A FEW SONGS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE EXISTED THIS WEEK FEB 2 – FEB 8
I'll open this week's ceremonies with two comments, one good and one awful, having to do with my ongoing Albums of the Decade series. The good is that my in-depth interview with death metal greats Afterbirth is finally up. It was a great conversation with Afterbirth riff-master Cody Drasser about their incredible The Time Traveller's Dilemma, and a good read, I think, about creativity and making art.
The awful has to do with the terrible news of the passing of black metal genius Trånn Ciekals. I don't usually follow down the past of straight-up black metal, but Djevel were always miles ahead of everyone in songwriting, execution, and creativity. I had my doubts about whether or not I should interview Trånn. Not because Djevel weren't worthy, they were more than that, but because that side of the Norwegian scene always flew a bit closer to edgy than is usually my liking. But any doubts were immediately assuaged upon meeting a kind, intelligent, and passionate musician and person. I think often of that interview, and some of the things Trånn said, including how kind he was to thank me for the conversation and how it may have also contributed to his own thinking. Gone much too soon, and will be sorely missed.
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.
Mizmor & Hell – "Pandemonium's Throat," from Alluvion (Doom/Sludge – Gilead Media). What a whole story. Two projects with deep historical bonds (played together in Sorceress, play in each other's live bands), who have released a split together way back when, and who have spawned many collaborations and projects under different names (MSW, for instance, and the Mizmor/Thou collab, to name by a few), finally come together and do a proper collab. But beyond the buzz surrounding said gifted participants and even the label that's releasing this joint venture, this just sounds great. Great as in dynamic, atmospheric, and real. I know "real" is a funny category in a writeup about sludge metal, but real is how this feels. Emotional, human, and fucked.
Oreamnos – "Perpetual Ascension," from Futility (Death Metal – Bloodymountain Records). We have our first Bloodymountain (see obsession level here) release of the year, and an unexpected one at that. Not that I wasn't looking forward to another Oreamnos album, I'm cool with that, I just wasn't ready for it to sound so, I don't know, so Vital Remains/skinny Morbid Angel in the process. An interesting turn of events, and yet still killer because, well, it is.
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Theophonos – "Edelweiss, My Love," from Allegheny Rains (Black Metal / Mathcore – Independent). Yes, more Theophonos, mere weeks after the release of Banishment. And why is it that I chose to highlight one of the few tracks on this release that are essentially re-worked versions of existing Serpent Column tracks? Well, that's interesting in and of itself, isn't it? This coming down of the proverbial wall between the two sides of the sick brain that is behind both projects, the act of reaching from one side to the other. So, there's that. There's also the fact that I already loved the "original" to this version, and that I might like this version (remixed, as it were) better. The whole this is interesting to me, including the coming out of the shadows of the person – i.e. Jimmy – responsible for all this, and for his increasing tendency to get personal in both lyrics and liner notes. A breath of fresh air amid a world of weirdos clad in black hoods/hoodies. And, most importantly, it fucking rips.
Osgraef – "Magick Wound," from Reveries of the Arcane Eye (Black Metal – Amor Fati Productions). The debut from black metal project Osgraef is basically the most black metal thing I have head in a long time. Black metal that isn't cringe, of course. Riffs that come at you like fire ants, a crystal-clear production that manages to maintain the required heft of the occasion, and some of the most insane drumming this side of Kevin Paradis. Aggressive, assertive, adequately haunting, and fucking awesome. Keep your eye on this, ye fans of "straight up black metal." A gem.
Hallowed Hands – "Taco Beelzebub and the Mountain of Dew," from Rot Economy (Avant-Garde Black Metal – Blue Bedroom Records). The return of weirdness, and my first foray into the weirdo wonderland that is Blue Bedroom in quite some time. Well worth the visit, it seems, seeing how manic, creative, and unique the music is and how just about perfect that pixel art cover is. Progressive not as a way to annoy your listener into appreciating your skills as a musician, but progressive in that originally, real way: the mind that cannot rest subjecting you to its horrors.
Anhedonia – "For the Helpless In America, For the War-Torn In Palestine," from Wires Entangled, My Detrimental Idiocy (Folk/Experimental – Grim Folklore Tapes). God knows I have no idea how I landed on this album, but I'm happy I did. Due to the dearth of my knowledge in anything folk I would say that the closest thing in my mind to anything like this is something like the work of the late and very great John Fahey. Something along the lines of music that sounds like an acoustic guitar falling down the stairs that somehow still retains the general notion of not only actual music but mastery.
Sacred Noose – "Entranced by Concrete Lathe," from Vanishing Spires (Dissonant Black Metal – Fiadh Productions). I mean, I must have been sleeping pretty tightly or going through the extreme anxiety of living through a war (or both) but where was I when these weirdos released their debut EP via Fiadh and where am I now!? I'm home, for now, but god holy fucking damn, this is almost Abyssal levels of mayhem only with weirdly cleaner vocals which make me want to bury myself in ash and kiss a cloud. Perfect for people who love music that hates them.
Fields of Mildew – “Tempest (Absence of Youth),” from IV (Dark Folk – Nordvis). German neo/dark folk project Fields of Mildew is back with all its gothic melancholy that would entrap loves of Rope Sect at their best. Lush, sombre music for peope whose preferred mode of love making is in the grave while crying.
Saturno Devorador – "Primer Acto," from Inmisericordiam (Dissonant Death Metal – Independent). It's been a whole while since I've tapped into the hallowed, gross grounds that are the illustrious underground extreme metal scene in lovely Cali, Colombia, but what a fucking way to get my shit in check. This is quite possibly the most terrifying new project I've encountered in recent memory, and that's really saying something given I've been scared shitless by a bunch of tracks on this very post. Portal-like levels of darkness, super aggressive death metal, and just pretty crazy.
SHORT FACTS ABOUT THINGS
Fact #1: Kill Town Death Fest seriously upped FOMO levels with a Portal show. What a dream.
Fact #2: New Nortt album coming, first depressing single is out.
Fact #3: Fantastic new Gaza benefit compilation, including friends of the show Holocausts.
Fact #4: Swarrrm are releasing a vinyl of their amazing Against Again album.
OH OH ALMOST FORGOT: I did not know about Tezcatlipoca (pagan Aztec black metal), and that was my mistake. Don't be like me.
