NINE (ish) SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM SEP 17 – SEP 23

Hi. Good. Another tumultuous week, though in a much more pleasant way overall. Thanks to all who support this weird space. I posted a first AOTY video interview to the Patreon. Keep safe. Oh, and there are 10 tracks on this one. MY BAD!

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 (FALSE!) (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. Kita – "K​ä​rp​ä​ssilm​ä​t," from Tyhjiö (Stoner/Sludge – No Profit Recordings). Fantastic debut from from a Finnish band that sounds primed to become a house favorite over here at Machine Music Industries™. Sloppy, psyched-out doomy sludge that sounds like swimming in a pool of mud and fudge, and not only because sludge and fudge rhyme but mostly because sludge and fudge rhyme. Atmospheric, heavy, and awesome. FFO: Oranssi Pazuzu, Waste of Space Orchestra, Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean.

2. Code – "The Long Drop," from Hunting For Caesar (Black Metal – Independent). Very few things make me as happy as I am when I get notifications for new Code music. Obviously, naturally a legendary project that by the very fact of having recorded Resplendent Grotesque never really have to record any music, ever. But they do, and are. 2021's Flyblown Prince was one of my favorites of that year and one of my favorite modern black metal albums, period, and these two new tracks (ahead of a new album?) sound absolutely amazing. Dark, cutting, and SUPER ENGLISH black metal. FFO: Odraza, Dødheimsgard, Virus.

3. Cunabula – "Drown To Become Water," from The Weight of Sleep (Post Metal/Black Metal – Sleaszy Rider). Another amazing new band in that they are completely new to me. Post metal in an almost classic post-metal way, with song structures very reminiscent of bands like Mouth of the Architect and Pelican, only with a general black metal/sludge feel. The whole album is honestly quite amazing, and each track sounds like a whole emotional and musical voyage. A great album for those with love for Cult of Luna in their hearts and Fen or Woe in their ears. FFO: Torpor, Mizmor, Cult of Luna.

4. Tideless – "Oblations for the Sun," from Eye of Water (Doom Metal – Chaos Records). Easily, easily, easily my favorite doom of the year so far. And yes, I know Bell Witch released an album this year. Aggressive, atmospheric, absolutely incredible vocals and instrumentation, and just makes me think of all the things I love about my favorite doom records. If I say "Esoteric meets Lycus" I think that should be enough to give you an idea of how much I adore this album. Amazing. Incredible artwork, too. FFO: READ THE BLURB, DAMMIT.

5. Rosa Faenskap – "Aldri," from Jeg blir til deg (Hardcore/Black Metal – FysiskFormat). If only all music could be this pissed and pretty. Just off that determination alone, a strong whiff of early Portrayal of Guilt along with Envy-esque hardcore/post-rock vibes. Which, I must say, is not a combination I think of quite often, but this is truly arresting, emotionally fraught, atmospherically potent shit. Might appeal more to those in the post-rock/hardcore vibe than to out right black-metal-heads, but all y'all should check this shit out. Fire. FFO: Envy, Eyelet, Portrayal of Guilt.

6. Bolt Gun – ״The Sacred Deer," from The Tower (Avantgarde Black Metal/Noise – Avantgarde Music). Another timely and tasteful recommendation from the timely and tasteful Calvin. A whole wall of wonderful noise, made all that wonderful by what to my ears sounds like one of the best productions I have heard this year, and probably longer than that. And what happens with every note, every tom hit, sounds crystal clear? It just means that the evil parts sound even eviler. Huge sound, pointy, atmospheric music. What more does a feller need? FFO: Decoherence, The Sun's Journey Through the Night, Sutekh Hexen.

7. Cannibal Corpse – "Blood Blind," from Chaos Horrific (Death Metal – Metal Blade Records). One does not suspect reading about CC here, but one encounters surprises in life. I'm not a fan, never have been, more of a Death guy, what can I say. And in general not a huge fan of groove-based metal. But there was one CC album I did like, somewhat belatedly, which was Evisceration Plague. Was it rocket science? No, but it made my body move in very strange shapes. And that's kind of how I feel about this new album. It makes me move, and kinda sorta wish I could listen to it live. So, yes. I really like the new Cannibal Corpse album. I am as surprised as you are. FFO: The horrific realization that we are but water atoms shaking to the sound of pummeling riffs, and really not that much more.

8. Ushangvagush – "Pestmo'qon – Part 1," from Pestmo'qon (Black Metal – Vigor Deconstruct). Well, I had a completely different song and album here (the awesome Gateway album, top-notch death doom) but then the raw, unchecked, atmospheric, aggressive power of a new Ushangvagush release rose above the horizon of my inbox and there wasn't really much else I could do. Having followed VD from its inception, I was pretty high on their 2019 debut, and, successively, exceedingly high about their 2021 album, which was basically a masterpiece of raw black metal. So, anything new from Ushangvagush is a good day. And if it's two incredible, long tracks that basically function like musical movements or a demented black metal opera, then that'll do fine as well. FFO: Lamp of Murmuur, Woe, Theophonos.

9. Equivocator – "A Known Vulnerability," from Equivocator (Post-Metal/Prog – Special Circumstances / Nefarious Industries). Hardcore, post-metal, post-rock and a generous heaping of Mastodon come together in this short-but-efficient debut EP from Equivocator. Courtesy of the good people at East of the Wall, this kinda-sorta side project feeds off a lot of the mother ship's progressive aggression, adding a dose of urgency and, dare i say, pop-rock. Pretty cool, and one of the best versions of that Intronaut-esque style in a while. FFO: A bunch of bands already mentioned.

BONUS: Kvelgeyst – "Stufe V: Hauptraub durch Klingenhieb," from Blut, Milch und Thränen (Black Metal – Eisenwald). So, this one's a little funny. On the one hand, it's basically just an album announcement and an "excerpt" from a longer piece. On the other, I have been waiting for a new album from this band for so long that my excitement wouldn't allow me to relegate it to the info section. So, here it exists, as a weird bonus 10th track. First, the essentials: Kvelgeyst are one of the most inspiring, beautiful black metal projects on earth. Their 2019 debut, Alkahest, was such an obsession for me at one point (#17 on my 2019 list!) that I fucking bought the book from which the stunning illustration on the cover was taken. This, of course, of top of the fact that they are part of one of the most wonderful, weirdest black metal families on earth, Switzerland's Helvetic Underground Committee. So, that's just the intro. To a bonus, excerpt track. The purpose of said intro is, however, to get you as excited as I am about this upcoming album. It sounds, looks, and reads amazing. Hail. And now I have another art book to buy! (Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis for the win, GOD DAMN. Like some futurist William Blake shit) FFO: ART. 

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: After quite the wait, American death metal out-of-space people Xoth announced a new album, out via Dawnbreed this November. If you don't know, get to knowing. 

TWO: I already discussed the upcoming Gruzja albums, but now there's an actual Bandcamp page.

THREE: Maurice de Jong released a new Vetus Sepulcrum album, for those dungeon-synth oriented. And it's really good.

FOUR: This last week wasn't as awful. Getting used to things. For now.

FIVE: New bitchin' Esoctrilihum track.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: I wrote about a great new speed/black metal outfit by the name of Kea a few weeks past. They have a new (and great) track out.