NINE (ish) SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM AUG 13 – AUG 19

Things are beginning to settle on the life front, leading to the first post being actually published on Saturday in who knows how long. Might be temporary, these things tend to be, but, whatever. Luckily this all happened to transpire just as some of the best music of the year got released. Hope all is well with you, thank you ever so much for my Patreon supporters who continue being awesome for no apparent reason, and take care.

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1. Wolves in the Throne Room – "Twin Mouthed Spring," from Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge (Atmospheric Black Metal – Relapse Records). No choice but begin with the absolute legends, who announced a new EP this week. Apparently there will be two new tracks and two industrial-esque tracks. Very curious to hear what that might sound like, but I feel like already with this first single there's a very nice refreshing almost-industrial touch. The keys sound almost Summoning-like, and the production is almost too slick, but in a very pleasant, inhuman way. It just sounds and feels cool, in a detached, mechanical way. Love it. Also might be my favorite cover artwork by them since Diadem. FFO: Summoning, and, you know, Wolves in the Throne Room.

2. Claret Ash – "Invocation of the Dream Weavers," from Worldtorn: Anemoia (Melodic Black Metal – Hypnotic Dirge Records). Speaking of majestic black metal EPs, Australian band Claret Ash is back with a fantastic new release that has to be some of the best "black metal" black metal I've heard this year. Ruthless and pretty at the same time, and just otherworldly in its feel and execution. This makes me think of all the wonderful melodic black metal of the late 90s early 2000s, in the best possible way. Wonderful. FFO: Wyrgher, Starer, Blood Abscission.

3. Ôros Kaù – "Nephtys," from Thanatos (Black Metal – I, Voidhanger Records). The black metal behemoth born from the breath of the mighty Czlt (eptunian Maximalism) is (finally) back with an absolute crushing followup to their absolutely crushing debut, Imperii Templum Aries. Chaotic, slightly dissonant, and absofuckinglutely raging black metal, full of twists and turns and, mostly, with the feeling of being slowly suffocated by a black velvet pillow. So GOD DAMN good. This is some AOTY shit. FFO: Skaphe, Wormlust, Inferno.

4. IJdelheid – "Look At All We Lost!," from Alas, I Am Morbid! (New Wave/Folk – Onism Productions). The shimmeringly beautiful solo project from Ruben Wijlacker (Grey Aura) is back, the follow up to last year's delightful debut. The new single is absolutely wonderful, and makes me think of artist such as Sigur Rós or some of the best of the 2000s wave of melancholy pop (I'm thinking here of projects such as Active Child or How to Dress Well). Amazing. FFO: How to Dress Well, Sigur Rós, Perfume Genius.

5. Dead Neanderthals – "Necrology," from Specters (Experimental – Utech Records). The tireless inhuman force that is the DNEU (Dead Neanderthals Expanded Universe) continues to unleash music madness unto the world, in a quest to finally collapse our prefrontal cortex and turn us all into animals. Here, in the form of a new album/EP from these Dutch masters of self-hypnosis and destructions, that sounds exactly like you need it to: The music blaring from the abandoned broken stereo systems after the apocalypse. So fucking awesome. FFO: THE END OF THE WORLD.

6. Outer Heaven – "Rotting Stone / D​.​M​.​T.," from Infinite Psychic Depths (Death Metal – Relapse Records). Well, looky looky. To those who may remember, Outer Heaven were high on the death metal hype ladder about five years ago, mostly thanks to their stunning debut, Realms of Eternal Decay. They were mentioned alongside other up-and-coming (at the time) death metal bands such as Blood Incantation or Tomb Mold And then they kind of vanished into nothingness, showing their faces once every while with either some live stuff or covers. Which makes this new album not only the long-awaited followup, but the first real bunch of new stuff in those long five years. And boy was it worth the wait. Beat-you-down-with riffs death metal of the highest order. FFO: Undeath, Blood Incantation, Tomb Mold.

7. Geist – "Panic Addicts," from Blueprints to Moderate Sedation (Hardcore/Metal – Independent). Speaking of amazing bands who haven't released in a while, U.K. metallic hardcore assassins Geist are finally back with their first release in four years. And if the first single is any indication (and it is) it's going to murder you with pissed-off riffs and insane everything. A punch to the chest, the good ole fashioned way. FFO: Nails, Incendiary, Harm's Way.

8. Kommodus – "Chariots of Frost," from Wreath of Bleeding Snowfall (Black Metal – Independent). The absolute black metal miracle of Kommodus released a new record last month, but I was too blind with stress and moving shit and reconsidering my future and not sleeping to notice. Now that I HAVE noticed, it might already be my favorite by the project, which is saying a whole lot considering their previous (and debut) full-length is basically a modern black metal classic. As ruthless and as tasteful as it comes. FFO: 

9. Malokarpatan – "Ko​č​á​r postupuje temnomodr​ý​mi d​á​lavami na juhoz​á​pad," from Vertumnus Caesar (Trad/Black Metal – Invictus Records). I mean, OK. I'm going to let y'all in on a trade secret here: 100 percent of the writing I do for these weekly posts is done as I'm listening to the songs themselves, live as it happens. And so, that's exactly what I'm doing now, listening to a new track off a new album from one of my absolute favorite modern metal bands, ever. And what I'm feeling is this: "Oh, right! This is still, Malokarpatan! The best at this shit!" And so, I don't want to talk about influences or progression or how this track – within seconds – retraces the absolute magic of Nordkarpatenland (AOTD alert), I just want to express my gratitude at being alive when Malokarpatan are allive. FFO: Being alive. Also, probably Funereal Presence or something.

BONUS: Gruzja – "Od Przedszkola Do Okopa" (Post-Punk/Black Metal – ??). So, this is one of those weeks where I couldn't narrow that shit to nine tracks. And one of the main culprits of that situation is the emergence of another favorite band, the Polish miracle that is Gruzja. And in true Gruzja fashion, I only know there's an album coming in October, but don't know the title or who is releasing it (though Godz ov War is a solid bet). What I do know is that they remain one of the most idiosyncratic and wonderful things on planet earth, and that you would have known about them had you read the very first post I did in this weird series, in October of 2019. Fun fact, that was also the time I wrote about Geist mentioned above and, in a somewhat related fashion, Vukari, who will be mentioned below. Time flies. Do you know who else flies? Gruzja. FFO: Flying.

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: I mentioned Białywilk (Vukari reference here!) are releasing an album, and failed to mention that the first single was in fact hiding in plain sight for a while now on their Bandcamp.

TWO: The great Wolvennest released a new single from an upcoming album, which sounds pretty awesome. 

THREE: I've never heard about this album by Philippine outfit Dagtum until I saw it mentioned somewhere this week, and it's pretty fucking crazy. Dissonant death metal supreme.

FOUR: Keep safe y'all.

FIVE: The WIZARD Caio Lemos (Kaatayra, Brii) released another album of his pretty synth project Bakt.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: Sentient Ruin are releasing physical media of this ruthless Abhorrency album, released in 2021. Holy hell. Talk about wall-of-noise delight.