NINE SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM – JAN 28-FEB 3

Very sick, but not sick enough to not post! Well, actually more than sick enough but fuck it. 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 (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. Obsidian Tongue – "Winter Child," from The Stone Heart (Atmospheric Black Metal/Doom – Independent). A new Obsidian Tongue EP that is actually as long as a (well, short) album that's made up of pure bliss, black candles, and some impeccable atmosphere? Well, I will take that. Did not see this release coming, and cannot imagine my life without it now that it's here. FFO: Obsequiae, Fen.

2. Boarhammer – "Erdkaul," from II: Chemognosis – A Shortcut to Mushrooms (Avant-Garde Black Metal – Naturmacht Productions). This one goes out to Alex my friend who basically willed me into giving this a serious listen, which then lead to me falling absolutely in love with its manic energy, unhinged creativity, and overall awesomeness. This feels to me like the combined magic of the riffy, out-of-whack black metal of bands like Negative Plane or Feral Light with some old-school Norweigian too-smart-for-school black metal (Dødheimsgard). Amazing. FFO: You get it.

3. Civerous – "Labyrinth Charm," from Maze Envy (Death Metal – 20 Buck Spin). Civerous' full-length demo Decrepit Flesh Relic was and remains one of the best new death metal albums in quite some time, coming from a supremely creative band of dudes also responsible for the fantastic black metal project Aylwin. I didn't end up putting it in my 2021 list because I was very late to the party, but a top-20 album for that year, no question. The first single off of what appears to be a sick new album sounds a lot different. The brutal is brutal-er, the doom isn't there, and there's a whole black metal section. But it works, it sounds great, and I cannot wait. Rhyme kind of intended. FFO: Gosudar, Chaotian.

4. Underneath – "I Will Drown the Earth," from From the Gut of Gaia (Metallic Hardcore/Grindcore – Syrup Moose Records). I did not have "awesome metallic hardcore" on my bingo card, but it seems my bingo card was wrong. I have kind to grow weary of the many empty tropes of beatdown stuff, but this here is great. Not saying it radically alters the framework we know and love as "music to vent the frustrations of 43 years of an empty life," but it kicks a lot of ass. Which I think is a good thing. FFO: Nails, fromjoy.

5. Vitriol – "Nursing from the Mother Wound," from Suffer & Become (Death Metal – Century Media). The bingo card was also wrong about this. This is precisely, precisely the type of emotional unravelling and all-out intensity one must have in order to pull off brutal/technical death metal. To Bathe from the Throat of Cowardice was kind of a big album in 2019, and I didn't like it, really. This I like. to the tune of "will be listening to this all year." FFO: Afterbirth, Wormed.

6. Deep Mountains – "雪​山​白​凤​凰 Blank Painting," from 雪​山​白​鳳​凰 White Phoenix on Snow Mountain (Post-Rock/Atmospheric Black Metal – Pest Productions). My encounter with this album this week was like splashing cold water all over my face. At times quite understated, at times as big as its deep mountains, and at all times a wonderful, musical, dynamic show of compositional force. If you ever dreamt of grooving to TNT while blasting black metal, here you go. FFO: Who knows?

7. Intercourse – "New England Bitter," from Egyptian Democracy (Noise Rock – Independent). While generally being crazy, I think there's reason to believe it's been a while since my favorite Connecticut band were this crazy. If this means that all I'll ever get from Intercourse is short EPs that sound like someone losing his mind of longer albums that don't, I vote EP. EP for fucking life. FFO: Elephant Rifle, Couch Slut.

8. Olhava – "Eternal Fire," from Sacrifice (Atmospheric Black Metal – Avantgarde Music). In a saturated field of "atmospheric black metal that sounds like astral projection to the, dunno, astrals" Olhava were always at the very head of the pack. Not a bad album under their wings, and the new one, while being, as the kids say, hella long, is absolutely no different. Dynamic, emotional songwriting for people who like mark their corpse paint with tears. FFO: Vukari, Рожь.

9. Ockultist – "Wombs," from Gazing Through Rotten Eyes (Sludge/Noise – Independent). I was wondering when I would be able to feast on a new batch of toxic, poisonous sludge that sounds like your kidney being removed, and here it goes! Wonder no more! In a weird way I both wanted a new release from Ockultist but also now realize this music makes the most sense to me right now. This is life today, this pyroclastic cloud of nothingness. FFO: DIE!

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: New Rope Sect single, and it's kind of annoying.

TWO: Leaving RHÛN to check out for next time.

THREE: New Amiensus coming and it sounds fucking magical.

FOUR: I have the flu/COVID-19, which kind of doesn't matter because I feel like a corpse. Albeit an exquisite one.

FIVE: New Baazlvaat.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: If you're hungry for more noise rock coolness. new Eye Flys.