This Toilet Tuesday (3/21/17)
Behold that which is both Toilet and Tuesday! We are once again treated to a veritable mountain of siqq jams this week, with metal of all flavors getting some representation. Pagliacci, Bert Banana, Dumpster Lung, Ellipsis, and I have picked out some of the choicest cuts, but there’s plenty more to be had below. Find something that sounds rad and share it in the comments!
Heretoir – The Circle (Northern Silence Productions) [Post-Rock/Black Metal]
Listen to “The Circle (Omega)”
This release caught my attention because I remembered an excellent cover of Austere’s “Just For A Moment” this band did awhile back. At the time of this writing, there was only one track streaming on Bandcamp, the closing track “The Circle (Omega).” If the rest of the album is as good however, this will be a solid entry into the Blackgaze genre. The feeling of this track falls between the prettiness of Alcest and the melancholy of Katatonia. It starts and ends with a string intro/outro and features a main riff sporting a sharp post-rock guitar tone. The clean vocals manage to not get too pretty and the harsh vocals manage to not get too harsh, all in a good way. It probably should not come as surprise that Neige does guest vocals on one of the forthcoming tracks, nor should the album artwork by Fursy Teyssier. FFO: Alcest, Lantlos, Amesoeurs 3/24/17 (Pagliacci is Kvlt)
Pallbearer – Heartless (Profound Lore Records) [Doom]
Listen to “I Saw The End,” “Thorns”
Sometimes, the most important thing that can play in an album’s favour is timing. When Sorrow and Extinction dropped, it came in a time of my life that I was, in a way, experiencing a second chance. I was just starting school again and there was a new type of stress entering my life. Despite the bleakness of the album, it helped alleviate that stress from me and sent me on some incredible journeys. However, I think a lot that factored into that was how unexpectedly good it was, at least for me since I went in blind. Meanwhile, Foundations of Burden didn’t hit me the same way. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Maybe it was the mindset I was in. Whatever the reasons may be, I haven’t really felt the desire to revisit it. So here we are, Pallbearer’s third album is on the horizon, at a time where I’m actually looking forward to mixing up my rotation and also at a time where they are really changing their sound. The production is much cleaner and the songs don’t have the heft that songs from S&E has. I do get the 90’s alt rock homage that Profound Lore talks about in their press release for the album. On the song “I Saw the End”, there seems to be some Ozzy cues (especially with the “Oh yeah”) with the vocals, although I find “Thorns” to be a much more interesting song. Actually, I really love that song. The basslines in that song at incredibly smooth. The reverb laced vocals have a haunting feel to it. This album is clearly going into that direction of being more mainstream, which seems very logical. Brett Campbell probably has some of the better cleans in metal. If I were to draw a parallel to another album…it would be Yellow and Green by Baroness. Not so much in sound (Y&G has a lot more crunch, a more rock sound) but more so what it represents – that transition over to a more radio friendly sound. After the first couple of listens, I didn’t have this urgency to listen to this long playing record but after a few more plays, I’m interested to see where it leads. 3/24/17 (Bert Banana)
Grog – Ablutionary Rituals (Murder Records) [Brutal Deathgrind]
Stream
I feel like there has been a severe lack of gore around these parts lately, which probably explains why I latched onto this Grog album so quickly. Don’t shy away from the cleaner than average production; it actually works in favor of this album. It sounds like what an early Exhumed might have been with a more technical approach to their riffing, and the production lets you hear it all with clarity. If you’re looking for something with some brawn that isn’t too meatheaded, then look no further. 3/20/17 (Spear)
Caught in the Between – Individual Horse Patterns (Independent) [Thrash]
Stream
If you’re a remotely decent human being with any amount of good taste, then you’ll have noticed that Caught In The Between’s latest album title is a parody of Death’s magnificent 5th album, Individual Thought Patterns. That immediately piqued my curiosity, not just because of the reference to what may very well be my favorite Death album, but because also I wanted to know what the hell horses have to do with anything. Unfortunately, I did not get an answer to either question. What I did get, however, was a plethora of fun riffs, leads, and harsh vocals a bit reminiscent of Exmortus. The songwriting style is mostly a blend of thrash and traditional metal, though they do briefly sneak some blastbeats into one track. I went ahead and listened to the previous album as well, just to get some added context, and while the emphasis on death metal in the mix of styles on their 2013 record, The Asylum, does greatly appeal to me, Individual Horse Patterns feels a bit tighter and more cohesive as a result of their focus, even if that has come at the cost of toning down the more extreme influence in their sound. Bottom line: it’s a fun album, and I intend to keep an eye on these guys, both to see where they go from here, and also because I would like to find out what all this horse business is about. 3/24/17 (Dumpster Lung)
Devouring Star – Antihedron (Dark Descent) [Horrific Death Metal]
Stream
I hadn’t heard Devouring Star before this album, so I dove right in, not completely sure what to expect, and ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Shortly afterward, however, I was told that this one would rustle some jimmies, so I again sought out their earlier work for comparison’s sake. Some of you may very well be disappointed that they’ve shifted their focus on this EP, but try not to let that keep you from letting the foreboding atmosphere of Antihedron envelop you. Where they were previously a more dissonant, blackened sort of death metal, pummeling the listener repeatedly with furious blasting, the band now opts to crush the audience to dust beneath massive, heaving riffs. Devouring Star’s last album could be likened to a vicious attack by a horrid, nightmarish creature, and Antihedron is the immediate aftermath of said attack — You’re barely clinging to life, incapacitated, while the beast drags you deep into a cavernous lair where you will surely be devoured. 3/24/17 (Dumpster Lung)
Hypnos – The Whitecrow (Einheit Produktionen) [Death Metal]
Listen to “The Whitecrow”
After nearly five years since their last album, Hypnos return with their fifth full-length, The Whitecrow, which tells the tale of a young man who becomes a plague doctor, looking to heal the people from their decadence. Although this is surely a lost cause, Hypnos, and plenty of featured guests, take us on a death metal journey with “Get Inspired By The Light” locking the bass and drums in a tight, yet fluid, embrace, “Der Mordschlag”, which features V. Santura (Dark Fortress, Triptykon, Noneuclid) and Martin Missy (Protector, Zombie Lake), bringing the pummel and “Too Dark To Shine / Too Young To Die” and the title-track, showcasing Hypnos’ take on classic death metal fundamentals, capped off with varied transitions and soaring solos. 3/24/17 (Ellipsis)
Acid Force – Atrocity for the Lust (Support Underground Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “All Scum Will Rot,” “Spill The Acid”
Acrimonious – Eleven Dragons (WTC Productions) [Black Metal]
Listen to “The Northern Portal,” “Qayin Rex Mortis”
Adamantine – Heroes & Villains (Allegiance Recordings) [Thrash]
Listen to “Grudge”
Apoptosis Gutrectomy – Eugenics of Terrestrial Existence (Groupies Merch) [National Slampoon]
Listen to “Putrefaction”
Arvas – Black Path (Mighty Music) [Black Metal]
Attalla – Glacial Rule (Independent) [Doom]
Listen to “Black Wolf Rituals”
Black Tremor/Sea Witch – Black Tremor/Sea Witch (split- Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Varied Doom]
Listen
Chaos Synopsis – Gods of Chaos (Black Legion) [Death/Thrash]
Cut Up – Wherever They May Rot (Metal Blade Records) [Death Metal]
Listen to “From Ear to Ear,” “Vermin Funeral”
Damnations Day – A World Awakens (Sensory Records) [Power Metal]
Listen to “A World Awakens”
Deficiency – The Dawn of Consciousness (Apathia Records) [Thrash]
Listen to “Uncharted Waters”
Desecrator – To the Gallows (Dinner for Wolves) [Thrash]
Listen to “To the Gallows”
Emerald – Reckoning Day (Pure Steel Records) [Heavy Metal]
Preview
Hadal – Painful Shadow (Sliptrick Records) [Death/Doom]
Haemophagus – Stream of Shadows (Selfmadegod) [Deathgrind]
Listen to “Deranger”
Heart Attack – The Resilience (Apathia Records) [Thrash]
Listen
Helioss – Antumbra (Apathia Records) [Symphonic Death Metal]
Preview
Huldrekall – What Else Will Fade? (Independent) [Black Metal]
Stream
Illimitable Dolor – Illimitable Dolor (Transcending Obscurity) [Death/Doom]
Listen
Incordia – The Talon-Elder (DarkTunes) [Melodeath]
[In Mute] – Gea (Art Gates Records) [Melodeath]
Listen to “Human Obsolescence”
Isenordal – Shores of Mourning (Eternal Warfare Records) [Black/Doom]
Listen to “Shores of Mourning”
Kalmankantaja – Demonwoods (Wolfspell Records) [Atmospheric Black Metal]
Listen to “The Wanderer in Eternity”
Moonloop – Devocean (Listenable Records) [Progressive Death Metal]
Listen to “Medusa,” “Zeal”
Nebulah – Rising Eternity (The Winter Will Last Forever) [Black Metal]
Stream
Nordland – European Paganism (Satanath Records) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Rites at Dawn”
ORM – ORM (ORM) [ORM]
ORM
Rebirth of Nefast – Tabernaculum (Oration) [Black Metal]
Listen to “The Lifting of the Veil”
Sawthis – Babhell (Mighty Music) [Death Metal]
Listen to “This String is For Your Neck”
Scordatura – Self-Created Abyss (Gore House Productions) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Servants of Entrapment”
Season of Arrows – Give It to the Mountain (Argonauta Records) [Doom]
Stream
Sickdeer – The Wretched of the Earth (Independent) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Sand to Dust”
Sloth Herder – No Pity, No Sunrise (Grimoire Records) [Experimental Black Metal]
Stream
Stormage – Dead of Night (Massacre Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “The Deadly Blow”
Stormhammer – Welcome to the End (Massacre Records) [Power Metal]
Listen to “Northman”
Taphos Nomos/Urðun – R.I.P. (split- Caligari Records) [Death Metal]
Listen
Throne of the Beheaded – A Sunday in Salem (Dissentient Records) [Deathcore]
Listen
Tromort – Camino de la sangre (Hecatombe Records) [Death Metal]
Listen to “Camino de la Sangre”
Twilight Fauna – The Year the Stars Fell (Independent) [Black Metal]
Listen to “Falling Portraits,” “A Thinning Veil”
Vatican – March of the Kings (Pure Steel Records) [Heavy Metal]
Listen to “Running”
The Vicious Head Society – Abject Tomorrow (Independent) [Prog Metal]
Preview
Did we forget a new release? Is there a way we could improve this list? Let us know in the comments below!
(Images VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA, VIA)
