LESS SONGS THAN USUAL SINCE I'M BUSY THAT'S RIGHT BUSY AUG 23-30

Last week I wrote a lot, this week I am writing less. New compilation album in the MILIM KASHOT series is out next week, benefitting the super-human efforts of the good people at World Central Kitchen. 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.

Meth Leppard  – "Idiocracy," from Gatekeepers (Grindcore – Here And Now! Records). Grindcore greats and methy leppards are back with their second full length, armed with precision blast beats and caustic riffs. One can boil down the whole of human existence to just those two things, and hardly anyone does them better.   

Glorious Depravity – "The Devouring Dust," from Death Never Sleeps (Death Metal – Transcending Obscurity Records). Speaking of greats returning with their sophomore full-length, Glorious Depravity are back five long years after the excellent Ageless Violence. Enduring wretchedness seems to be a theme in their album titles. But do you know what else? Perfect death metal for the ADD mind, a bending river of moods, riffs, and basically the most perfect drumming performance one may day to fathom from one of the most perfect musicians in general. The talented bunch of like-minded freaks (members of such and such bands) are back, and they're somehow way better.

Arrows – "To Quell a Thousand Necks," from Yearning Arrows; Cloven Suns (Avant-Garde Black Metal – Independent). Another return, of sorts. Not of a particular project, however, but of a mind, and one of the best musical minds of the past decade or so, to boot. The mind in question belongs to Menetekel AKA Helvetic Underground Committee AKA Ungfell, Ateiggär, Kvelgeyst, and many others, including, most recently, the wonderful Ophanim, who released one of my favorite albums of the previous year. Arrows, it seems, has been around for quite some time, but this is their first recording and it is one that brings me much joy. A grandiose, at times ritualistic-feeling visions of black metal as a hole at the center of things that sucks your life away and leaves just a very pretty void. Among Menetekel's many projects this one might be the most accessible, but it retains enough menace and wonder to blast your face (and soul) off.

Pharaoh Overlord – "Louhi (Part 1)," from Louhi (Drone/Experimental/Stonger – Rocket Recordings) . I didn't even notice the time go by (epidemics, wars, etc), but apparently the previous release from Finnish masters of time and space was five fucking years ago. Disregarding the explicative alliteration there, it's always great news when the Circle-based project comes round, and even more excellenter (I have moved past mere superlatives) this time around with the presence of the throat, the man, Aaron Turner as well as one chord from Richard Dawson. Haunting, captivating, cloud-like music that also packs a cloud-like storm.

Tentacult – "Subjugated to Eternal Quiescence," from Synaptic Perfidy (Death Metal – Transylvanian Recordings). Do you know what's super normal? Releasing a second full length in the same year. Super normal. I was already all up in my own grill (what?) about the previous – and what I had thought to be the "present" – Tentacult album, and here we go with another. A bit more doomy this time around, but still brilliant and still a more than welcomed edition to this year's somewhat scant death metal crop (to me, to me, a lot of great music, no doubt). 

Slugbait O.D. – "Shot in the Face," from Worthless (Industrial – Independent). I could have just posted with this track, but I can't really just casually pass up a track title like that, now can I? Canadian noisy, weirdly metal-y industrial that feels raw and pissed. Industrial not in the service of transcending the human into a cyborg existence, but industrial in that there were some machines next to a person while that person needed to be angry about something. Underneath the muck, however, there's a more than visible talent and ear for fucked-up songs. Cool shit.

One of Nine – "Dreadful Leap," from Dawn of the Iron Shadow Epic/Symphonic Black Metal – Profound Lore Records). I did not like the One of Nine debut that came out a couple of years ago. I know a whole lot of nice and thoughtful people did, but I didn't. At all. So I was pretty ready to just skip this one, when a spirit clad in chainmail told me to check it out anyway. I get this. I still don't get whatever the first one was, but I completely get this – love the Summoning vibe, love the production, and just in general see how it fits into Profound Lore's back catalogue of excellent symphonic stuff (maybe the most underrated part of said catalog). Very much looking forward to the rest. Oh, and unbelievable cover art. Wow.

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: The perfect Terror Corpse release from earlier this year that I raved about is getting vinyl/CD release from Dark Descent.

TWO: Justin Broadrick released a bunch of meandering and cool guitar parts from nine hundred years ago.

THREE: New Blut aus Nord album coming.

FOUR: New Today is the Day. Very cool psychy Afghan music from Naujawanan Baidar.

FIVE: Temple Mist (Maurice de Jong at it again) released a track a while ago, which I failed to mention. Here I am, mending my ways. Music that sounds like noisily drowning.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: Was meaning to write about the new Corridoré album, but didn't. Another mend – excellent atmospheric screamo/post-rock.