NINE SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM OCT 29 – NOV 4 – AM I FALLING APART EDITION #3
No intro, shitty times. Take care.
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1. Knoll – "As Spoken," from As Spoken (Grind/Black Metal – Independent). Let me just begin by saying that I'm a terrified person as it is these days, and yet was somehow even more terrified as a result of a random glance toward the track's runtime and witnessing the fact that there exists a Knoll track that is over five minutes long. And I mean, yes, technically they have gone as long as that, and longer, but not that much, and the fact that we're talking about the lead single here. Well, I was scared. And then I listened to it and I was even scarder, maybe even scardest. Knoll are that rare package that falls from the sky fully formed, really can't think of a young band that arrived so complete and well-rounded as these dudes, and they just keep getting better. Very Portrayal of Guilt of them, when you think of it. FFO: Metal falling from the sky, that isn't rockets or bombs.
2. Strigoi – "Sarcophagus Vapours" (Black Metal – Independent). My strange hobby of stalking bands I like on Metallum to see what other bands their members are in strikes gold yet again. This time via a short stroll down one of my favorite lanes – Chile's Morbus Chron, AKA Hallux Valgus. This, I should say, sounds absolutely nothing like either band, but what it does sound like is great. Rockin' black metal with a few King Diamond moments that sounds like the perfect Halloween if Halloween was about thrashing black metal. Awesome. More. FFO: Vomitor, Svpremacist, Midnight.
3. Kaldeket – "Misshapen," from Déraciné (Black Metal – Big Bovine Industrial Wastes). I raved and kicked about the debut from Minnesota band Kaldeket a while ago, and here I am – raving again. Another demo, another masterful piece of misshapen (I went there), emotional, beautiful black metal from some of the good people who brought you False (RIP). However, the good news keeps coming, since the eternally wonderful Gilead Media went ahead and made the right decision and is releasing both demos on as a single vinyl release. So, either get the tape via BBIW or the vinyl via GM. But, whatever you choose, get it. FFO: False, Panopticon, Woe.
4. Tetragrammacide – "Spectral Hyaenas of Amenta Howl, The Vulture of Ma'at Descends, and Tahuti Watches Without His Ape," from Typho-Tantric Aphorisms from the Arachneophidian Qur'an (Black/Death Metal – Iron Bonehead Productions). The quite shocking cover art for this album has been floating about my social media for a while, and I kept wanting to check it out and yet every time forgetting the band's name (old). But, got it! And very glad (?) I did. It's not often you encounter music that scares the living shit out of you, but this Indian metal nightmare is pretty much the definition of creative horror. The love child of Portal and Teitanblood, this will rip you apart. FFO: Teitanblood, Portal, Eggs of Gomorrah.
5. Crystal Coffin – "The Undead," from The Curse of Immortality (Melodic Black Metal – Independent). Crystal Coffin's 2021 album, The Starway Eternal, was a very pleasant surprise for many reasons. One of those being that I would have never have guessed that the almost Ed Repka-esque cover art was hiding a black metal album. But more so since I was positive this brand of melodic, mid-paced black metal was, dunno, kind of dead. But it didn't feel dead, it felt amazing. And that trend continues two years later as a new Crystal Coffin album drops. It just feels like a moment out of time, like being submerged in the past of nostalgia and compelling melodies while somehow seeing the future. A very strange, very singular, and extremely rewarding listening experience. Cool ass shit. FFO: Leipa, Majesties, Fen.
6. Deadpan Deviltry – "Asshole Sun," from Stone Birds (Avant-Garde Metal/Post-Hardcore – Independent). The joy of finding brilliance on Bandcamp is never un-joyous. So much going on here – from Craw-like post hardcore, through screamo-ish melodies and attitudes, and all the way, at least in the case of this track, full-on avant-garde metal tendencies. It's a whole mess of ideas that work beautifully off each other. Fantastic, crazy record that I hope will get a proper release if there are an (in)sane people out there. FFO: Craw, Haunter, Serpent Column.
7. Rabbit – "Haus," from Bardo (Powerviolence/Hardcore – Lower Class Kids Records). I've sung the praise of LCKR many times before, but really too much isn't enough. Tirelessly releasing outstanding music and – as importantly – making ridiculously affordable tapes in a time of real need. This time around it's this fucking brilliant sharp little slab of fucking headbanging riffs from Brooklyn's own Rabbit. Lovely violence in a world of unlovely violence. FFO: Nails, Incendiary, Gulch.
8. Trhä – "◊anlhaq‡ëactëlhtácactan," from av◊ëlajnt◊ë£ hinnem nihre (Atmospheric Black Metal – Independent). I'm not an overtly religious person, but I am a man of faith in a spiritual kind of no-God way. And within the confines of that very strange, obscure system of belief Trhä is my liturgy. I will not, I refuse to get over how immaculate their output has been this year. I honestly and truly belief it is a feat without precedent in modern metal, and in music in general. Beautiful, forceful, original. What more can you say? FFO: Trhä.
9. Vestígio – "Segredo, from Vestígios (Black Metal – Independent). It's a weird move, no doubt, to premiere a track on your site and then write about it on your site. But I think I can explain. The first, most basic explanation, is that I'm a weird dude. So, there's that. The second has to do with my complex relationship with the person brilliant musician Caio Lemos. On the one hand, he's a person who is my friend and an artist I admire. And in that capacity I was more than honored to premiere his new project Vestígio, in which he is in charge of the music and is accompanied by three very talented vocalists/lyricists. One the other, however, I'm a fan. So, I'm writing this blurb in that latter capacity. As good as anything he has ever done, very reminiscent of both the very early, riffy Kaatayra stuff as well as the more recent music he writes under Vauruvã (with Bruno Augusto Ribeiro, who also sings wonderfully on this track). Another 10/10 in a miraculous musical journey. FFO: Kaatayra, Vauruvã.
You can listen to it here and pre-order it here. When it gets release I'll switch over to the Bandcmap player.
FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ONE: Ultha reissued their beautiful The Inextricable Wandering on vinyl, and now also available on Bandcamp. And they released a covers split with Karloff.
TWO: An album of death-rock Devo covers. I SWEAR.
THREE: New ambient/drone/experimental project by the name of Gilded Form via the good people at Dead Neanderthals. Pre-order and snippet here.
FOUR: We are frogs slowly boiling in the pot.
FIVE: I don't have time for that shit, but listen to the new one-track wonder that is the new Déhà release. Beautiful. Also the new Chaînes from him (black metal) fucking slays.
ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: I don't have time for that shit, but check out the brilliant new The Holy Flesh album. Wonderful, creepy, weird kinda-black metal.
