NINE SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM AUG 20 – AUG 26
This week's post (the second straight on an actual Saturday, fuck yeah!) comes as a tribute to one of my favorite all-time writers, the magnificent Yoel Hoffmann, who passed away recently. If there's one thing about the music I love, often, it's that elusive sense of freedom you get from the best forms of art. That not only is everything possible, and not only are you not obligated to follow any line, but that weird shit that just seems to be randomly secreting from strange-and-yet-human minds is an unstoppable force of inspiration. That just letting your thoughts take the shape they take, somehow, if lucky, approximating the shape of who you are is the best anyone can do. RIP to Yoel, whom I never met nor I ever thought I could even meet. And keep safe, ya'll.
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1. Pyrkagion – "I – Red Rays of the Starless Eclipse," from The Katechon and the Unending Fire (Black Metal – Cestrum Nocturnum Recordings). An absolutely astonishing release that came out just as I was pressing "post" on last week's musical missive. First off, it's also about who's on this thing: Dylan Desmond of Bell Witch, Zach Wise of Hissing, and Infernal Coil's column of a drummer, Brennan Butler. So, there's that. But what's even more important than all that is just how good this debut EP is, with two tracks of emotional, expansive, and, at times, down-right evil sounding blackened death metal. Absolutely stunning. Get to it. Now. FFO: Infernal Coil, Abyssal, Teitanblood.
2. Ruin Lust – "Eden," from Dissimulant (War Metal – 20 Buck Spin). Speaking of cool bands doing cool shit who are also comprised of people doing cool shit elsewhere as well – RUIN LUST IS BACK! Three years after their excellent Choir of Babel, the American noisemakers return with what, to me, feels like it might be their best track yet. I have been and will forever be of the opinion that Black Curse's Endless Wound is an absolute classic of modern metal, and if the rest of this album is this good then we might be looking at something along those lines. Huge. FFO: Black Curse, Antichrist Siege Machine, Cobalt.
3. Trhä – "tëmana olh qëtën colvënna bé'jar lhëlh tun lhaja enΩëjëda£ehan inqom," from alëce iΩic (Black Metal – Independent). Look, I mean, this is all getting a bit ridiculous, isn't it? We don't actually need a new Trhä album, do we? Not after the other **checks notes** 14 (!) releases he's put out this year alone, Right ? WRONG. In my slow but powerful process of falling deeply head over heals for Trhä in the last year or so I have often wondered what in the world are they doing that is so captivating. Some if it is the emotional explosiveness of the music, coupled with an almost subdued, understated production. But I think some of it is that he's tapping directing into that weird, fluffy space where atmospheric black metal, Smashing Pumpkings, and 90s shoegaze converge. And in such a flawless, natural way. Truly a generational talent, and another absolutely brilliant release. FFO: Trhä.
4. Average Life Expectancy – "Blood Chutney," from Gun (Mathcore/Grindcore – Memory Terminal Records). I was going to hype this album up last week, but basically ran out of room. Aside from a fantastic band name and wonderful cover art, this newest release from the The Best Ever Mathcore Band in Denton (heyo) is packed with everything I love in life: the color red; weird atmospheres; odd-placed aggression; and violence. One of the best of its kind I've head in quite some time. FFO: Knoll, Cloud Rat, Discordance Axis.
5. Bekor Qilish – "Defaced Background," from The Flesh Of A New God (Avant-Garde Black Metal – I, Voidhanger Records). I loved the debut from these Italian weirdos, and actually feel kind of bad about not doing enough to sing its praises. I even forgot to mention it on my 2022 list, which was a shame, but also understandable seeing that nothing about what I do with this site is really normal or human in any shape or form. But I did love that album. And here comes a new one, already, that isn't just as good but might actually be better (severe downgrade in the coverart department, if you as me, though). Unexpected, creative, black metal that seems to sit somewhere in the sweet spot between modern disso-firendly experimental black metal and late 90s Meshuggah/Pan.Thy.Monium. Brilliant stuff. FFO: Anachronism, Haunter, Vertebra Atlantis.
6. Harm's Way – "Devour," from Common Suffering (Metallica Hardcore – Metal Blade Records). One of the finest hardcore bands of the past decade or so are back (finally) with a new album, the followup to their wonderful 2018 release, Posthuman. Powerful, dynamic, textured, and, most importantly, pissed off music from one of the true modern masters of the form. FFO: Incendiary, Nails, Xibalba.
7. Kryatjurr of Desert Ahd – "Waterspout Cyclones Obliterate Our Fragile Lands," from Underestimate Climate Systems and Suffer Incomprehensible Losses (Experimental Black Metal/Noise – Vigor Deconstruct). I was introduced to this project some time back by the wonderful Calvin (you know the wonderful Calvin, don't you) and as much as I was impressed by it, it didn't really do it for me. Now, it may have been time passing, them changing, or my mind being warped by hours of Trhä, but a lot of the chaotic, seemingly random gestures that kind of threw me off before are now quite bewitching me instead. A wholly unique experience, and probably not for everyone, but this raw explosion of desolate creativity sure is for me. FFO: Esoctrilihum, Kostnatění, Serpent Column.
8. Ash Prison – "Scorn," from Future Torn (Industrial – Sentient Ruin Laboratories). Listen, I honestly didn't know this was a SR release, I just clicked on the intriguing artwork and let, as I do, Bandcamp do its magic. What I was HIT by, however, was a sudden transportation into my teens, sitting in my friends week-soaked room (I wasn't very good with weed, so I was either just about to throw up or had just thrown up), listening to Skinny Puppy and Ministry on a loop. This may not sound like I'm saying Ash Prison invented anything exciting, they may have not. What they did do, however, is successfully channel the absolute weirdo glory of late 80s, early 90s industrial metal. They deserve the Nobel Prize as far as I'm concerned. FFO: Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Skinny Puppy.
9. Solipnosis – "Permanencia de Memoria Inmediata," from Sintesis Silenciosa (Black Metal – විරෑපී Propaganda). One of the most unique contemporary black metal bands around, that just happens to be one of my favorite, is back. Their 2020 full-length Clarividencia, introspección, retrospección was both a masterpiece and a bit of a celebrity on this meek site, and more music from the brilliant mind of Gabriel Gallardo is very welcomed indeed. Especially when there are hints of a new full length coming soon. Blistering, wacko, maniacal black metal with actual soul. FFO: Demoniac, Invocation Spells, Ripper.
FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ONE: Kristin Hayter AKA Lingua Ignota is back under a new/old name – Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – as well as a new album and a new single. Not digging it so far, but time will tell.
TWO: Irish greats Slidhr announced a new album, coming October via Debemur Morti.
THREE: The wonderful Dawnwalker announced a (somewhat) re-recorded, remastered version of their gem of a debut, Human Ruins.
FOUR: Remember saying I was finally back on track? Well, I was sick all week. I need to learn to keep my fucking mouth shut.
FIVE: D.R.E.P. (Drastically Reducing Earth's Population) is a band of which I have never heard and that seemingly has both existed forever + never released any music. They have an album out of pretty great, ruthless industrial black metal in the school of Thorn. Check it out.
ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: In the time it took my to write this post Trhä released another album. Fuck that guy.
