Making New Year's Resolutions With Experimental Metal Dec 28-Jan 3
Ah, the blessed arrival of a new calendar year that means absolutely nothing and yet means something I guess. Had a busy week, another busy week, in which "busy" means whatever it feels like to be tightly embraced by a scaly python. But a story of mine got published, which is nice (one that bears a title taken from black metal and that deals with death metal) and my new novel is almost there, both of which are nuts. And I'm not dead, and my children aren't hungry, though troubled in the same way children who grew up in the periphery of the fire of human violence have always been troubled. We try to be grateful, we dream of going to Roadburn (just dreaming, I suppose), and we try to do both while keeping in mind how fucking sad and destroyed the world is. We do what we can, probably not enough. Keep safe everyone, and hoping that this year that means nothing will amount to a little more of the horrible nightmare of too many of the recent ones.
The year that was in list form, in case you might have missed it, is here.
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.
Apovrasma – "Haatzaaierij," from Kronieken van de Haatzaaier (Black Metal – Independent). If last week's "joint" was focused on the brilliance I couldn't get to because of making "the list" (see above), then this is an addendum to that. Apovrasma, as I have written sometime in the past, is just a very special project, made of equal parts adoration of black metal traditions and doing whatever they fucking want to. It's always creative, always inspiring, and this new album is just fucking brilliant and a must-listen.
Rigorous Institution – "Passion Play," from Tormentor (Hardcore/Metal – Roachleg Records). There are bands I'm always stalking, waiting for new music. Ever since Rigorous Institution's amazing Cainsmarsh I have been craving new shit. There just isn't anyone like them, that sound like what a hardcore band would have sounded like had they been Lemmy. Or something. And then, lo and behold, I see, randomly, that they released an in 2025 that I completely missed. And of course it's unique, weird, and brilliant, because there really isn't any other option with them. Brilliance.
Mors Verum – "Bloodied Teeth," from Canvas (Prog/Dissonant Death Metal – Transcending Obscurity Records). The year just started, so no use of talking of AOTY, right? Wrong, because already in this very post there will be four (!) bands/releases that will undoubtedly be on my mind this entire year. The first fo those is Mors Verum, past releases of which I somehow missed, and that is basically creative death metal with disso-ish influences done perfectly. This is some Haunter-before-they-got-kinda-too-abstract vibes, which is high, high praise. Incredible album, and a release to watch.
Spectral Lore – "The Child of Man," from IV (Part 2 – Demo) (Black Metal – Independent) . I've written as much when the first part of IV came out, also as a "demo," but this whole "demo" thing is a bit of a joke. Not a joke to Ayloss, naturally, nor as disrespect to his art or how he sees his art, but, really, this ain't no demo. It's like saying "oh yeah, that perfect pyramid I just built? That's just a model." So, yes, we shall allow Ayloss the time he needs to perfect whatever he feels needs perfecting here, but for the rest of us mere mortal this is just a blazing masterpiece of a restless, always-churning musical mind.
Harrowed – "The Cold of a Thousand Snows," from The Eternal Hunger (Death Metal – Dying Victims Productions). The words "Morbus Chron" have a bit of a hushed, sacred aura round these digital parts, uttered as recently as last week, with the coming of the new Speglas album. But one of the things "lost" in the transition the Speglas/Sweven camp of the great post-MC fissure was, well, the death metal part. And while Speglas does indeed retain some of that Swedisn death-metal aura, that Sleepers in the Rift vibe roamed the world without a home. Now, thanks to the wonderful Guili, I have found out that that ghost has finally found its fleshy home. Manned by former MC drummer Adam Linkmark (here also on vocals) and VAK's Tobias Alpadie this is all that good, good Swedish pedigree of rockin' death metal you were missing in life.
Nemorous – "Sky Avalanche," from What Remains When Hope Has Failed (Atmospheric Black Metal – Bindrune Recordings). I, along with many, it seems, flipped out about that Weft album dropping late in the year. Austin Lunn on drums, proggy black metal, what's not to like. But I think that in the very polite, campfire-smelling duel I'll probably take the debut from Nemorous. I briefly mentioned their debut EP when it came out, though it didn't have the staying power I thought it would. But this here is everything you'd want from this sub-sub-sub genre of tree-loving black metal. It's delicate at times, screamo-levels of emotion at others, and utterly devastating too. A perfect album with which to stare out of a bus driving nowhere.
Invictus – "Abyssal Earth Eradicates," from Nocturnal Visions (Death Metal – Me Saco Un Ojo). OK, I promised more AOTY hype. We talked Spectral Lore, we talked Mors Venum, so here's one for the "death metal that murders" column. A perfect death metal album, with touches of old school stuff, some doomier parts, and some parts that annihilate. All of which executed basically perfectly in terms of everything – playing, writing, sound, the whole thing. Perfect, nasty death metal.
Olhava – "When the Ashes Grow Cold," from Memorial (Atmospheric Black Metal – Avantgarde Music). MORE HYPE. I have been a pretty solid, consistent supporter of every small whisper of wind from these maestros of making grown people cry with black metal, ever since their debut, but really since Ladoga. So a new album coming is great, and the first single being 20-minutes long is to be expected, and I'm happy and also very sad because I'm listening to Olhava.
Baker-Beck-Wyskida – "Osmy," from Trzecia (Drugi) (Experimental/Improvisational – Cruel Nature Records). Sometime last year I mentioned stumbling upon the fantastic installment of Aidan Baker's trio experiments that featured Daron Beck and Tim Wyskida. I guess they read that and decided to meet up again to record some more mind-bending, soul-altering music together. So, first of all: You're welcome. And secondly: Amazing music to question life decisions to. Such as: Writing a blog about weird music.
FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ONE: Dreichmere, oh just one of the best progressive metal projects in existence, is about to release it's first single from a new EP. Cool.
TWO: First single from new post metal project Sight Welder including members of Srefa and Dim Aura.
THREE: New Ligation album is going to rip. I promise. Don't sleep.
FOUR: BRAHMASHIRAS is fantastic if you love that punky black metal stuff (also mentioned them way back).
FIVE: Wonderful split from last year I would not have been aware of if it wasn't for the tenacity of one Alex the Malix (not the actual nickname, but might?). Sanctvs and Sotherion, both Canadian, both black metal, both nothing I checked out before, and both rule. Also: incredible Mayhem cover, which isn't something you say often.
ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: Quite random, but stumbled into an incredible cover of NIN's "Closer" (another rare thing) by a doom project by the name of Daevar and got so giddy I checked them out and they rule. So, that's a good thing.
