NINE SONGS I LIKED THIS WEEK IN LIST FORM – JUL 7 – JUL 13

Stay safe, keep safe. G'day.

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 my 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. Skin Tension – "The Parsonage," from Prolegomenon (Experimental Black Metal – Ibex Industries). The ever-flowing, ever-plastic, ever-riff-exuding mind of Edward Longo is back like a horrific visitation to ruin your day and repair your soul. The brilliant musician also known as a pillar of the Midnight Cypress Archetypes community (Primeval Well, Vile Haint, SkyThala etc) and elsewhere (Sunken Basilica) returns with his main "bewildering evil" project, Skin Tension, which has consistently come out weirder and harsher with each release. The sound of a rehearsal gone horrible wrong/right. FFO: Gnaw Their Tongues, Jute Gyte.

2. Ulm – "Locust Glacier," from Shepherd's Lacrimosa (Raw Black Metal – Fiadh Productions). Remember Edward Longo from just a few seconds ago? Well, he's been busy apparently. I wish only people like Edward were busy, as opposed to the psychopaths who are. But, regardless, a more direct black metal approach that marries the raw/lo-fi sound with some truly weird, avant-garde ideas and some amazing drumming from Chris Navarro (Galvanist). If you thought the new Scarcity album was OK but didn't kill you enough, this might be for you. Oh, and there's a split with the aforementioned Galvanist as well. FFO: Scarcity, Spinitria. 

3. Deathless Void – "Vortex Climax," from The Voluptuous Fire of Sin (Black Metal – Iron Bonehead Productions). Deathless Void's 2022 demo was one of the best, most beautifully ruthless releases of that year, and a promising sprout. From what it seems from the first single from their debut full-length, that sprout has grown to not only a tree but an evil-looking tree that can crush you with its branches. If you're going to go ahead and do "black metal" black metal, I suggest you do it like this. FFO: Funeral Mist, Imperial Cult.

4. Incipient Chaos – "Dragged Back to the Abyss," from Incipient Chaos (Melodic Black Metal – I, Voidhanger Records). There's really no reason to go around calling albums "underrated," especially since you yourself (me myself) had already listened to it for the first time this week, but I'm willing to place some nice money that this album will not only go down as underrated for the year but will continue to be that for some time. It's incredible, and it brings so many very 90s memories to my mind, though without really knowing why. Something about the style, the grandiose approach, the melodramatic anguish feel very 1997 to me. To be clear: In the best possible way. More music needs to feel like this feels. Incredible shit. FFO: Gaerae, if it was good.

5. Locusts and Honey – "Traitor to Live," from Teach Me to Live that I Dread the Grave as Little as My Bed (Doom Metal – Hypaethral Records). I got into this little gem (doom metal tracks that are 2-3 minutes long! What a novelty!) by first delving into the quite excellent new compilation album from Hypaethral. To be sure, Locusts and Honey aren't on that comp, but I did some Bandcamp exploring and found what I had apparently been looking for. As slow as death, as beautiful as life. FFO: Dying.

6. Limbes – "Buffet Frigide," from Liernes (Atmospheric Black Metal – Frozen Records). The magical entity once known as Blurr Thrower is back with another Limbes album. And it's gorgeous, that's the whole point. The blurb you are reading will never move past or beyond the fact that it's just gorgeous. So, perhaps I could instead use this space to share my daughter has her first bicycle lesson today (she's older than your usual learner, and we have given up on being able to reassure her – staying calm is one thing but sometimes you need to recognize that you yourself can't make your kids calm) and since some shit went down in Gaza I'm wondering if it's a good idea to stay outdoors today (also given she's super anxious about the possibility of sirens, as most kids are I guess, she's just not as willing to hide her fear). Beautiful album, btw, just gorgeous. FFO: Wolvennest.

7. Liminal Shroud – "Nucleonic Blight," from Visions of Collapse (Atmospheric Black Metal – Willowtip). I'm usually cautious when it comes to atmospheric black metal that could also double as car commercial music, but Liminal Shroud always manages to nail that "uhhh, this feels sweet but it's not too sweet" vibe every fucking time. Imagine the skies opening and raining down manna, strawberries, and cool, Telecaster-sounding riffs. What could be better. FFO: Berries.

8. Kommodus – "Blue Meadow of the Dying Deer," from Constellations of Fatality and Metamorphosis (Black Metal – GoatowaRex). A split between two of the best lo-fi black metal bands on earth is basically exactly what I needed in my life right now. And a Kommodus/Celestial Sword split is what my soul needs. It's what the world needs. I a sea of middling nothingness and soulless whatevers, music that feels like it means something by some of the best to do it. I'm excited. Can you tell I'm excited? Oh, and it rips, naturally. FFO: Living and shit like that.

9. Brudywr – ״Taste of Regress from Taste of Regress (Depressive Black Metal – Independent). I had the pleasure of listening to these Russian sad boys when they released their 2021 album, but now release I have not been keeping up. Which is a shame and very sad, but very appropriate given this is music that must have been playing in the background in the Princess Bride's Pit of Despair. I guess this doesn't really count as summer music, but given the summer I've been having – actually, come to think of it, the last four or so – it fits perfectly. FFO: A somewhat post-punky Burzum, I guess.

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: Looking for some sweet, sweet 80s drums machines and music you can make out to? Ploho have got your ass covered. 

TWO: Goodbye, Oxbow. See you around.

THREE: I Solid death metal, it looks like, from Phenocryst (Blood Harvest).

FOUR: I The value of appearing to be "strong" seems to be on the rise on multiple fronts in political and personal life the last couple of years, whether "strong" in that macho, idiot way and "strong" is that seemingly more sophisticated spiritual way (flawless, pristine, just, etc). It is for these reasons that I have elected to be weak. 

FIVE: Friends of the show Raat are coming with a new album (atmospheric black metal).

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: I don't know if you've ever encountered the 2009 album from Toronto group The Great Collapse, but I haven't and now I have and it's both amazingly mathcore-ish of that time as well as very very good.