to its embodying this innocent poignancy so perfectly, led by a gorgeous, rippling melody. But no song is devoid of that magic, even the harshest moments have been touched by some harmonious and intricately-layered beauty.

And while some may call it indulgent, Part 1’s lengthier runtime allows not only the songs themselves, but the emotions they express, more room to breathe. It pairs well with the way that tracks bleed into one another, further enhancing the sense that this is one complete journey. And it feels half the length it is. Reclamation—Part 1 in particular—is an album that having sat with for most of a year, I can confidently say marks Amiensus’ crowning achievement thus far. And if somehow, even after Ken‘s review, you haven’t experienced it yet, go now and find what’s missing from your year-end list.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Reverie,” “Sun and Moon,” “A Consciousness Throughout Time”

#2024 #AmericanMetal #Amiensus #BlackMetal #MTheoryAudio #MelodicBlackMetal #PostBlackMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Reclamation #ReclamationPart1 #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM

Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Dear Hollow

Is the hype surrounding Knocked Loose legit? Making (perhaps unwanted) waves with that “arf arf arf” breakdown in “Counting Worms” and waking babies, and “being woke,”1 with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with collaborator Poppy, the Kentucky group is getting its fair share of backlash and praise in equal measure. It’s easy to approach You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To in this light, but the novelty is merely a facet of the album. In many ways, the act’s third full-length is a continuation of 2016’s bruising Laugh Tracks or 2019’s sludge-inflected A Different Shade of Blue, but an altogether more mature and heftier affair. Yes, Poppy’s witchy shrieks and haunting croons appear in a breakdown buildup in “Suffocate” and Chris Motionless from Motionless in White rears his Gothy nu-metal head in “Slaughterhouse 2,” but beneath the radio-friendly gloss is an album dedicated to tragedy and grit.

As always, Knocked Loose balances its appropriately suffocating beatdown hardcore instrumentals with a three-prong vocal attack, helmed by the feral shrieks of Bryan Garris.2 Featuring frantic Converge-esque choruses (“Thirst,” “Piece by Piece”), mammoth breakdowns (“Don’t Reach for Me,” “Blinding Faith,” “The Calm That Keeps You Awake”), and their novelty pieces of guest vocalists add a refreshing change of pace to what could have been a monotonous meltdown. Alongside Garris’ unmistakable vocals, guitarists Isaac Hale and Nicko Calderon lend guttural roars and hardcore fry vocals respectively, injecting a jolt of white-hot energy to songs like “Thirst” and “Don’t Reach for Me.” While Knocked Loose theoretically approaches You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To with a traditional beatdown template a la Gideon and Bulldoze, its brutality and intensity are felt through every movement.

You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To features a skull-crushing breed of hardcore, but nuance is added when Knocked Loose embraces the haunting – a hum cutting through the relentless storm. Utilizing eerie leads and instrumental stillness, evocative lyrics of homesickness, desolation, and meaninglessness are enacted with musical allegory. Tracks that utilize this more contemplative aura (“Moss Covers All,” its sequel “Take Me Home,” “Sit & Mourn”) reflect the solemnity of their titles and the eeriness of the album art in a pummeling yet haunting approach reminiscent of last year’s The Acacia Strain, reflecting a deeper and more tragic intention beyond the mindless hardcore beatdowns. Buried beneath the blastbeats and frantic vocals lies an existential weight tied to its lyrics, the recurring theme of unearthing roots and dismantling family patterns is accomplished mightily through these tracks, further bolstered by tasteful samples.3 You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is more than just mindless intensity.

Yes, Knocked Loose is here to kick your teeth in, but it’s not as simple as a senseless hardcore beatdown punishment. You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is a multilayered album, easy to dismiss due to its Octane Radio-friendly novelty in “Suffocate” and “Slaughterhouse 2” or its mind-numbing chugs and breakdowns strewn with reckless abandon, but it incorporates just enough haunting experimentation and heartfelt lyricism to give purpose to the punishment. Undoubtedly a divisive release this year, but Knocked Loose balances blind aggression and thoughtful flourishes like a steel-toed boot to the throat in a dense forest at night. So watch your back.

Tracks to Check Out: ”Suffocate,” “Take Me Home,” “Blinding Faith,” and “Sit & Mourn.”

#2024 #AmericanMetal #Bulldoze #Converge #Gideon #HardcorePunk #JudyPerkins #KnockedLoose #Metalcore #MotionlessInWhite #Poppy #PureNoiseRecords #RexAllen #TheAcaciaStrain #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM #YouWonTGoBeforeYouReSupposedTo

Brodequin – Harbinger of Woe [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Kenstrosity

One of the earlier purveyors of brutal death, Tennessee trio Brodequin, established originally in 1998 and put on hiatus in 2008, reunited in 2015 after a seven-year break. Jan Van Lugtenburg filled in the percussive void in 2016 for a few years, ultimately tagging out for Brennan Shackelford in 2020. Rounded out by founding brothers Mike (Guitars) and Jamie (Bass, Vocals) Bailey, Brodequin worked diligently on crafting their fourth brutal assault of groovy death. Harbinger of Woe is the result, and it might very well be the best thing they’ve put to tape so far.

Brodequin embodies a certain niche of brutal death that recalls the ways of olde, yet remains timeless in their hands. Treading similar ground to long-standing acts like Disgorge, Defeated Sanity, and Mortician, Brodequin swing way harder into the straightforward, no-nonsense, and grinding groove whose sole purpose is bodily harm. Unlike some of their peers, who decorate their monoliths with progressive experimentation, slimy slams, or technical wizardry, Brodequin min-maxxed their sharp hooks skill tree. With Harbinger of Woe, Brodequin unleash a rare album that isn’t doing anything new, nor is it attempting acrobatic feats of songwriting to challenge the genre or its fans, yet it feels fresh and exciting simply for being an unfuckwithable example of the style.

Even so, Harbinger of Woe offers small deviations from the brutal template that help it stand out. “Theresiana” piques my interest immediately with an unexpected dalliance with Gregorian chants. How that fits in with subterranean gurgles and a guitar tone most closely resembling steaming hot asphalt pouring into my ear, I can’t explain. Yet, it fits perfectly. Elsewhere, Brodequin integrate the kind of buttery smooth transitions that I sooner associate with more melodic acts’ output than this unrelenting violence. “Fall of the Leaf,” album highlight “Of Pillars and Trees,” “Maleficium,” and “Suffocation in Ash” make traditional brutal death sound almost ebullient, boasting grin-inducing grooves and bouncy trem-picked embellishments that get my booty shaking on reflex. Stitching the album together across a lean and mean thirty-one minutes, Harbinger of Woe unloads a metric ass-ton of riffs and percussive runs that defy the law of diminishing returns. Many, if not all, of Harbinger of Woe’s tracks sound cut from the same shank of flesh, but Brodequin constantly rearrange their shared anatomy with such grotesque, mutagenic creativity that each iteration feels like a whole new kind of monster (“Diabolical Edict,” “Vredens Dag”).

In the end, this mad science of mercilessly rearranging Harbinger of Woe’s DNA makes for an unqualified success. Without requiring a wide cross-section of influences or techniques, Brodequin extracted remarkable variety from what is, in essence, a surprisingly limited toolkit. Not the result of inexperience or a lack of ideas, Brodequin’s restricted matrix feels intentional. Instead of showcasing unlimited skillsets, Brodequin pared down, perfecting each and every element to is peak form. Then, they stitched them together in the only sequence that makes sense.

Best of all, it takes no time to recognize and appreciate that level of perfectionism. For something so filthy and gritty, Harbinger of Woe is staggeringly accessible and immediate. At the same time, I never tire of it, and it only gets better with age. Simply put, Harbinger of Woe is the product of flawless execution. Don’t miss it!

Tracks to Check Out: “Diabolical Edict,” “Theresiana,” “Of Pillars and Trees,” “Maleficium”

#2024 #AmericanMetal #Brodequin #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #DefeatedSanity #Disgorge #HarbingerOfWoe #Mortician #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024

Gigan – Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Maddog

Back in the early 2010s, Gigan wooed me with their lovably absurd album titles, like 2013’s Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery and Super Science. Luckily, Gigan had the musical chops to back it up. Their distinctive blend of brutal death metal, skronky technicality, and alien atmospheres made me a cult megafan. Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus interrupts a seven-year silence, and the only staffers thrilled about its arrival were myself and Alekhines Gun. In retrospect, this is understandable; AAI is a weird album by a weird band, and it’s unlikely to win over anyone who isn’t already so inclined. While Gigan’s newest is a lot to chew on, it offers a great glimpse into why I’ve stood gaping for over a decade.

If Mithras is Morbid Angel in space, then Gigan is Wormed in space. Eric Hersemann’s guitars lay the foundation, playing Defeated Sanity riffs at an Archspire pace. However, in its melodies, its composition, and its production, the album is foremost an atmospheric journey, not a riff-fest. Hersemann’s guitar and bass lines sound otherworldly through their dissonance and sudden transformations (“Erratic Pulsitivity and Horror”). Eschewing simple song structures, Gigan’s uneasy odysseys take several focused listens to make any sense. Straying from the genre’s typical clinical production, AAI opts for a reverb-laden wall of noise that resembles a muddled Mithras. This remains my biggest gripe, as the album’s cloudy guitar sound untooths its impressive melodies. Conversely, AAI’s highlight might be its drumming. Nathan Cotton’s world-class performance excels in its raw technicality, its frenzied evolution, and its cockpit role in the album’s ebb and flow. But most of all, it wows through its raw humanity. On highlights like “Trans-Dimensional Crossing of the Alta-Tenuis,” the attention to detail in Cotton’s performance shines through every beat and can only be described as beautiful. While that word isn’t common in brutal death metal reviews, it’s a testament to Gigan’s singular sound.

Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus is a wild journey. Gigan steamrolls the listener with brutal riffs, appealing to idiots like me without devolving into idiocy themselves (“Square Wave Subversion”). On the other end, Gigan’s skronky adventures are grand slams. The latter half of “Trans-Dimensional Crossing…” blends light-speed brutality with Morse Code guitars that remain the album’s highlight, while “Emerging Sects of Dagonic Acolytes” captivates me with The Velvet Underground-style chaos. Armed with bulletproof melodies in their right hand and chaos in their left, Gigan’s compositions feel like Lovecraftian narratives. Most strikingly, the shrieking melodies and distorted drum-led chorus of “The Strange Harvest of the Baganoids” evoke visceral terror for the plight of those poor Baganoids.1 Gigan fares less well when they sacrifice riffs for amorphous meanderings, especially on longer tracks (“Emerging Sects…”). But when AAI wields riffcraft and atmosphere in unison, it stands unmatched. For instance, the closer “Ominous Silhouettes…” wows with what sounds like a Deeds of Flesh riff being played by a depressed Martian, leading into dual-guitar screeches à la Pyrrhon. Engrossing and ever-evolving, Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus immerses the listener in its saga.

While snippets of Gigan bear the signatures of other bands, no one else has ever made music like this. Although its bloat and its muddy sound hold it back, Gigan’s comeback is a rewarding specimen of their unconventional brand of brutal death metal. Dissonant, brutal, grimy, and alien, Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus is tough to digest even for the Gigan-initiated. Ears shall be split, brows shall be furrowed, and poseurs shall be (strangely) harvested. Few will survive. But those that do will have quite a story to tell.

Tracks to Check Out: “Trans-Dimensional Crossing of the Alta-Tenuis,” “The Strange Harvest of the Baganoids”

#2024 #AmericanMetal #AnomalousAbstractigateInfinitessimus #AtmosphericDeathMetal #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #DeedsOfFlesh #DefeatedSanity #DissonantDeathMetal #Gigan #Mithras #Pyrrhon #TechnicalBrutalDeathMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheVelvetUnderground #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM #Wormed

A Swarm of the Sun – An Empire [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

By Carcharodon

“Imagine the best parts of Katatonia, Anathema, My Dying Bride and Agalloch all submerged into a minimalist post-metal miasma, so thick not even the faintest ray of hope can penetrate.” This is how Steel Druhm invited us to envisage Swedish joy vampires A Swarm of the Sun, in his review of their second album, The Rifts. That review introduced me to A Swarm of the Sun and to that list I might add the claustrophobic, stripped-back sorrow of NONE. Despite being unflinchingly beautiful, The Rifts and its successor, The Woods, blanket and suffocate you, so that when you emerge after … well, a period of time that’s extremely hard to gauge, you feel like you’ve been underwater, holding your breath longer than is comfortable and you surface, gasping for air. A Swarm of the Sun’s fourth LP, An Empire, is no different.

Talking to Grymm about An Empire, he said, in that way he has of cutting straight to the core of things, that it’s “incredible how gorgeous it is.” He’s not wrong and, to be honest, I could have left this write-up of A Swarm of the Sun’s latest symphony of depression there. But, perhaps, I should attempt a long-form descriptor of why it’s so gorgeous. As with all previous outputs from Jakob Berglund and Erik Nilsson, the record feels like a single living composition, that moves, flows, and breathes. So, while it technically comprises six tracks, there was really no point in subdividing it, other than to label different movements within the whole. An Empire is not a record you pick a favorite track from to add to a playlist. The movements, spread over 71 minutes, range from sparse, haunting fare (“This Will End in Fire”) to heavier, post-doom (parts of “The Pyre”) and even mesmeric drone (title track). But separating it into its constituent elements somehow diminishes the album, while also failing to convey what it is.

As A Swarm of the Sun wend their way through An Empire, they build layer upon sunless layer. Speaking about the album, the band said that one early direction, when writing it, was to develop the album’s instrumentation purely in terms of texture, and you can hear that. As the instrumentation—which includes everything from guitars, piano, and a variety of organs, through to synths, harmonium, musical saw, and trombone—develops, the textures are so rich, even in the album’s starkest moments, that you can almost bite into them. Consistent across the piece is Berglund’s distinctive crooning, which has a fragile, reedy, Billy Corgan-like (Smashing Pumpkins) quality, but one which is always threatening to crack with emotional strain. For the most part, this is set to stripped-back, ponderous keys, delicately plucked strings, and minimalist percussion falling somewhere between drone and the most post of post-metal.

However, while Berglund’s voice feels like a thread to clasp hold of across An Empire, there are extended instrumental passages to A Swarm of the Sun’s sound, which feel every part as emotive. The heavier, doom-adjacent parts of 18-minute epic “The Pyre,” which are the closest thing to metal on An Empire, build for so long that you’re almost unaware of them, until they break over you like a wave. At which point it’s as though a valve has blown and all the pent-up pressure is released. Similarly, the rumbling drone, breathed into being by the dying gasp of a long sustained note from Berglund, which forms a chunk of the title track feels every bit as much a part of An Empire as the delicate keys that open “Heathen.” It would be easy to underestimate the songwriting skill and confidence that it takes to craft an album like An Empire. But its very simplicity is its haunting, despairing magic.

“It’s incredible how gorgeous it is.” – Grymm.

Tracks to Check Out: No, I’m not doing this, you’ll listen to the whole goddamn thing and you’ll bloody well cry like I did!1

#ASwarmOfTheSun #Agalloch #AnEmpire #Anathema #AvanteGarde #DoomMetal #Drone #Katatonia #MyDyingBride #None #PelagicRecords #PostDoom #PostMetal #SwedishMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2024 #TYMHM