It is the final month of the summer, and we have some tunes here that invoke the affirming (at least for some, although I detest the heat and I am not among them) spirit of this time. The sleazy tones of Demiser’s Slave to the Scythe delivers the black/thrash goods with its high-octane energy, and the Kaiju-themed approach of Oxygen Destroyer swaps out the black metal ferocity for death metal weight. Staying with the guitar as the focal point, Ink & Fire offer a clinic for off-kilter playing and searing intensity. On the other end of the sonic spectrum, Mamaleek descend into experimental depths to unearth a midsummer oasis, and the volcanic interests of Phenocryst’s death metal raise the temperature.
Still, there is much here that makes the sky darken. Concrete Winds and their pummeling black death, the old-school death metal of Vile Rites, and the deviancy of Horns & Hooves are among them. But, the deeper darkness comes from the adventurers. Kashaiof’s overarching amalgamations, Endon’s intense noise, and the droning, dark ambient collaboration between Mark Solotroff and J.R. Robinson hail the return to darker times. That and much more, so dig in! – Spyros Stasis
Contents
Concrete Winds – Concrete Winds (Sepulchral Voice)
Risen from the ashes of death metal stalwarts Vorum, Concrete Winds have turned up the intensity to 11. Their debut record, Primitive Force, set the standard for Mikko Josefsson and Jonatan Johansson to move into the primal ferocity of the black/death space. Their third, self-titled full-length, continues to drill down to the boundary between the sonically palatable and utterly disgusting. The echoes of Blasphemy and their crazed guitar work see “Infernal Repeater” lose complete control. It is a nightmare scenario that comes to full form with “Demented Gospels” and takes on a more militant form, channeling the likes of Diocletian in “Systematic Degradation”.
Still, in this juxtaposition of black and death metal, Concrete Winds make a more prominent move toward the death metal side. The guitar work calls upon Morbid Angel’s early days, establishing a connection to the Angelcorpse’s hatred (“Hell Trance”). That leads the way down the grindcore path, and indeed Concrete Winds’ energy is derived from the Repulsion opus, Horrified. “Daylight Amputations” follows this chaotic approach, while the punk lineage is only a step away in the erratic lashing of “Virulent Glow”. It is a move that allows Concrete Winds to play around with off-kilter ideas. Industrial notions appear not simply as outros (“Hell Trance” and “Pounding Devotion”) but as fundamental parts of the track structure.
“Subterrean Persuasion” is a standalone moment that uses this mechanical touch, forcing a contradiction between its rigid form and its chaotic evolution. The cherry on top completes another devastating work from Concrete Winds, neatly packed in just under half an hour. – Spyros Stasis
Demiser – Slave to the Scythe (Blacklight Media / Metal Blade)
Demons, flaming swords, scythes… Demiser’s artwork on their sophomore record, Slave to the Scythe, has everything you would expect from a respectable revival of black/thrash. Thankfully, so does the music. Staying on the path set by their debut, Through the Gate Eternal, Demiser offer an energetic, tongue-in-cheek ride through 1980s heavy glory modernized for our times. On the surface, Slave to the Scythe worships Sodom’s early days, relishing the schizoid lead work and the exhilarating progression. But, Demiser don’t isolate themselves in that sonic space. The record’s polished sound is the first sign that something else lurks therein.
Soon enough, the thrash ideals begin to morph. Alterations arrive, traversing the speed metal scene (“Phallomancer the Phallomancer”) or descending to the eerie black metal depths, echoing with the glory of early-day Bathory (“In Nomine Baphomet”). Hook after hook, the sentiment is made obvious. Demiser connect the thrash sound not so much to its punk aggression but to its heavy metal lineage. Instead of thrash’s crazed solo work, Demiser take a cue from classic heavy metal unleashing melodic gems that carry the legacy of Diamond Head and Angelwitch. Similarly, their progression is informed by Motorhead’s rock ‘n’ roll spirit by way of Venom, which provides high-octane energy to “Carbureted Speed”. In that way, Slave to the Scythe is a more refined side of the genre, but it still delivers all the goods. – Spyros Stasis
Endon – Fall of Spring (Thrill Jockey)
Endon released, in low-key fashion, two of extreme music’s great works in the 2010s. Mama and Through the Mirror are astounding records of far-reaching creativity, blending noise, black metal, screamo, and hardcore to deliver an assault to the senses. 2019 found Endon calibrating their sound toward the powerviolence revival in Boy Meets Girl, which took away some of the earlier magic. Their follow-up, Fall of Spring, finds them in a strange place, having been reduced to the trio of Taichi Nagura, Koki Miyabe, and Taro Aiko, following drummer Shin Yokuta’s departure and the tragic loss of Taichi’s brother Etsuo Nagura.
In the same way that Boy Meets Girl focuses on a point of origin, so does Fall of Spring. In this case, it is noise, industrial, and power electronics. Endon leave behind the traditional rock instrumentation and dive into the meditative fields of “Prelude for Hollow” as the unearthly chants appear over a post-industrial backdrop. It is the calm before the storm, and it is easy to see how it connects to the hellscape that arrives in “Hit Me”. Repetitive beats meet with fiery distortion, a hammer that mercilessly beats down on an anvil, mirroring Hospital’s extreme offerings. The vocals pierce through the wall of sound poignantly and prepare for the descent to the lower depths of abstract sonic terrorism. “Times Does not Heal” is erratic, leaving behind the anchor of percussive elements and lashing out without warning (even if it lulls you with some minimal electronica lure).
The epic closer “Escalation” feels like the deconstructed form of compositions from Endon’s earlier period. It combines tribal percussion, harsh noise, and brutal industrial beatdowns to complete this excruciating sonic annihilation. Fall of Spring, like Boy Meets Girl, is a meditation on purpose. And while it is an enticing ride, the underlying question remains. Will this introspection result in a return to the previous, fully-fledged form? – Spyros Stasis
Eye Eater – Alienate (Independent)
Excellent debut from the yet unsigned New Zealand outfit Eye Eater, who mesh progressive and dissonant death metal with deathcore elements and djent tropes reminiscent of Gojira and the like. While the style is not revolutionary, the songwriting and execution on Alienate are on point. They jump from slamming segments of technical death metal that thrash everything in their path to slower but higher waves of grooves and sludge attacks. – Antonio Poscic
Gråt Strigoi – The Prophetic Silence (Fiadh)
Gråt Strigoi see black metal as something malleable, an amorphous entity that the beholder can manipulate and adjust. For their fourth full-length, The Prophetic Silence, the Glaswegian act took its time. Three years in the making, it departs from their hectic schedule of releasing a new record every year. The result shows that a more meticulous process has taken place, allowing their sound to cover much ground. It all starts at the point of origin, where the black metal eeriness takes over in “Remembrance”. This aspect carries much history, going as far back as the dark visions of Emperor, through the progressivism applied by A Forest of Stars and Ashenspire, to the early Cascadian hermitage of Wolves in the Throne Room. “The Sacrifice” and “For the Blood Made Ruins Pt. I” continue within the same scope but move toward the early post-black metal sensibilities of Deafheaven.
This combination of the atmosphere and unyielding spirit dwells in dark corners. Dissonance and brutality perform a relentless assault in “Upon the Darkest Entry We Dream”. Yet, at the same time, Gråt Strigoi open up atmospheric pathways. It can be something as simple as a clean guitar, but then again, it can be an involved ambient interlude. The ambient explorations can be subtle, as with the ending of “Remembrance” and the start of “The Sacrifice”, but the latter becomes enamored with a heavy industrial setting. It is a harsh affair that pierces through with repetitive beats and noisy synthesizers before blossoming into its doom-laden progression.
Gråt Strigoi’s black metal then transforms, the heavier manifestation reaching for a funeral procession à la Bell Witch for “I, The Beholder” and “For the Blood Made Ruins”. It is the final touch on a multi-faceted work, and it finds Gråt Strigoi at their finest. – Spyros Stasis
Horns & Hooves – Spectral Voyeurism (Invictus / Stygian Black Hand)
Horns & Hooves are enthralled by the decadence that both the proto and early black metal aspects conjured. Their discography is filled with visions of perversion and debauchery, highlighted from the cover to Morbid Lust, and completed with their debut full-length I Am The Skel Messiah. Their new EP, Spectral Voyeurism, is a distilled and potent version of the same vision, starting with the malicious black/thrash assault of the title track that brings in memories of Bathory’s first era. The direct lines to thrash are nicely pronounced, the solo work relishing the crazed fascinations of Slayer.
Still, the inverted ideas of Necromantia by ways of Negative Plane and Cultes Des Ghouls take over. The riffs of “Waiting for Creation” and “Dust” produce waves of obsidian darkness, where Horns & Hooves reveal their triumphant character. This “waste not” mentality brings so much to mind the aforementioned pioneers. Divulging into melodic pathways is no taboo for the band, who produce catchy lead work within the confinements of the genre (“Waiting For Creation”). Neither do they shy away from exploring the atmospheric, either with synthesizers or vibraphones or some old-fashioned acoustic guitars. This ability to combine the primal aspect of the Bacchian with an otherworldly (verging on the hellish) quality always works for Horns & Hooves, and it is not about to stop now. – Spyros Stasis
Ink & Fire – Emblazoned Visions Yield Eternity (Death Prayer)
Losing sight of melody inside black metal’s textural form is easy. Even Austere’s excellent hooks get this grainy application, blurring beautifully through layers of distortion. But, for someone like M.K. this is not an issue. Ink & Fire’s debut, Extinction of Spirit, is a testament to the solidity of the electric guitar, and it continues with the band’s sophomore Emblazoned Visions Yield Eternity. From the get-go, the playing is erratic yet coherent. A hectic and sui generis approach unfolds, gaining tremendous momentum as the faster drumming of “All Tales Galivant” and “Infinite Hammer of Fate” settle in.
There are moments when the descent to traditional black metal pathways is necessary. The title track passes through this realm, but the earlier triumphant character captures the ear. In this mode, Ink & Fire traverse substantial ground and blur the very foundation of their sound. At times, the melodies pick up the ecstatic side of folk music (“Gestures of Endearment” and “To Fall”) before surfing through contorted traditional metallic lead work (“Let Us Proceed”). They then reach for a Celtic Frost-ian attitude before they dive into, until that point, the dormant, punk attitude of “Astute Wreckless Abandon”. At first listen, Ink & Fire might appear nothing out of the ordinary, but a closer inspection reveals the abundance of riches that hide beneath. – Spyros Stasis
Kashaiof – Days (Orthodox)
Like their previous outings, the latest album by Eyal Bitton and Itzik Gil Avizohar as Kashaiof straddles the line between dark ambient, power electronics, industrial, and noise but doesn’t quite fit in any of these neatly defined drawers. Instead, the duo’s music is a spectral amalgamation of styles: an oblique sonic shape observed in peripheral vision. Rather than concrete songs, their pieces are fragile, like ephemeral electroacoustic sculptures, and the sort of sound artists such as Mexico City-born, Berlin-based Mario de Vega might build up and destroy during their performances.
The tracks and styles on Days transform into each other in gradual, sometimes imperceptible fluctuations, moving from the crashing waves of “Gravity” to the crunching, swirling noises governed by breathless rhythms on “Pyrite”. Elsewhere, the droning, murmuring, and fluttering surface of “Grace” swallow everything that came before it, whether it’s the plaintive chants and uncomplicated drone of “Clay” or the concentrically expanding tremors of “Galena”. This is the sound of a crumbling reality. – Antonio Poscic
Mamaleek – Vida Blue (The Flenser)
If you go into any record by San Francisco experimental outfit Mamaleek —but especially their latest release, Vida Blue—with an expectation of conventional song structures and easy-to-follow musical threads, you’ll have a bad time. The saner way to approach each of the nine songs presented on their tenth LP is to embrace their idiosyncrasies at face value and think of them as self-contained non-linear narratives akin to miniaturized versions of the mind-bending postmodern fiction by Thomas Pynchon or William Gaddis.
King Crimson-esque flutes and expanding string textures are pushed to the side by bumping metallic grooves. At once old-timey and modern, a whistling whirlwind ushers flickers of funky yet discordant avant rock into a cave that echoes with heavy dissonance and deranged screams. Threateningly caustic spoken word in the best tradition of Captain Beefheart transforms into a gorgeous piano arpeggio, dissipates into ghostly atmospherics, then reassembles itself as a contemporized new wave, Ariel Pink-like strut. Finally, it all ends with a Mr. Bungle-inspired party. None of it makes sense, yet all of it does as moods become stories on some deep, unconscious level. Created in memory of the band’s late keyboard player, Eric Livingstone, Vida Blue encapsulates all the unknowable chaos and uncertainty of simply being human. – Antonio Poscic
The Mercury Impulse – Records of Human Behavior (Independent)
The debut by Wrekmeister Harmonies’s JR Robinson and Anatomy of Habit/BLOODYMINDED’s Mark Solotroff as the Mercury Impulse is a tormented yet irresistible take on noise, drone, experimental electronics, ambient, and all the sepulchral spaces in between by way of analog synths and electric guitars. The latter instruments are unrecognizable, of course, as Robinson and Solotroff extract an array of impossible effects from them, then process their meat into slowly pulsing, razing, grating, all-consuming soundscapes.
This is apocalyptic music of a nihilistic, suffocating atmosphere woven around an unyielding dynamic core, constantly pushing harsh textures in all directions, forcing them to collapse unto themselves. They re-emerge as even more jagged, abrasive shapes—dark metallic towers lacerating the skies and sirens plaguing the ground beneath. Guaranteed to be more torturous and sonically and psychologically punishing than any pure metal record you’ll hear this month. – Antonio Poscic
Missouri Executive Order 44 – Salt Sermon (Learning Curve)
Missouri Executive Order 44 bring in memories of the early days of screamo. Their debut record, Salt Sermon, is a rampage packed in 15 minutes, aiming for the same direct payoff that Chaos Is Me and This Is Medicine delivered a quarter century ago. The abrupt force is undeniable, reaching for a chaotic notion of catharsis through the crazed progression of “Wear Me Like a Mitt, Romney”. Even then, they can still outdo themselves, maniacally blasting away and increasing the pressure as they alternate between blastbeasts and modified D-beats in “I Would Kill Anyone For You”.
Still, Missouri Executive Order 44 cast a wider net. The chaotic hardcore progressions of “Let’s Jump a Cowboy Together!” and “Christian Pornography” bring to mind Cursed’s off-kilter machinations, especially in their sense of angst and brutality with the “The Built a Bass Pro Shop in Our Zion”. It then naturally allows the underlying noise rock notions of “The Unbuckling” and its rhythmic extensions in “Seven Is a Holy Number” to shine more brightly. It also lights the way for the apocalyptic sense that the industrial implementations of the title track bring in. So, in blazing fashion, it completes the glorious revival of early screamo glory. – Spyros Stasis
Oxygen Destroyer – Guardian of the Universe (Redefining Darkness)
Bombs whistling through the air as they fall on unsuspecting heads. Earth-shattering explosions. Pained screams. From the ashes, pumping death-thrash metal buzzes to life. While Oxygen Destroyer’s themes draw from the world of kaijū—the group’s name an allusion to a Godzilla-killing weapon—the sheer, relentless brutality of the US extreme metal group’s music feels painfully representative of our genocidal present.
Across nine ruthless tracks, the quartet draw from black, thrash, and death metal to concoct startlingly vicious and bombastic music, weaving groaning black metal riffs through a city in flames on “Eradicating the Symbiotic Hive Mind Entity From Beyond the Void” and unleashing minigun-like barrages of blast beats and high rev, seesawing riffs on the death metal juggernaut “Awaking the Malevolent Destroyer of the Heavens and Earth”. Harrowing stuff. – Antonio Poscic
Phenocryst – Cremation Pyre (Blood Harvest)
Phrenocryst’s obsession with volcanology became prominent with their aptly titled debut EP, Explosions. In that instance, the death metal of Phenocryst reverberated through the raw production, giving an overall impression that the Portuguese band subscribed to the type of black/death hailed by Grave Miasma and Lvcifyre. Still, beneath some of the rumble, a different beast lurked, its grand inclinations waking in moments like “Craters”. Phenocryst’s debut record, Cremation Pyre, flips this perception, moving this latent Bolt Thower-inspired theme to the forefront. The vigorous start of “Pinnacle of Death” and “Embers of an Ancient Fire” provides both the powerful melodic component and the graphic representation. It is death metal defined by momentum, which naturally feeds into the polemic nature of “Pyres of the Altar” and “Fogo Nas Entranhas”.
In this warlike theme, Phencryst naturally incorporate Incantation’s sluggish and patient take. The infernal components of “Volcanic Winter” feed into the grand, melodic presence. It also acts as a portal toward devastating pathways, as with the switches between mid-tempo stampede and annihilation in “Astonishing Devastation” and the furious drum performance of “Incandescent Debris”. Topping it off, Phenocryst descent to more elusive gateways with their guitar work. Not overtly psychedelic, but with a hint of something otherworldly, they imbue their compositions with a sense of mystery and menace. It makes Cremation Pyre an excellent starting point guided by the spirit of the past but, at times, lets its influences take over. Once they have figured out how to balance between the past and their identity, they will be a force to reckon with. I am confident that the moment will come soon. – Spyros Stasis
Pneuma Hagion – From Beyond (Everlasting Spew)
Clocking under 25 minutes? Check. William Blake artwork on the cover? Check. In the eternal balancing act between black/death, does death metal come out on top? Check, and we threw away the scale. The third Pneuma Hagion full-length, From Beyond, sees the Texas act follow the same formula. The mid-period influence of Morbid Angel drives this ceremony, the evilness of the guitar work seeping out in “The Temple Fires” and the Domination-level brutality does not ease up in “Aeon”. It is an inescapable structure, modernized for the times and embracing some additional components. The groove of Incantation steps in for “The Light of Long-Dead Stars ” and the Immolation malice adds unpredictability to “Lurking Beyond Time and Space”.
Much like its thematic influences, From Beyond is an entity in this reality but not of this world. The Lovecraftian mythos, coupled with gnostic notions, is mirrored in the unpredictability and versatility of the compositions. Like the great old ones, Pneuma Hagion’s tentacles are endless, and their movements are difficult to follow. They can produce moments of heavy, modern groove (“Resurrected Abominations”), but then they attack with the precision and rapidity of a modern-day Gatling gun (“All Worlds Enslaved”). This entanglement of modes crafts what is another dense and bulldozer of an album from Pneuma Hagion. – Spyros Stasis
Spectral Wound – Songs of Blood and Mire (Profound Lore)
Montréal’s Spectral Wound continue their strong run of albums that started back in 2015 with another superb serving of melodic black metal that is as musically flowing and deeply stirring as its themes are sardonically biting. The opening “Fevers and Suffering” is the most typical Spectral Wound song here, with riffs that blaze as if they were doused in gasoline and lit on fire, while an army of shrieks-cum-growls, grumbling bass lines, and frenetic drum patterns rushes through the infernal tornado. Dissection and Vreid come to mind while listening to cuts like these, but neither band ever sounded so unshackled and urgent.
Elsewhere, they toy with a newly discovered sense of groove on the deliciously named “Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal” and find a swaying, swinging swagger on the huge sounding “A Coin Upon the Tongue”. Around 40 minutes in length, Songs of Blood and Mire is paced just right: long enough not to leave any ideas underdeveloped and short enough to feel like an acute attack on the senses. – Antonio Poscic
Teeth – The Will of Hate (Translation Loss)
Leaving behind their debut record’s sludge components, Teeth produced one of the stellar works of 2010s dissonant death metal in Curse of Entropy. What was so different with Teeth is that they manage to distance themselves from the defining sound of Ulcerate by tapping into a chaotic style of playing without over-the-top nuances. Still deeply technical and complex, but somehow different. While their new record, The Will of Hate, still holds this position, it lacks some of the urgency that elevated Curse of Entropy.
Discordance still defines the proceedings, casting a long shadow over the opening track “Blight” and creating waves of disharmony in “Loathe”. Here they find some of the Deathspell Omega spirit, conjuring eerie notions in “Pray”, and contrasting these with a sweeter melodic tone in “Shiver”, “Apparition”, and especially “Devour”. The technical aptitude shines, with Teeth’s blunt perspective cutting through the atmospheric notions of dissonant death metal. In that sense, they appear quasi-straightforward in “Prison” or the traditional death metal-informed “Churn”, but it is all a facade.
The difference between the covers of Curse of Entropy and The Will of Hate can be viewed as a parallel to their musical differences. On one hand, there is the crazed demiurge, tearing itself apart and putting it back together. Contrarily, the amorphous predator of The Will of Hate spirals through infinite darkness, reveling in its vastness. The return of some post-metallic notions reminisce of Teeth’s sludge past (“Writhe”) but do not replace the immediacy and Curse of Entropy’s furious spirit. The Will of Hate follows a different trajectory, and while it is a solid piece of work, it feels like the Teeth’s final transformation is not yet complete. – Spyros Stasis
Vile Rites – Senescence (Carbonized)
Unlike the rest of the old-school death metal bands featured in this (and pretty much every other) edition of the column, who submerge themselves in proper sewer vibes and filthiest atmospheres possible while keeping things structurally simple, Santa Rosa’s Vile Rites play a significantly more intricate yet fluid take on the genre.
There are only six pieces on their debut Senescence. Still, each of them—minus the rainy ambiance intermezzo “Ephemeral Reverie of Eroded Dreams”—demonstrates a keen sense of fusing progressive tendencies with the grooving, enveloping doom-death aesthetics of bands like Novembers Doom or early-day Katatonia. Emerging from the massive, Morbid Angel-indebted riffs and ripping cosmic death metal rays of “Only Silence Follows”, they grow into the swirling progressions and dissonance of “Shiftless Wanderings”, then fade out with a slab of bluesy doom in the vein of YOB and meandering guitar solos on the gorgeous “Banished to Solitude (Adrift on the Infinite Waves)”. – Antonio Poscic
Vomitrot – Emetic Imprecations (Personal)
Vomitrot’s sophomore album, Emetic Imprecations, brings to the table some of the nastiest and viscerally most stimulating death (and doom) metal of the year. Similarly to the majority of vomit-themed groups—there are surprisingly many! Funeral Vomit, Witch Vomit, Vomit Remnants, et cetera, et cetera—the Swedish trio play a particularly gnarly take on old-school death metal but do so with ultimate gusto and unexpected twists and turns in their pummeling pieces.
From the dissonant brutality of opener “Envomited” and the black metal inflection of “Emtophilic Cro-Magnon” to the rising doom formations of “Gomorrahian Excrement” and the Autopsy evoking closer “Vomitous Execrations”, the band remain committed to their nauseating bit. Throughout, regardless of the exact mixture of death, black, and doom metal elements, they layer hellishly anguished growls on top of scuzzy, acid-dripping tremolos that could cut through monoliths and wobbly blast beats for, frankly, gorgeous effect. Arm yourself with antiemetics and dive in. – Antonio Poscic