NINE SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM JUN 11 – JUN 17
Once I move my entire apartment of the last almost 17 years and once I come to terms with the absolute havoc lack of sleep and stress of smearing all over my face (mixed metaphor) I will write a proper intro. Until then: KEEP SAFE.
As always, check out my various interview projects and other cool shit. And if you'd like to keep abreast of the latest, most pressing developments follow us wherever I may roam (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and now also a tape-per-day series on TIK TOK!), and listen to my, I guess, active (?) podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple), and to check out our amazing compilation albums. You can support our unholy work here (Patreon), if you feel like it. Early access to our bigger projects, weekly exclusive recommendations and playlists, and that wonderful feeling that you're encouraging a life-consuming habit.
1. Innumerable Forms – "The Fall Down," from The Fall Down (Death Doom – Independent). One of the best death doom bands around returns with a pretty magical surprise EP/demo that has the feel of actual death doom, the kind recorded in Brooklyn basements in the early 1990s or some raw nasty shit of that order. Their second full length released last year was really great, but the added gruff and demo-like feel of this is basically everything I need in music and life. Awesome. FFO: Winter, diSEMBOWELMENT, Unholy.
2. The Holy Flesh – "Herald and Adversary" (Psych Black Metal – Independent). Speaking of fantastic artists who transcend this mortal coil by making magic out of that same coil, the incredible U.K. psych black metal band The Holy Flesh are back with what might be a wonderful standalone single, but which I actually hope is the first sign of a new album to come. The kind of metal that feels recorded in a dungeon, but not the kind with rusty chains but the one of weird manuscripts and vials filled with salamander's blood. Awesome. FFO: Oranssi Pazuzu, Mamaleek, Tribulation.
3. Brahmashiras – "Devil Dance," from Brahmashiras (Black Metal – Caligari Records). A pleasant slab of direct, punk-y black metal in this debut EP from Russian project Brahmashiras (Брахмаширас). Aggressive, pointy, succinct black metal that has kinda-sorta of a ritualistic vibe, but really just emphasizes raw riffs, nasty vocals, and a pretty incredible drum sound and feel. Cool shit. FFO: Devil Master, Midnight, Hellripper.
4. Svrm – "I," from ... а смерть ввійшла у тебе вже давно (Atmospheric Black Metal – Independent). Shifting from Russia to Ukraine, finally some new music from site-favorite svrm. Not a whole album, though perhaps that is to be expected given the terrible circumstances, but very much appreciated. Svrm always sounds like galloping over an open field in winter and you're cold and wet but yet somehow covered in a warm blanket. So, these two tracks are like that too. So pretty. FFO: Mare Cogitum, Ultha, Afsky.
5. Trhä – "mon tlen haoqhar i gonem tënno," from Trhä // Μνήμα (Black Metal – Independent). Yes, yet another Trhä split. In fact, this week saw the release of two new splits from the enigmatic black metal machine. The other one was OK, but this was with Greek project Μνήμα is fantastic, especially this track right here. Like one of those romcom montages of a couple falling in love and laughing at the beach, only with agony and heartache. So pretty. FFO: Sadness, Lamp of Murmuur, and, ah, Trhä.
6. MSRBLFLR – "тоска́" (Everything Metal – Independent). The French ambassadors of absolute chaos are back with their annual gift of metal-laced dissociation in the form of a long track the effect of which is akin to cardiac mid loop de loop. If you have yet to sample this little cesspool of weird then do so at the earliest convenience. FFO: Plebeian Grandstand, Frontierer, Mastery.
7. Blut Aus Nord – "The Endless Multitude," from Disharmonium – Nahab (Atmospheric Black Metal / Post Black Metal – Debemur Morti Productions). No one needs a "review" of the new BaN track from me, or, really, from anyone else. Just listen to it. What I will say, in a perhaps digressive manner, that I just think it's pretty amazing that BaN were once to me the most obscure band I listened to and now, after years of burrowing into music and meeting more and more people who love them, they have basically become the Metallica of underground niche black metal. Not to say that they got bigger, that's not my point, but more like I had my flashlight beaming on them only until I started to swivel it around and see just how big the very small room was. It's cool, I think. FFO: Shut your face.
8. Abhasa – "४," from १ (Ambient Black Metal – Engraven). This part of the post is about me being ahead-my-time brilliant and also kind of a dumbass. Ahead of my time since I wrote about Abhasa's 2020 release way back in – YES – 2020, which is the ultimate testament to my music-finding prowess. Dumbass since I did not figure out until this very week that Abhasa was basically the members of the (brilliant and hugely underrated) Forlon Aspect. It's like they say people, never meet your heroes, especially if you yourself are your own hero. FFO: Black metal Explosions in the Sky.
9. Commuted – "The Permanent Solution," from The Obsession with Lessening Death (Disso Black/Death – Independent). A very excited new dissonant-type amalgam of death and black metal from Maine, with one sick-ass logo, might I add, and a band name that seems to indicate long train trips to work in the morning. Crushing, raw, menacing, and has all the makings of being the kind of band y'all will be VERY into once they release a whole album of these kinds of tracks. FFO: Portal, Hissing, Mylingar.
FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ONE: Blood Coloured Beast, the Albanian black metal label also about to release the new Odz Manouk, released one hell of a compilation of absolutely crushing stuff a while back. More than worth your time.
TWO: Jason Oberuc, who plays the drums for the perfect Suffering Hour, but who also seems like a genuinely awesome dude, has gotten some bad news on the health side of things and could appreciate your help. Give what you can, if you can.
THREE: A new Decoherence album is coming. Yes.
FOUR: Again out of energy, but with the slight possibility of a glimmer of light at the end of the shit tunnel. Stay tuned.
FIVE: The always wonderful Vlad Shusterman of Cruel Wonders and Sleep's Sister lore released a new solo synth type deal, and it rules, if you're into that type of thing. It's called Fallen Astronaut.
ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: Love Bialywilk's brilliant debut and want it on tape? Go to Vita Detestabilis.
