Once again, the damned filtration system, overburdened by the obnoxiously lascivious ways of Dr. A.N. Grier and the emissive overrating of the general staff—somehow excluding Holdeneye as of late—begs and pleads for relief. No longer can it contain the filth wrought upon its thin, fibrous nets and overworked fans. It is, in these trying times, up to me and those of our staff who will brook my cattle-prod abuse to venture into the vast expanses of our murky filtration network and clear the grime. As always, those who make the trek invariably return with chunks of shimmering metal that would have otherwise been tossed unceremoniously in the bin.
It is us, and us alone, you the readers have to thank for these moderately sought-after nuggets. We accept payment in the form of hobo wine, goat sacrifices, vomit baptisms, blood for the blood god, and skulls for the skull throne. Pay up!
Carchy’s Crunchable Crumbs
Mithrandir // Towards the Spires of Dol Guldur [March 4th 2023, self-released]
Raw, harsh melodic black metal inspired by Tolkien and, specifically, Dol Guldur, the stronghold of Sauron in his Necromancer guise? Sign me up. And I mean right now. On their debut, independent Finnish two-piece Mithrandir have crafted 40 minutes of visceral, old school black metal but laced with heavy dollops of melody and programmed weirdness, a la psychedelic countrymen Oranssi Pazuzu (“Crebain”). As we follow Mithrandir ”Towards the Spires of Dol Guldur” and into “Khazad-Dûm (Through Halls of the Children of Aulë)”, it is clear that Mithrandir is very much Gandalf still shrouded in Grey. Shifting between ominous synth passages and samples of Gandalf, Saruman and others from the Peter Jackson trilogy, and galloping, second-wave-inspired black metal, this thing is just so much fun. Just check out the opening crunch to “Dawn of the Nine” or pounding battery of “Ikiuni”, and then tell me it didn’t bring a smile to your face. Furious drumming, shrieking razor-edged rasps and the iciest of tremolos, Mithrandir draws on the likes of Isengard and early Darkthrone, as well the heavier aspects of Summoning. OK, so these guys are not exactly pushing the boundaries of black metal but they have delivered a tightly written, brilliantly executed album that does something a little different from a lot of the raw, old school black metal that’s out there. With a huge pool of mythology to drill down into, I am expecting great things from Mithrandir.
Vitriolic Sage // 梦路 [March 9th, 2023 – Pest Productions]
Perhaps some of you enjoyed Ὁπλίτης’s Ψευδομένη, which I dutifully brought to your attention when it formed part of the fatberg we cleared out of January’s Filter. Well, for those of you that did, J.L. is back with another black metal record, and the third in as many years under the Vitriolic Sage guise. Compared to the Serpent Column-esque dissonance of Ὁπλίτης, this is a significantly more melodic outing. There are even a few parts of this record that lean toward something that resembles, dare I say, post-black metal (see in particular final track “梦的角落”). Written in a mix of Mandarin, French, old Tibetan and something called rGyalrongic1, I have not the faintest idea what 梦路 is about but it is clear in many respects that sad things are afoot. From the heart-wrenching guitar tone and anguished, rasping screams to the frantic, even breathless, drumming, the album has the feel of someone lurching between disasters. One disaster I could do without, however, is the uncomfortable, yet slightly overwrought, crying that closes out second track “Enfance en fange”. This fairly minor misstep aside, Vitriolic Sage has delivered a cracking, vibrant black metal record, with a razor-sharp melodic edge.
Thus Spoke’s Wasted Words
Viscera // Carcinogenesis [March 3rd, 2023 – Unique Leader Records]
I feel like I’ve been on a bit of a deathcore kick recently. By which I mean I’ve gone from listening to basically zero deathcore, to listening to some deathcore. It’s probably because there’s been a fair amount of good deathcore, and Viscera’s sophomore album Carcinogenesis, is an example. It helps that their brand contains a healthy dose of tech-death dynamism and a metalcore vivacity. This has hooks and riffs for days, and many a head-bobbing, infectious groove. It’s worth noting that Viscera features former members of Heart of a Coward, Sylosis, and Martyr Defiled, and does take considerable influence from these groups. But they also recall Within the Ruins quite strongly in their use of warbly twin guitar noodling (“Resolver,” “Omnipotence”). Songs are supported by a strong melodic backbone that breaks through in irresistible riffs (“Layers of Skin,” “On Earth as It is in Hell,” “Omnipotence”) or clean refrains (“Sungazer,” “Demon Queen”). This, plus an easy energy that sits just as comfortably in a headbanging crawl as it does in an athletic technical spiral, and snappy track runtimes, ensures (workout) listening perfection. You’ll be adding more than a couple of these cuts to lifting playlists for sure.
Skrying Mirror // Omnimalevolence [March 3rd, 2023 – I, Voidhanger Records]
Skrying Mirror may itself be a new project, but is comprised of experienced members from Ævangelist and Conduit of Chaos. The output is a noisy, atmospheric iteration of blackened death that echoes cavernously and with a subtle dark tinge of dissonant melody. A kind of cross between Ævangelist and Blut Aus Nord, it is yet far more brooding and atmospheric than either, amounting to somewhat of a mood piece as its nine tracks stalk in and fade one to the next. The deeply atmospheric production shrouds vocals almost to the point where they become another note in the noise, and so enhances a sense of smoky immersion. It means that where crawling, buried melodies do rise through cyclical riffs (“Temptress,” “Failure”) or ringing, drawling noisy chords (“Intravenous,” “Lux”) they’re that much more sinister. The drum production is really cool as well, echoing and clanging in such a way as to make the whole even more uncanny, especially when brought more to the fore in aggressive batterings (“Fractals”). This is one to get lost in, and at only thirty-nine minutes, it’s easy to do so again and again.
Dear Hollow’s Defecatory Disgust
Bury Tomorrow // The Seventh Sun [March 31st, 2023 – Music for Nations]
S
outhampton metalcore mainstays Bury Tomorrow had relied on Jason Cameron for too long. The vocalist/guitarist was a clear highlight for six albums and fourteen years, a uniquely smoky and soulful approach to cleans in a scene packed to the brim with post-hardcore abusers. The Winter-Bates brothers and company knew this as he left, so they amped the instrumental performances for The Seventh Sun. While keyboardist Tom Prendergast sings his heart out in his best impression of Feed Her to the Sharks’ Andrew Van Der Zalm to a solid degree, it’s the suddenly cutthroat quality of the music that stands out. Songs like “Abandon Us,” “Boltcutter,” “Forced Divide,” and “Heretic” offer bouncy riffs, bone-crushing breakdowns, and tasteful blasting – all guided by the ever-vicious vocals of Daniel Winter-Bates. Anthems like “Begin Again” and “Recovery,” while dwelling heartily in liberal amounts of schlock, are heartfelt singalongs with plenty of punishment dealt. Closer “The Carcass King” features a more atmospheric feel in its nearly metalcore interpretation of Fit for an Autopsy’s “Swing the Axe.” Is it metalcore? Yes. Are the cleans as good as before? No. However, is it also the best thing Bury Tomorrow could have done without Jason Cameron and their best since Union of Crowns? Absolutely.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Low Tide Libations
Hot Graves – Plaguewielder [March 31st, 2023 – Gurgling Gore]
Did someone order a steaming slab of death-thrash with wildly dynamic production and spooky synth assistance? If that describes you, look no further than Hot Graves‘ newest stank face-inducing outing Plaguewielder, especially since I may be underselling this as just a filter post. In a genre where the primary emotional expression favors steamroller over sadboi, Plaguewielder manages to maintain an overcast loom over their thrash-fueled breakaways (“Black Thorn and Blood,” “Structural Violence”) and body-dragging stomps (“Flashing Madness ov Death,” “Plaguewielder”). That’s not to say that these fuming cemetery-bound hooligans don’t have a few ounces of that early Midnight oomph in their DNA, with many numbers featuring a swinging, blackened heavy metal swagger (“Temple Compromised,” “Baptized in Brimstone”). And though guitarist Myk Colby (Wharflurch, Plasmodulated) has aimed for psychedelic before and come close, his layers upon layers of hazy reverb breathes heavy with festering hallucination (“View from the Gallows,” “Necrodudial Blasphemer”). But really it’s the moodier tracks that crackle into view over atmospheric synths and erupt with a post-hardcore melodicism (“Infinite Glimmering Chasm,” “Talk to Me”) provides both the deepest hooks and most dissolved reality that Hot Graves can muster. And, sadly, just as this Jamie Stewart (The Absence) was learning to stretch his shredded vocal prowess here (check his bridge screech on “Infinite Glimmering Chasm,” hot indeed), Plaguewielder revealed itself as a swan song. Triumphant, brooding, and chest beating with an ever-lasting d-beat, Hot Graves couldn’t have picked a better way to go.
Pressure Points – The Island [March 17th, 2023 – Art Gates Records]
Combining the smooth and momentous AOR stylings of Nightingale with a touch of synth-peppered Finnish melodeath energy (think earlier Omnium Gatherum), Pressure Points delivers us a one-way ticket to breezy yet chaotic prog experience with their newest The Island. Though this act doesn’t take many cues from fellow prog rockers Opeth, newly acquired vocalist Juha Tretjakov sounds eerily alike to the warm croon of Mikael Åkerfeldt on some of the most sorrowful passages (“So Ordinary,” “Leaves on the Road”). Not to be outdone, Kari Olli layers plaintive harmonies and punctuates with Swanö-cadenced barks to weave might and melody throughout the seven longer form numbers. But, outside of the opening track, which opens brightly but doesn’t move as much as what follows, nothing on this well-crafted journey really overstays its welcome. Keyboardist Veli-Matti Kyllönen’s attention to synth tone—particularly on “The Night Inside” and the “The Island”—drives bombast with pounding piano chords and refrains and guides transitions with bright and warbling interjections. Though there’s an underlying aggression and sadness painted throughout these proggy numbers, the sense of adventure that each track brings reminds me of the kind of fun that a band like Haken brings to the table at their best moments (I know we didn’t catch Fauna here, but… “Island in the Clouds” anyone??). Regardless, what Pressure Points has done best with The Island is remind me of all these proggy gems while still retaining an air of confidence that’s all their own.
Zorn – Zorn [March 25th, 2023 – Sorry State Records]
First it was Devil Master, then soon after Spiter… someone must be spikin’ the coffee at Wawa cause the nighttime freaks in Philly continue to clog our filter with filthy, crusted-over black metal. At a glance, Zorn seems to be playing triple-time Mercyful Fate songs, guitars even similarly coated with cocked wah and chorus (Yes, there are more ways to emulate that sound. Talk about it in the comments!). But punky numbers like “Liar” and “Nothing Left,” the latter of which features an acoustic kick pummel that rolls my eyes back every time, reveal quickly that speed and mania are equal parts of the Zorn sound. In fact, drummer Evan and guitarist Nao (Poison Ruïn) have squeaked out rapid-fire, skanky beat tunes as Alien Birth—but it seems like Satan needed to make an appearance to take their vision to the next level. That and vocalist Eric Teofilak whose rabid howl and cracked falsetto (think a young, more ambitious Tom Araya of Slayer fame) lift the bleeding refrains of “Endless Fantasies” and “Chosen” to the top of the flaming skull pile that adorns the C-movie Pazuzu with bayonet cover. But C-movie Zorn is not, with its furious 25 minutes containing pulse after pulse leading to the two more fleshed out closing tracks (“Voices from the Past,” “Würm”) which showcase the most torch-swinging of what this riotous act brings to the altar. Bust out your cowbell and leather, cause when Zorn comes a blazin’ through, you’ll want to be ready to clang and rage.