A FEW SONGS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE EXISTED THIS WEEK OCT 6 – 12
"Will he be able to post even more "Ron is wasting his life away by writing idiotic metal lists"? Well, if that was a question you had ever asked yourself, the answer is "ABSOLUTELY FUCKING YES!" This week I proved that to be the case with the release of the vastly uninformed and ill-advised Best of the Decade So Far list of albums I liked released 2020-2024. Yes, 2024 isn't over yet, but guess what we might all be dead by the end of it, so no use wasting anyone's time. Enjoy it, share it, or don't share it, I don't care anymore. All I do is list, list, list, now matter what. Keep safe.
If you're new to this metal blog of bones you can also check out the various interview projects I have going on as well as the weekly recommendation posts. 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 etc), and listen to my, I guess, active? (no) podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple), and to check out our amazing compilation albums. You could also possibly 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. It's probably a bad idea, but to each their own. ON TO THE LIST.
Kruelty – "Profane Usurpation," from Profane Usurpation (Death Metal – Closed Casket Activities). Kruelty going ahead and just plain plundering the death metal thesaurus with this title. But, tragic misuse of words aside, Kruelty continue on their seemingly undefeated run of perfect metal. Riffs that feel like heavy machinery, production that feels like a fishtank made of expensive crystal, and songs that fuckin' rip. Further proof that doing things well matters more than doing things smart.
2. Bedsore – "Realm of Eleuterillide," from Dreaming the Strife for Love (Psych Metal / Death Metal – 20 Buck Spin). The Italian crazies Bedsore are back. Their debut Hypnagogic Hallucinations was a masterpiece of progressive, pychey death metal as well as being another case of "death metal thesaurus gone wild." So, give or take being scared for my actual life, I was very happy to see them come back, and with a brown album cover no less! Brown album covers make me a tad sad, not going to lie, because they always remind me that we haven't had a new Bergraven album in a very long time. But, aside from maroon sadness, Bedsore again prove what they are part of a very select group of bands worthy of the The New Morbus Chron throne. Creative songs, amazing ideas, a kind of very general DEATH METAL feel, and an almost spiritual take on the Swedish tradition of death metal. Amazing stuff.
Ingurgitating_Oblivion – "Blossoms of Your Tomorrow Shall Unfold in My Heart," Ontology of Nought (Progressive Technical Death Metal – Willowtip Records). Finally veering away from the death metal thesaurus here and into the death metal thesaurus of bands with a BA in philosophy, which is always a refreshing trip. Let me start off by saying that even by already insane Willowtip standards Willowtip is having a banner year, and this weirdo album is just another brick in their coffin of mixed metaphors. It was kind of hard ignoring this album for a couple of weeks now, and I was very diligent about ignoring it because, as you know, I hate it when good albums get released after the autumn equinox. But I succumbed to my human weakness and discovered an album that I probably should not have checked out because it's very good and now my list is sad. You wouldn't like my list when I'm sad. Insane metal for insane people and/or people writing metal blogs in war zones, which I would have to think is a growing list (do lists grow or lengthen?).
Bríi – "Baile Fantasma," from Camaradagem Póstuma (Weird Shit Only Caio Understands – Independent). Bríi, the brainchild of man of many brains Caio Lemos is back with its annual release. Will it be trip hop? Will it be IDM? Will it be black metal? It's everyone guess every single time and the answer this time is "yes, but also jungle." Which, by the way, makes a lot of sense. I chose the most black metal (not really black metal) track out of the bunch, but it's all obviously stellar. Fun fact: I found out this week via some clandestine channels that Igor Cavalera loves Bríi, which means there's a chance (not really) that he's reading this right now, to which I just want to say, Igor, that I used to drum the drum break (you know the one) from "Territory" on my little girl's pushcart every time we'd go out, just walking, you know, from place to place, and I would drum that. She's 10 now. Life is scary, Igor, it really is. I'm petrified.
Abhorration – "Spawn of an Abhorrent Entity," from Demonolatry (Death Metal – Invictus Productions). I'm just going to be honest here and say I've been holding an irrational grudge against Invictus ever since one of their bands – Omegavortex, or maybe it was Vortexomega, or maybe douchebag central) decided to be extra rude to me after agreeing to interview a few years back. That's obviously neither here nor there, but fuck it. But when an album this fucking good comes along I will forgive even Invictus for something that's never been their fault at all. This might be the best straight-up death metal album released this year. Feels like a lost 90s demo, only better. Oh, and death metal thesaurus gone wild-er.
Golgothan Remains – "Necropoles," from Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death (Death Metal – Dark Descent Records). Speaking of death metal and my little girl, I have a very sweet picture of her when she was about four years old holding the CD of Perverse Offerings to the Void. Isn't that cute? Anyway, Golgothan Remains are always awesome and almost always Australian, which reminds me of my dear cousin (well, twice removed) who moved to Australian last year because apparently I have been living and raising my children in a vile swamp of evil and death. Good death metal title there, though. Amazing first single, which makes me think this album will take up the atmosphere thing up a notch, which in turn makes me happy. A lot of death metal this week.
Gruzja – "Nielegał" (Post-Punk, Black Metal – Independent). And now for some well-needed escapism via a new single from the amazing Gruzja that seems to be about air raid alarms and the art of which is a map of raid raid alarms. When I said this was well-needed escapism I was of course being cynical, you must forgive me this week was kind of insane as in a UAV hit my grandmother's nursing home. Funny part is that she's knee-deep in dementia, which means she probably didn't know what was going on anyway. Sad part about that is that she's the greatest lady on earth and when she goes there's really little meaning left. Anyhow, Gruzja are always great, and ironic, and funny, and creative, and I love them the way I love my annoying extended family. Btw, Youtube auto-relayed me to this Wędrowcy~Tułacze~Zbiegi album and it's great.
Dirus – "Pinions in the Lake," from Caste Beneath the Firmament (Black Metal – Independent). I never knew this project existed, and then again they only seemingly came into being very recently, so maybe I'm OK, maybe I didn't fuck up. Anyhow, saw their name come up in a post about a tour I think or some other metal social media nonsense and having not known them (but not in a "I fucked up" way) I decided to check it out and was pleased enough about the experience to write about it here. Straight-forward black metal with some added wrinkles and a very nice raw feeling. Cool.
Celepathy – "Gaia's Veil," from LSD by (Black Metal – විරෑපී). An EP of instrumental atmospheric black metal released in 2022 and now getting the tape treatment by විරෑපී, who also released the most recent Solipnosis and Herxheim on cassette. I usually hate instrumental metal because I don't get the point of abducting the human voice from human expression, but this works and I'm pretty sure the first instance of Sri Lankan metal on my website so that's cool. Someone get these nice folks a vocalist.
Nubivagant – "Who Made the World," from The Blame Dagger (Epic Doom/Black Metal – Amor Fati Productions). One of my favorite artists of the decade is back with another stab (knife pun, check) at their unique blend of black metal, doom atmospherics, and an almost 80s doom vocal style. It works, it works every fucking time. Can't get enough of this shit.
SHORT FACTS ABOUT THINGS
Fact #1: Don't forget the new Oranssi Pazuzu.
Fact #2: New Spider God single and new album coming.
Fact #3: I was not aware of this 2022 album by the Obliteration-adjacent Nekromantheon and I was wrong because it rules.
Fact #4: New all-synth Jute Gyte.
