A FEW SONGS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE EXISTED THIS WEEK NOV 24 – NOV 30

I should be focusing on my year-end list and not wasting my precious kids-packed time with another week of music, and yet, on the other hand, I shouldn't even do the year-end list because I have an actual life that needs me in it, but then again I really shouldn't waste any more time on an intro. 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 (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Bluesky, 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.

Choir – "And Sing an Anthem for the Famine II," from Smithe Thee Smoldering Providence (Dissonant Black/Death Metal – Violence in Their Veins / Total Dissonance Worship). I was so excited when I saw this come up on the BC feed last week that I almost put into that week's post but then I remember – apropos the intro to this post – that my habits and behaviors need limits. Yeah, this is me with limits. Anyhow, a new, concept-seeming outburst of discordant weirdness from Choir, which is a cause for celebration if you're a very weird person. Sounds amazing, can't wait. Also, gotta love an album title that sounds like it was an Ahab quote from Moby Dick. 

An​-​Xul – "Abandon God," from An​-​Xul (Black Metal – Chaos Records). If case you didn't notice we are deep in what's known as "list season." Different people have a different take on the end of the year, list-wise. I tend to re-listen to stuff I liked to see to what extent I still dig it, and mine around for albums I may have missed. Not that a list needs to be airtight or that it can even be airtight, but I live finding cool music, so what the hell. And within that latter activity a good thing to do is say: "What amazing labels have I not heard from lately or have failed to check out lately?" and in that list of sure-fire labels, Chaos Records is very much one. So I decided to go Chaos Records shopping and slammed into this absolute beast of an album. It's a debut, which is kind of crazy, but not as crazy seeing it's a coming together of a few veterans of the Italian scene. But, mostly, it's just superb. Black metal in the somewhat Norwegian vein with a lot of dynamic/melodic stuff going on that make it sound at the same time both late 90s-y and very contemporary and kind of ruthless. Amazing. 

Thvn – I​ł​ż​a from Zgnij (Black Metal – Arcadian Industry). Yes, more creepy black metal, this time from Poland. I think I kinda sorta remember the cover art for these dudes' debut, and probably listening to it, but I guess not much came of that. And, to tell you the truth, just randomly putting this on didn't result in bolts of lightning screeching through my head. And yet I kept it on and it slowly grew on me, until culminating with this absolute gem of a weirdo black metal track. It's a bit raw an a bit on the safe side at least in terms of the black metal I usually cover here, but I can guarantee a very rewarding listen. 

Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead – "Baleful Solitude," from Tragedy as Catharsis (Screamo – No Funeral Records). Another album I'm glad I found as a result of my late-year foraging, this time from a whole other, and quite beautiful, kettle of whatever is kept in kettles. Wild, a times borderline insane, screamo that speaks to my soul both because good screamo always does that and because for the very personal reason of a) the band name being something I'm writing a book about these days and the album name being something I kind of just taught. So, yeah. Intense, beautiful. and mildly Aristotilian.

Stenched – Suppurating Cranial Cavity from Purulence Gushing From The Coffin (Death Metal – Me Saco Un Ojo Records). I think it's very nice and appropriate that one of the best old-school death metal albums of the year would come out toward the end of the year like this. I'm not always as generous, I must admit, and often fucking hate it that latecomers fuck up my list, but seeing that the world is in the process of a violent implosion into a void of moral depravity and horror I'm not that worried about shit like that and just enjoy the possibility of finding good music. This from Stenched is a masterclass in oppressively heavy death metal – it's groovy, it's suffocating, and the riffs sound immaculate. Perfect. 

Weary of Empires – "The Sneer of Cold Command," from Aequilibria (Doom / Black Metal – Independent). Another album that I struck upon last week and made me want to aggressively edit that post, and one that is already making me second guess a lot of year-end-list thoughts. I have no idea where this thing fits – it has the pace and atmosphere of something like doom or even stoner, but the menace of black metal or something like that, without ever really going there. It just feels like it's about to kill you but all it ever does is leave an almost Urfaust-like atmosphere around your confused brain. I fucking love it. A stand-out release for the whole year, if I wasn't clear enough on that.

Hidden Mothers – "The Grey," from Erosion / Avulsion (Post-Metal / Blackgaze – Church Road Records). I very much enjoyed Hidden Mothers' 2020 EP (of which I had written here), and was very happy/surprised to see a new album come out. Happy, well, you know. Surprised because it's been a whole while since they've released anything, at least that I was aware of, and also because of their new home – Church Road. But, having brushed aside my strange feelings, all we're left with is some awesome atmospheric post-metal-y tunes from very talented, nice people. Great stuff for the Cult of Luna/Fall of Efrafa-inclined, and pretty exquisite drumming to boot.

Forlorn Aspect – "Fate Beyond the Fissures," from Archaia (Dissonant Death Metal/Ambient – Independent). Forlorn Aspect's Benthic Orations was an underrated album of a historic scale, and still one of my favorite releases, especially of their general disso vibe, in recent years. They were even kind enough to participate in my 2022 compilation, which very generous of them and very awesome. So, suffice to say a new album is very exciting news. And it's an album that marks a bit of a departure, as their sound moves closer to a more atmospheric, almost blurry/drony take on what had already been a quite atmospheric brand of death metal. It actually sounds almost krautrock-y at times, but not in an unpleasant way. Pretty interesting stuff from one of the most interesting bands around.

Ungfell – "De F​ä​hrmaa," from De Gh​ö​rnt (Black Metal – Eisenwald). How does one not include a motherfunking new album from the Swiss legends of black metal that feels like it was written in a cabin, Ungfell. True to their idiosyncratic style they just went ahead a dropped a single and an announcement a mere week before dropping the whole album. Always a breath of fresh rustic smelly air in a scene that takes itself way too seriously and that somehow also manages to under-deliver artistically. Ungfell just waltz in, drop exuberant, inspired brilliance, and go away. Legends.

SHORT FACTS ABOUT THINGS

Fact #1: DJ Magazine has released a treasure trove of beautifully done, compact interviews about some pretty genre-defining tracks on their YouTube channel. It's glorious. My interested has been especially been drawn to the drum-and-base ones (Goldie is a fucking legend, also Roni Size), but there should be a lot for anyone with an interest in 90s dance music.

Fact #2: Freshly milked punk from the teet of Tel Aviv's scene in the form of a new/first single from a new band called Het ("sin").

Fact #3: First demo from a Chineses instrumental doom/drone outfit by the name of Conjurer. Sounds cool.

Fact #4: Didn't have room this time around, but this new stuff from Czort (Pagan Records) sounds pretty cool. Black metal.

OH OH ALMOST FORGOT: The Pitchshifter Peel session is (finally) out and about and online and it's incredible.