Surviving But Not Thriving While Writing Abstractly About Weirdo Metal, September 2026 I think

Before I wax poetically – There's a new compilation out now, all proceeds go to World Central Kitchen and it is pretty awesome (Pyrrhon, Yhtill, Cave Sermon, Zeresh, etc). Check it out. My unending thanks to the good people at No Clean Singing and, well, Ian's Wolf's Week for shouting it out. 

This was supposed to be my "easy clicks" kind of post, envisioned in the twilight of 2019 as a counter to what I had conceived as being my obsession with bottom-heavy, abstract writing and way-too long interviews that no one would read because they're not podcasts. There are many desires in the human frame, some of them have to do with doing what's right in the right way but others have to do with validation and what the people call "eyeballs" or an audience. And so writing about the music I liked each week was to serve as a counter against my more base wishes to wallow in words and perchance disappear. 

It might be that it still is that, relatively speaking. You click, you CTRL-F for your favorite band, you skim the artwork, you berate my esoteric/poser tastes and move on to a YouTube in which Joshua Weissman deep-fries a banana with his ponytail. But keeping time, even one week at one brief spurt, is unfortunately  a subjective exercise, especially in certain times. Without going too much into boring detail (yes, even more boring), the past few weeks have been trying. Which is why I haven't updated as much, also because after spending as much time as a I did on what I thought was a decent Patrick Walker interview, no one really read it. So it goes. It's really OK to do the best you can, it's also really OK to re-think if your time is better spent deep-frying bananas with my ponytail.

I am, however, back, mostly for the debt I feel like I owe to foreground and celebrate great art, even if I do at times feel like an uncelebrated artists. Maybe even more so because of that. Because moping isn't good enough, not for anyone and not for me.

One last thing: Unending great music came out these past few weeks, and I'm not really going to write a longer-than-usual post because that's life. So, enjoy what is here, and enjoy other things at your leisure. 

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.

Genital Shame – "Down Titration Strategies," from Wellness Plan (Avant-Garde Black Metal – The Flenser). Appropriate to open a post summing up a pretty stacked few weeks with one of the best projects in existence and, as importantly [[at this exact moment harassed by an incoming marketing call]] an alum of the aforementioned MILIM KASHOT compilation series, which some might say is the most important unimportant compilation on Earth. Anyhow, Erin is incredible, her music is timeless, we're living in her world on her time. So, yeah.

Godflesh – "Master and Salve," from Decay (Industrial – Relapse Records). One of them "what can one say" type of entries, but actually I have stuff to say. The thing about making beautiful art, one tends to forget, is about skill, yes, but not as it is often thought of. Skill in choosing which ping goes after which pong, what feels right. Getting better at what feels right, at what expresses that which you wish to express. JKB is still getting better at it, you'd be surprised to know, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down either. One the best assemblies of human nerve endings on earth. Too bad he won't interview (I guess with me).

Kraanerg – "Iron Sign of the Masdevallia," from Aria for Labellum Tongues (Avant-Garde/Progressive Metal – Independent). A wise man, a writer, told me something a few months ago as I was agonizing over what I had perceived was the lack of public response/reviews to my latest work. I said to him (this was over chat, so really I wrote) something about wanting a wider audience, to which he said: "Ron, in today's state of readership the difference between having readers and not is negligible." I truly believe it is one of the most liberating, profound statements ever said in my presence and I am honored to be its recipient. Kraanerg comes into this flow because Kraanerg don't fucking care. If you want a deluge of beauty and originality that is still beautiful but somehow tough to chew, great, they made it for you. If you don't, who gives a fuck. The difference is, again, negligible. I'm listening. The only thing I'd add is to apologize for taking so long to write about it, Nat. Shit went down, trust me. But I've been listening ever since you so graciously sent it over. 

Remote Viewing – "Disrespect the Arts," from State Violence (Sludge/Noise Rock – Human Worth). At times I am rewarded for not tossing anything labeled PR into the waste bin of history. Pretty sure I've never heard of these fine folk, and yet they make me very happy. There's much talk of happenings in the interface of noise rock and post-punk these days, and I'm sensitive to that, because both are near to my heart. But, honestly, most of it sucks and sounds fake and pretentious. This doesn't. Also, perfect cover/font/color, all of it.

Wellness – "503," from Wellness (Math/Grindcore – Third House Records). Look, when I heard who was in this band and when I saw the cover art I was really hoping it would sound a certain way. And, lo and behold, it's how it does sound, though I would have preferred less breakdowns and more blast beats but we're splitting hairs here. Manic, and I wish to bathe in it.

Kali Malone – "Heavy With Fruit," from Burning Song (Experimental – Ideologic Organ). I've already spent a good chunk of time in life telling ya'll what Kali Malone means to me. She makes music that for weirdos for me is a reason to exist, and every note she has ever composed or played is vibrating and oscillating with the frequencies of my own brain. New music is always a blessing, never a misstep, and if I ever get to see her perform I might cry. This is my review.

Feeding – "Blood Cascades," from Insurmountable Suffering by). If I ever made a compilation that included both Kali Malone and Feeding I would absolutely place them one after the other. From the sublime oragn pipes vibrating with the sounds of the liminal space between life and death to the overpopulated graveyard, bones sticking out and people puking. The yang to the ying. Music to bleed to.

Great Falls – "Nicotine in the Spine," from The Bite that Grows Up (Mathcore/Noise-Rock – Neurot Recordsings). I'll be visiting the States (what some of you call 'Merica) for 10 days or so this October. Why am I telling you thing? Because I'm going to have to make the awful decision of either going to see Inter Arma with Trhä in Baltimore or Kowloon Walled City with Great Falls in Philadelphia. All this, while recognizing I might not be able to make it to the KWC show and get back to Baltimore using public transportation because I think the train schedule ends earlier than I would wish for. Believe it nor not but I've encountered this exact issue nine years ago, and had to cut an Inter Arma show (with Woe) short for the exact same reason. I write this blather down because I fucking love Great Falls and KWC enough to actually consider it (I'm also giving a lecture the next day, so trickier). Great Falls are one of the truly great bands of our time. 

Jøtnarr – "Luminous Veil," from Feet First On The Corpse Path (Black Metal/Punk – Bunklan / Prismatik / SquigyPop / SuperFi). This album, by a band I did not know, made me way too happy when I caught it on the Bandcamps. I listened to it like nine times straight, ordered the tape immediately, and then listened to it nine more times. Post-punk, punk, black metal, the serenity and delicateness, and the absolute rage, all coming together behind one of the absolute best vocals performances of all heavy music in my life. Sheer force. Just incredible. 

BONUS #1 Replicant – "Anti-Cosmic Spiral, from Indomitable Hostility (Death Metal – Transcending Obscurity Records). OK, I lied, this is going to be a slightly longer post. And I'm also going to come clear – I really wanted to include the Cocteau Twins cover here, because it's one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums and the version is incredible and the fact that it exists is even more incredible. But, I can't, that track isn't out yet, so I'll "info" it once it is. But this entire split is just unreal, and to me Replicant continue their exponential post-Infinite Mortality explosion. They fucked around and found a portal into interdimensional, smart death metal and they are not coming back.

BONUS #2 Lugubrious Garment – "Profaned Fountain of Leaden Waters," from In the Wide Vale of Uncreated Night (Death/Black Metal – 20 Buck Spin). I'm a simple man, I see a Gabriele Gramaglia project, I but it, listen to it, and terrorize my children with it. I wrote about Lugubrious Garment when that incredible demo came out last year, and so am very happy I get to dream about my own rotting flesh with a whole full album now too. 

BONUS #3 Rosetta – "The Native Hue of Resolution," from Temporal Lapse (Post-Rock/Metal – Pelagic Records). Few bands have been as foundational in my life as a music person than Rosetta. The two album run of A Determinism of Morality and The Anaesthete (the subject of this Albums of the Decade interview) represents one of the best two-album spans in my adult life and two of my favorite albums ever, to say nothing of the mastery that came before and after. But it's been a whole while since they've released anything, and I had acquiesced I think to the fact that they were gone. The good news is that I was wrong, the bad news is that I was right. I was wrong because they have graciously willed one more album our way, one more offering of gentle humans ruminating about life with the odd heavy riff in the background. I was right because this is a last hurrah, and there probably won't be any more Rosetta albums after this one. I'm glad I had the honor of seeing them at least once live, which was a life-affirming experience, as expected, and that they are and will continue to be a source of inspiration of me and countless others.

FIVE MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

ONE: I have tons more stuff to rave about, will probably do a Patreon-only post to vent it out.

TWO: I somehow missed there's a new True Widow-associated project called Bad Stuff.

THREE: Very sick emo/grindcore from Brazilian project Devir-vespa da Orquídea.

FOUR: Serpent Column, as I'm sure you know, is going through the ole black catalog and redoing shit. Mirror in Darkness remains timeless, in whatever form.

FIVE: Temple of Void sound pretty great on this new split with Outer Heaven.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE: Bosse-de-Nage and Deafheaven are reissuing their legendary split.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE PROMISE: Wolves in the Throne Room are back, God I hope this doesn't suck. Good album name, though. First single sounds OK.

ONE LAST THING, PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE: Listen to Krallice.