I don't have a clever title just a ton of amazing weird metal Jul 26-Aug 1

Too much music to speak to you people, though I'm technically not speaking. 

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, TIKTOK 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.

Epitaphe – "Windswept," from III (Progressive Black/Death Metal – Aesthetic Death / Gurgling Gore). One of several announcements that made me shit my proverbial pants this week – the glorious, genre-screwing, magnificent Epitaphe are back four long years after their brilliant and originally named second album, II. I make this comparison often, but I really think peak Haunter is the only thing close to what these maniacs have consistently done since first coming out. Original, creative, dark, and wonderful. AOTY candidate, easy.

Ænigmatum – "Pitiless Mechanism," from Infinitude's Passage (Progressive Death Metal – 20 Buck Spin). If you were searching to what made me shit my pants AGAIN, look no further. One of, if not THE, best progressive death metal bands on earth, whose previous masterclass of an album is both on my decade-thus-far list as well as on the 2021 list, just randomly dropped a whole album. I hope this doesn't mean they're breaking up or something, because I need more of this again. Easily one of the best death metal albums of the year. Untouchable drumming. You can't touch these drums.

Earth Mother Fucker – "Changeling," from Earth Mother Fucker / Pound Land (Post-Punk – Cruel Nature Records). I always feel stupid catching on late to some great band, and even stupider when that band has been around since the earth-mother-fucking 90s, but my imbecility is null and void compared to how brilliant Earth Mother Fucker are, so, earth-mother-fuck it. This split is glorious for both sides, I should say, and the Pound Land songs are amazing too, but "Changeling" is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard in my life. Moss Icon, Wire, that vibe. Holt earth-mother-fucking shit. I'm in love. 

Karkait – "The Fully Open Mouth," from To All That Cannot Be Undone (Karkait Metal – Orthodox). Karkait are, just saying it so it's clear, one of the best metal/noise/whatever bands on planet earth. I'm not impartial here, I've said it since the very first shrieking note I heard from them. If you need a comp, fine – imagine Sumac doing Inter Arma. I said it. They're somber, they're serious, they're intense, and they fucking somberly, seriously, and intensely disembowel your ears and shit in your brain. That's what they do. Get this now. Get it already. NOW. 

Thætas – "For the Hope Devoid," from The Irredeemable Age (Technical Brutal Death Metal – Profound Lore Records). One may have slept on Thætas. One may have heard Thætas many a time before, and it may have not "clicked" for one. That may have happened to one. But one randomly decided to listen to the new Thætas full-length album and one was seized by the sense that one may have been, with respect, a fucking idiot. This rules in so many different, blast-beating, throat-killing ways that it would besmirch, yes, besmirch the perfect majesty of this disgusting-yet-genius record to even try. So don't be one, be you. Listen to this and find god.

Rahaty – "Scorched Beneath the Solar Seal," from Bestial Lustmord (War Metal/Death Metal – Sentient Ruin Laboratories). If I led a class on how to pick your first single, I would use this track as an example. A new project from the weirdo behind the candelabra-hugging Pa Vesh En, Rahaty is basically a laser beam of pure aggression that is black, because that's how laser beams of pure aggression look like. Perfect aggressive whatever metal, cuts like a dirty knife. 

Nu Jazz – "369," from Un Jazz (Experimental/Jazz – Orange Milk Records).  I don't know what this is, nor do I feel qualified to try. I do know, however, that it fucking rules, and sits quite nicely amid my experimental/modern-classical kick I'm on of late. Not because it's any of those things, I just told you I don't know what it is, but because it feels like it shares that demented sense of adventure and fun. It does go nuts every now and again, I assure you, this is not a fun, smooth ride. And when it does go nuts it makes me think of Swarrrm. Stick that in your weirdo pipe and smoke it.

Silurian – "Listless Passage," from Paratethys (Avant-Garde Black Metal – Ordovician Records). The wonderful people responsible for the wonderful End of Ordovicia a few years back are fucking wonderfully back to shred your consciousness of with immaculate writing, musicianship, and violence. They are also, in case you didn't know, some of the wonderful people behind already-wonderful things, such as, oh I don't know, Suffering Hour, Sunless, and other wonderfullnessness. So, yeah. It's incredible. If you dig Void Omnia (as you should), then you need this in your life. 

Krallice – "Living Useless Ritual," from Scour Order (Avant-Garde Black Metal – Profound Lore Records). What can I say? What can I actually say? Nothing to say. One of the greatest, most persistently and consistently creative bands in the history of modern music is releasing a new album, that will be brilliant, perfect, and will inspire 20 more people to think they can attempt this shit. Very much a return of sorts to an earlier Krallice sound, but impregnated with everything they've done thus far. Just unreal, and obviously a dangerous threat to the solidity of my AOTY list.

BONUS: Smote – "Wynne," from Songs from the Free House (Experimental/Doom – Rocket Recordings). It's been longer than I can remember since I've bee compelled to add a bonus, and even longer, probably, since I've taken advantage of this very unreliable feature to highlight an "older" release. Well, here we are. I have never heard of smote, nor do I remember even seeing this (absolutely stunning) cover. But I found myself in the Rocket Recordings Bandcamp and, one thing leading to another, this has become my most-listened to album this week, apart from maybe the new Papangu coming in a week or so (more on that in the info). There's really no pinning this record down – some of it is eerie, some of it, as with this track, eerie and heavy. But it's pure magic. Atmospheric, tribal, ominous, and masterful.

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: For ye lovers of chaos, the legendary and deceased Lana Dagales put some more unreleashed stuff and live tracks on their Bandcamp.

TWO: I was, of course, not lucky enough to attend Fire in the Mountains this year, but this channel is feeding my FOMO with some great footage.

THREE: Rană announced a new album (crusty post metal). I'd keep my eyes peeled.

FOUR: Successfully (I think) set a Album of the Decade interview I have been actively chasing for about a decade (appropriately). Updates soon (does anyone even read those things?).

FIVE: More weirdness from the wonderful 𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗨𝗞𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦, this time in the form of a strange, human, and lovely experimental album from Noise Toreador.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: Akloleh, the one-time Yiddish-spewing black metal project, has a new (non-Yiddish) album. 

ONE LASSSTTTTTT THINNNGGGGG: The Body's Master, We Perish was kind of a monumental release in the life of this blog and in my own personal return to weird, extreme music. It just got a kind of re-issue, expanded by a couple of track off of early 7"s. Any excuse to listen to "Worship" again is a good one, anyway.