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New albums

🌶️ Mastodon

Progressive sludge, USA (Loma Vista)

FFO: Baroness, Gojira, The Ocean

There are not many bands I’ve seen as many times as Mastodon. I’ve seen them in a small venue in Amsterdam in 2005, and the last time was a few years ago in full, proper midsize place. The first and last times were both absolutely fantastic, and the ten-ish times in between were probably fifty-fifty fantastic and shit. This band has been to hell and back, made brilliant albums and a few meh’s, but always did something interesting. Brent Hinds, whose shadow hangs undeniably over this album, was an important part of the good and bad of all the shows I saw. When he was bad, he sucked. When he was good, oh boy, so good. I wrote this before I saw the short film The Mastodon in the Room, where the three surviving members say exactly that. It wasn’t all Brent, of course, but I recognize and understand, now, everything they’re saying about the band as I knew it.

I’ll miss him dearly, and I miss what that band was. The old Mastodon is gone - that was those four guys, forever and ever. But there’s a band, still. A new Mastodon, with old pain and new energy. This album is a testament to survival and it helps. It’s the place where the rest of the band put their grief, pain, anger and sadness into art, which is beautiful and cathartic to listen to.

🌶️ Russian Circles

Post, USA (Sargent House)

FFO: Pelican, ISIS, The Ocean

Who pissed in Russian Circles’ cereals? The Russians? A chill instrumental post metal band no more, the round shapes from the former socialist state have spiked their sound heavily. To be honest: I never really thought they were a super interesting band, until I saw them live a few years ago. They really grabbed my attention with every riff, so what may well be the effect, is that I’m just truly listening now.

There’s more: Sev Lezu (🌶️ black, USA - w/ members of Sonja, Crossspitter), Sadness (post black, USA), Miscreance (🌶️ tech/death thrash, Italy), Interitio (black/d-beat, UK), Besvärjelsen (stoner/doom, Sweden), Exumer (thrash, Germany), Barracuda (🌶️ heavy, Germany), Kamelot (melodic power, USA), Static Abyss (death/doom, USA - w/ members of Autopsy, Necrot), Mantahungal (raw black, Indonesia), Djevelsort (black, Norway), Mindwork (prog death/thrash, Czech Republic), Shabti (prog death, USA - w/ members of Falls of Rauros, Thrawsunblat), Kulk (sludge/drone/doom, UK) and Ninth Realm (crossover/thrash, USA).

Eight new songs

🌶️ Krallice (avantgarde black, USA)

🌶️ Shy, Low (instrumental post, USA)

🌶️ Esoctrilihum (avantgarde black/death, France)

🌶️ Amon Amarth (melodeath, Sweden)

🌶️ Deathwards (death/thrash, Chile)

🌶️ Odious Spirit (experimental death/thrash, USA)

🌶️ Abyssus (death, Greece)

🌶️ Asgrauw (black, The Netherlands)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Turnstile (indie hardcore, USA - these clowns have rerecorded/remixed their Never Enough album with guests, from Dying Fetus to Elton John, and Oklou to Shabaka)

Next week: Chat Pile, Februus, Sigh, Behemoth, Castle, Green Carnation, Sleep (ish) & Vanaheim.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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Back! The playlist is fresh and full, after the big and sweaty update. Over 130 new tracks, I’m not going to highlight them all here (I’ll make a selection) but do please check it all out over at the devil’s green stripey app: over 11 hours of new music!

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New albums today

🌶️ Chelsea Wolfe

Folk doom, USA (Loma Vista)

FFO: A.A. Williams. Emma Ruth Rundle, Faetooth

The reigning queen of folky doom is back, and there’s hardly enough black eyeliner in the world to celebrate it. Hard to believe her actual second name is Joy.

🌶️ Street Tombs

Death, USA (Carbonized Records)

FFO: Cemetery Reign, Bolt Thrower, Skulld

This is hard to put down. Crusty d-beats for days.

There’s more: Fen (atmoblack, UK), Azatoth (death, Finland), Estuarine (experimental tech death/grind, USA) and Ihloosuhree (experimental black, Belgium).

New holiday albums

🌶️ Altarage

Dissonant death, Spain (Sentient Ruin)

FFO: Primitive Man, Portal, Hell

I’ve described this band to a friend as a cranky Primitive Man. I guess Altarage are actually leaning a bit more into dissonant death metal territory - think Portal, Abyssal, Ulcerate - but for a ‘ffo’ it works. Especially this new album: a slowly plow through thick layers of muck. It’s sludgy as hell (and, as Hell). It’s awesome.

🌶️ Aenigmatum

Prog black/death, USA (20 Buck Spin)

FFO: The Chasm, Stargazer, Atvm

Surprise albums only work with Beyoncé, and really good extreme metal bands. And this is not Beyoncé. This is a fantastic release from these Portlandians, that will take me a while to fully unpack.

🌶️ Kaikkivaltias

Epic black, Finland (independent)

FFO: Obsequiae, Windir, Morke

Yet another band I discovered through the great Ixiol label. They released Astu, Kaikkivaltias’ debut ep and I was immediately hooked. Yes it’s epic, medieval-y black metal, but not it doesn’t try to sound like Obsequiae or Windir. Kaikkivaltias has it’s own sound, character and vibe.

🌶️ Lammoth

Atmospheric black, USA (Fiadh Productions)

FFO: Deafheaven, Violent Cold, Sadness

Easily one of the names I saw mentioned the most when I got back. Never heard of this one man act from North Carolina, but I got curious because 1: I read the name so much and people were enthousiastic, and 2: this album is not just Tolkien based, it’s all about Bill the Pony. Bill the motherfucking Pony. You read that right. Now go listen to Lammoth and talk about it.

There’s even more: Nothingness (🌶️ death, USA), Hulder (black, USA), Taake (🌶️ black, Norway), Abyssal Rift (death, USA), Papangu (prog/heavy zeuhl, Brazil), Temple of Dread (death, Germany) and Crumbling Ghost (🌶️ psych/stoner, UK). The rest is in the Spotify playlist!

Seventeen new songs

🌶️ Wolves in the Throne Room (atmoblack, USA)

🌶️ Krallice (experimental black, USA)

🌶️ Enslaved (progressive viking black, Norway)

🌶️ Dreadnought (progressive doom, USA)

🌶️ Down (stoner/sludge, USA)

🌶️ Fluisteraars (black, The Netherlands)

🌶️ Mastodon (prog sludge, USA)

🌶️ Voice of Baceprot (groove/nu/metalcore, Indonesia)

🌶️ Extol (prog death, Norway)

🌶️ Avrak (heavy/doom/black, Norway - feat. Nocturno Culto)

🌶️ The Number Twelve Looks Like You (mathcore, USA)

🌶️ Sigh (avantgarde, Japan)

🌶️ Godflesh (industrial, UK)

🌶️ Hippotraktor (prog, Belgium)

🌶️ Cult of Luna (sludge/post, Sweden)

🌶️ E-L-R (doom/post, Switzerland)

🌶️ Genital Shame (experimental black, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Julia Holter (chamber pop, USA)

Next week: Mastodon, Russian Circles, Exumer & Kamelot.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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This is my last newsletter before I’m out for a week or three! Time for holiday, I’m out for Spain. If I get the opportunity, I’ll try to update the playlist, but usually I will update it after my holiday with a big fat summer update when I’m back. Cyaaaa!

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New Albums

🌶️ Rezn

Psych doom/stoner, USA (Sargent House)

FFO: Windhand, Monolord, Elder

In Rezn I hear like a stoner/doom version of a Pelagic band. Ethereal, dreamy, hard to turn off once it’s spinning. This is their sixth album and you can hear the confidence in their writing. And, as the eye needs something too, beautiful artwork.

🌶️Ripper

Death/thrash, Chile (Dark Descent Records)

FFO: Kreator, old Sepultura, Hellion

I’ve told you before: there’s something in the water in Chile. And whatever it is, the guys in Ripper have been binging it. This is a shot of energy with riffs flying around like a meteor shower. Super exciting band and album.

There’s more: Sallow Moth (prog death, USA), Madball (hardcore, USA), Torpor (black/heavy, Poland), Mould (postpunk, UK), Tharaphita (pagan black, Estonia). The rest is in the playlist!

Three New songs

🌶️ Insomnium (melodic death, Finland)

🌶️ Chelsea Wolfe (dark folk/doom, USA)

🌶️ Russian Circles (post/sludge, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Haven’t heard anything special

Next three weeks: Altarage, Nothingness, Hulder, Taake and Temple of Dread. Not too much indeed!

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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New Albums

🌶️ Emptiness

Post black/death, Belgium (Season of Mist)

FFO: Oranssi Pazuzu, Howls of Ebb, Dolorian

Absolutely loved Nothing But the Whole and Not For Music, but I couldn’t stomach the insane decision to have a dead kid on the cover of their 2021 release Vide. It helped that I didn’t like the singles I heard off it. Anyway, the sound on their newest is what I want form them. Maybe I should’ve known because this is a continuation of Nothing But the Whole. Unnerving, dark, brooding, subtle, unique, and some of the coolest vocals in the game. Dreamy death metal.

🌶️ Left To Die

Death, USA (Relapse Records)

FFO: Mantas, Gruesome, Death

We already have Gruesome, we have Death to All and of course there’s the eternally brilliant Death catalogue. Do we really need another Death tribute? Well, I don’t know if it’s necessary, but I can’t help but fucking love this. These are all Schuldiner tracks, old demo’s and live rehearsals that never made the cut for Scream Bloody Gore or later (although I got goosebumps hearing the ‘Spiritual Healing’ riff in 'Legion of Doom’), so the quality was bonkers to begin with. But these guys really lovingly brought those tunes into the here and now.

🌶️ Beastlor

Black, USA (independent)

FFO: Krallice, Encenathrakh, Anicon

I first heard of Beastlor when Krallice covered ‘This Forest For Which We Have Killed’ (on their career highlight Go Be Forgotten). Then I learned it wasn’t just an obscure unearthed band, but Mick Barr’s side project. You know, Mick from... Krallice. This is his second full length, and it’s as adventurous as you’d expect from a Krallice side project.

There’s more: Protest the Hero (🌶️ progressive metalcore, Canada), Fuming Mouth (🌶️ death/crust, USA), Psycroptic (tech death, Australia), an ep from Haken (prog, UK), a split from Supremative & Crucifixation (black/death, Spain & black/death, USA), Jehovah On Death (occult rock, Greece), Ethereal Rot (blackened tech death, USA), Black Sites (heavy/prog, USA), Witches Hammer (speed/thrash, Canada), JPI Vio-Lens Kommand (black/death/thrash, Uruguay), Niveous (black, USA), Äxe (black/speed, UK), and Quicksand (🌶️post-hardcore punk, USA). The rest is in the playlist!

Nine new songs

🌶️ Altarage (experimental death, Spain Basque Country)

🌶️ Employed to Serve (metalcore, UK)

🌶️ Wayfarer (atmoblack/folk, feat. David Eugene Edwards)

🌶️ The Ocean (sludge/post, Germany)

🌶️ Mastodon (sludge/prog, USA)

🌶️ Noctule (atmoblack, UK - solo project from Svalbard’s Serena Cherry)

🌶️ Akvan (folk/black, Iran)

🌶️ Znous (hardcore punk/folk, Tunisia)

🌶️ Sev Lezu (black/death, USA - w/ Melissa Moore of Sonja, Crossspitter)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Cinder Well (experimental dark folk, USA)

Next week: Ripper, Sallow Moth, Madball, Rezn, The Hu & Torpor.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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Slow release week, slow To The Teeth.

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New Albums

Sojourner (epic/atmoblack, New Zealand/Sweden), Haserot (death, USA), Wailin Storms (southern doom/punk, USA), Mourir (black, France), Snorlax (blackened death, Australia) and Dysgnostic (tech death, Denmark). The rest is in the playlist!

Five new songs

🌶️ Fen (atmoblack, UK)

🌶️ Hulder (black, USA)

🌶️ Fuming Mouth (death/crust, USA)

🌶️ Left To Die (death, USA. Practice What you Preach! No, wait a minute)

🌶️ Devil Master (black/punk, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: The Windowsill (punkrock, The Netherlands)

Next week: Emptiness, Haken, Fuming Mouth, Left to Die, Loathe and Quicksand.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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New Albums

🌶️ Moonspell

Gothic, Portugal (Napalm Records)

FFO: Tiamat, Katatonia, Rotting Christ

This is only up here because I deeply love this band. I am not sure if I’m still into the music they make anymore, though. Much of their recent output is a little bland to me. It lacks original ideas and some of it tips to the tacky, self-parody side (most of Hermitage, big chunks of 1755, bits of Extinct and Alpha Noir). But, since I deeply love this band, I’m going to look for things I do like here. The opening track has a great riff. I like the sharp chords and subtle synths. I like the dynamics. The vocals, meh. The lyrics, oof. “Someone died here / that was so fucking young”.

The promise was back to their roots, as a lot of bands this age do. And yes, there is something oldschool and back-to-basics in the sound on this record. But it’s not the brilliance of Irreligious, Sin/Pecado or The Antidote. The one it reminds me of most, is the tepid Darkness & Hope, one of my least favourite albums of theirs.

So, the only thing I can do is try a few more times. Maybe it’ll grow. Maybe I will find something really sympathetic that I haven’t heard yet. I will really try, but I don’t expect much of it.

🌶️ Mortem

Black, Norway (Peaceville Records)

FFO: Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor

There are many ways to describe this band, but ultimately it’s just Norwegians (members of Arcturus, Thorns and 1349) having fun with old black metal.

There’s more: Soothsayer (atmospheric doom/sludge, Ireland), Zorn (black/crust, USA), a split from Abriction & A. Yólotl (🌶️ atmoblack, USA & Mexico), Witchsorrow (doom, UK) and Todomal (🌶️ atmospheric doom, Spain). The rest is in the playlist!

Four new songs

🌶️ Enslaved (progressive black, Norway)

🌶️ Runemagick (death/doom, Sweden)

🌶️ Rezn (psych doom/stoner, USA)

🌶️ Emptiness (black/death/post, Belgium)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Deep Purple (hardrock, UK)

Next week: Haserot, Wailin Storms & Mourir.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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New Albums

🌶️ Warning

Doom, UK (Relapse Records)

FFO: Pallbearer, Messa, Yob

I didn’t really get this band until I saw them live. It was Roadburn, I was super tired and although I didn’t care for Warning, I went into the venue to check them out. Found a place on the balcony where I could sit down in the dark to quietly bitch about this band. Of course, I didn’t expect to be profoundly moved by the show (later released). I saw them again this year which obviously couldn’t top that first time (as a matter of fact, to be perfectly honest I thought they were kind of boring this time around). Just as the album can’t come near Watching From a Distance. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy they’re back, sounding miserable.

🌶️ Mork

Black, Norway (Peaceville Records)

FFO: Taake, Darkthrone, Craft

Mork doesn’t even do something particularly special. At a glance, it's pretty run-of-the-mill second-wave Norwegian black metal. But, much like Taake, it’s a masterclass in how that specific brand of black metal should sound. Ice cold, razor-sharp riffs in well written songs that hardly every let up in tension.

🌶️ Vikshipt

Acoustic black, India (Fiadh Productions)

FFO: Erraunt, Ulaan Passerine, Kaatayra

Since Erraunt I know acoustic black metal is a thing, but I don’t come across it often enough (the FFO’s don’t do it justice). Vikshipt is a project from India (western Himalayas) that floored me this afternoon, when released it at Fiadh. The vocals, the melodies, the birds, it’s really something else. There’s a little bit of dungeon synth, a little bit of Godspeed Y!BE, and - albeit hidden - the sharp teeth of metal.

There’s more: Einherjer (viking black, Norway), an ep from Raat (post-black, India) an ep from Blackbriar (symphonic, The Netherlands), Vafurlogi (black, Iceland),Saidan (🌶️ black, USA), Gold Spire (avantgarde death/doom, Sweden), Quiet Fear (post-hardcore, USA), Nirriti (black/death, India/Canada), Scordatura (death, UK), Inherits the Void (atmoblack, France), Inscribed (death/thrash, USA), Crocell (black/death, Denmark), Iron Kobra (heavy, Germany) and a split from Savage Master & Mystic Storm (heavy, USA & thrash, Russia). The rest is in the playlist!

Six new songs

🌶️ Samael (industrial/black, Switzerland)

🌶️ Insomnium (melodeath, Finland)

🌶️ Behemoth (black/death, Poland)

🌶️ Tygers of Pan Tang (NWOBHM, UK)

🌶️ Miscreance (tech/death, Italy)

🌶️ Burner (death/hardcore, UK)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Liminal Sky (dark prog rock, Norway - featuring Mat McNerney (Hexvessel), the guys from Ulver, Karin Park, Matt Rozeik and others)

Next week: nothing stood out yet!

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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New Albums

🌶️ Big|Brave

Experimental drone/doom, Canada

FFO: Otay:onii, Divide & Dissolve, The Body

Brilliant band Big|Brave is back with the most beautiful album they’ve made so far. No drums, this is a murmuration of notes, sounds, vibrations and they all constantly move. They invoke music out of white noise, as it were. Distortion is a palette, melodies were seemingly hiding within the mist and Big|Brave play with texture, it as if they have the power over every single molecule in the air. I’m totally rambling. This is just really really pretty and I am placing this album very high on my end of the year list.

🌶️ Stormkeep

Melodic black, USA (Vesperian)

FFO: Emperor, Sacramentum, Dimmu Borgir

This release had me a little worried. ‘Tales of Othertime’, their 2021 release, is one of the best melodic black metal albums of the last ten years (#33 on my black metal list) but everything about their newest made me uncomfortable. The weird cover, the unknown label, the singles that were ok. I guess it’s good that this band doesn’t sit still, though, and who would expect that from a band with members from forward thinkers like Wayfarer, Blood Incantation and Lykotonon. And of course the whole album is much more of an experience. I just hope I’ll revisit it more than I’d expect to right now.

🌶️ Iron Reagan

Crossover thrash/punk, USA (Relapse Records)

FFO: Municipal Waste, SOD, Suicidal Tendencies

I thought that this band - a project with members of Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour was done, but they got the original line-up back together and rammed out a new ep. It’s six songs, ten minutes, fucking hard.

🌶️ Genghis Tron

Experimental/electronic, USA (Relapse Records)

FFO: Author & Punisher,

Apparently I missed that this was a cool band. I didn’t know them when they released their best known work (2004-2010) and I ignored their comeback (2020). But the singles for this new album really slapped me in the face. Can’t go around it anymore: this is a cool band.

🌶️ Khemmis

Doom, USA (Nuclear Blast)

FFO: Pallbearer, Spirit Adrift, Elder

It says everything about this release day that such a good Khemmis record is the last one in the row here. But really, it’s fiery, compelling and dynamic - great stuff worthy of a self-titled.

There’s more: Mono (🌶️ post, Japan), an ep from Devourment (slam/brutal death, USA), Goetia (death, USA), Zothique (black, USA), Defiled (death, Japan), a split from Mystifier & Craven Idol (black/death, Brazil & black/thrash, UK), Lex Legion (heavy, international - (ex)members of King Diamond, doing it without him), Nuclear Tomb (🌶️ prog thrash/death, USA), Fyrnask (black, Germany), Ride For Revenge (experimental black, Finland), Fires in the Distance (melodic doom/death, USA) an ep from Defenestration (death, Canada) and Woewarden (atmospheric/depressive black, Australia). The rest is in the playlist!

Nine new songs

🌶️ Cult of Luna (atmospheric sludge, Sweden)

🌶️ Mortem (black, Norway)

🌶️ Hulder (black, USA)

🌶️ Chat Pile (noise/sludge, USA)

🌶️ Archgoat (death/black, Finland)

🌶️ Left To Die (death, USA)

🌶️ Emptiness (post death, Belgium)

🌶️ Devildriver (groove/metalcore, USA)

🌶️ Haken (prog, UK)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Olivia Rodrigo (pop punk, USA)

Next week: Warning, Mork, Einherjer, Witching Hour and Saidan.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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Missed the black metal bonanza? Read part 1 (100-67), part 2 (66-35) and part 3 (34-1) and let me know what you think in the comments.

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New Albums

🌶️ A.A. Williams

Post-doom, UK

FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Darkher, Emma Ruth Rundle

Williams’ dark post-doom could’ve been pop music. And at the same time, if a burly Swede was involved, just as easily Cult of Luna. I read that someone called it ‘metal that isn’t metal’ and that fits. Not heavy, but fucking heavy, you know? She reminds me of Emma Ruth Rundle, but Williams actually pronounces the words she sings. The songs here are very effective: big melodies, sweeping choruses, catchy as the plague. It’s not the heaviest album I’ve covered here, but at moments it’s heavy enough to sink a ship. ‘Wolves’ is one of the most beautiful songs of this year so far, at least, easily the most beautiful post-doom song.

🌶️ Converge

Metalcore, USA (Epitaph)

FFO: Portrayal of Guilt, Poison the Well, Botch

Love is not enough is not enough. God, I don’t even want to know how many magazines and blogs will use the Bush / a second plane just hit-meme for this one. I’m just happy Converge are back, again.

There’s more: Evergrey (prog/power, Sweden), Slift (🌶️ prog/stoner, France), Together to the Stars (post-black, Sweden), Godless (death, Chile - comes out tomorrow) 100 Demons (metallic hardcore, USA), Rotten Tomb (🌶️ death, Chile - out tomorrow, is that something Chilean?), Hammok (hardcore, Norway), an ep from Diabolic Oath (black/death, USA), Nachtheem (black, The Netherlands), a split from Enevelde & Gjendød (both black, Norway), Horn (black, Germany), Sleepbomb (sludge/doom/stoner, USA), Xenosis (prog death, USA), Grabunhold (black, Germany), Primal Cult (melodic black, Greece), a live album from Ayreon (prog, The Netherlands), a live album from Voivod (prog thrash, Canada), and of course the new ambient soundtrack to their own documentary from Blood Incantation (ambient, USA). The rest is in the playlist!

Seven new songs

🌶️ Mastodon (prog sludge, USA)

🌶️ Accept (heavy, Germany with Phil Anselmo, Kirk Hammett, Billy Sheehan & Mikkey Dee)

🌶️ Protest The Hero (progressive metalcore, Canada)

🌶️ Nothingness (death, USA)

🌶️ Februus (prog death, Sweden)

🌶️ Pelagic United (a My Bloody Valentine cover, with members of Spotlights, Rosetta, Failure, Shy Low and Hiroe)

🌶️ Rezn (psych stoner, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Lakecia Benjamin (jazz, USA)

Next week: Big|Brave, Genghis Tron, Goetia, Defiled, Khemmis & Véhémence.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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Pff, that was a lot of work but it was fun: the list of my favourite 100 black metal releases is out in full. The Substack algorithm didn’t hesitate to let me know that everyone and their mother are making lists on the platform, so I don’t think I’ll be adding much to it soon (can’t promise though). I’ve been listening to so much great black metal the past week, that I’ve been actively pushing into other genres to keep my palate busy. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it too. This week, and that’s a coincidence, not a lot of new black metal. Good stoner, good death, good prog, and yes, also good - if avantgarde - black metal. It’s a great release day!

Missed it? Read part 1 (100-67), part 2 (66-35) and part 3 (34-1) and let me know what you think in the comments.

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New Albums

🌶️ Elder

Psych/prog stoner/doom, USA (Stickman Records)

FFO: Khemmis, Baroness, Weedpercker

It took Elder one well placed EP to grab the attention back. I wasn’t really paying attention to the last two, maybe three full lengths until 'Liminality/Dream State Return’ came out last year. It did exactly what an EP does well: it showed off that they have more angles to them than they had showed before, and it got me properly hyped for this new release. I’m off, space bound.

🌶️ Funebrarum

Death, USA (Pulverised Records)

FFO: Incantation, Krypts, Cruciamentum

I’m sorry to all the other death metal bands. This is that one really fucking good death metal album this year. And of course it’s another Phil Tougas release, a name you should be familiar with right now. Is it not for Atramentum, Zeicrydeus and Chthe’ilist before, than for the excellent albums with Exxûl and Worm this year.

🌶️ Devin Townsend

Prog, Canada (InsideOut Music)

FFO: The Devin Townsend Project, The Devin Townsend Band, Strapping Young Lad

Luckily, insane prog nerd Devin Townsend didn’t go too far overboard with this one. There are just a mere - and yes I’m combining the two versions, he releases them all doesn’t he - 48 new tracks of his utter madness, featuring (mild nationalism incoming) the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and Anneke van Giersbergen. If you hated Devin Townsend before, this’ll be goddamn kryptonite. The Moth is Devin Townsend plus. Devin². Maximum Devin.

🌶️ Monolord

Stoner/doom, Sweden (Relapse Records)

FFO: Windhand, Yob, Conan

More really good stoner/doom, in one week? That’s rare.

🌶️ Trelldom

Avantgarde black, Norway (Prophecy Productions)

FFO: Dødheimsgard, Taake, Gaahls Wyrd

Two years ago Trelldom suddenly came back into the world after 17 years of silence, but not to revive the fire spitting black metal of before. Rather, a DHG/VBE-ish weirdo style. This second comeback album goes on from there and has just as much saxophone as it has blastbeats. And hey, copper is metal, too!

🌶️ Deafkids

Experimental electronic punk, Brazil

FFO: Petbrick, Author & Punisher, Street Sects

I first heard about these guys when they played with Petbrick at Roadburn. I was absolutely floored by seeing Igorr Cavalera destroy a kit from a meter distance, but I knew to remember those crazy Brazilians too. This is their first proper album since then, and it rocks.

There’s more: Godthrymm (epic doom, UK), Night Vigil (🌶️ atmoblack/ambient psych/prog seventies, Greece, I guess? Ayloss - Spectral Lore - goes into psychedelic territory on his second album under this name this year, and it’s as if Gnosis was written by Pink Floyd), Fournier (🌶️ death, New Zealand - technically a re-release from march this year, but I missed it, you might have too and it’s good), Grave Pilgrim (melodic black, USA), Auzawandils (black, USA - a new Alex Pool project), Serpent Lord (pagan black, USA), a split from Sulfuric Cautery & Tolerance (goregrind, USA & grind, Finland), Erdve (blackened hardcore, Lithuania), Dauþuz (black, Germany), The Scalar Process (prog/tech death, France), Velnezers (black, Latvia), The Fifth Alliance (sludge/post, The Netherlands), Galvanist (experimental doom/death, USA), Pharmacist (thrash/melodeath/grind, Japan) and Sarcasm (blackened death, Sweden). The rest is in the playlist!

Seven new songs

🌶️ A Perfect Circle (alternative, USA)

🌶️ Employed To Serve (metalcore, UK)

🌶️ Fen (atmoblack/post, UK)

🌶️ The Ocean (prog/post/sludge, Germany - now with new members, including Lane Shi Otayonii)

🌶️ Havok (thrash, USA)

🌶️ Hippotraktor (prog/post, Belgium)

🌶️ Moonspell (gothic, Portugal)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: RaiNao (pop/reggaeton, Puerto Rico)

Next week: A.A. Williams, Converge and Evergrey.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

Leave a comment

This is part 3, the closing chapter, of my 100 favourite black metal albums of all time. If you missed part 1 or part 2, click those linkies.

This has been fun. Thanks for reading! Subscribe if you want to stay up to date with new metal (all subgenres). My weekly newsletter every friday, and ongoing updates to the Spotify playlist. More: totheteeth.net

Cheers!

Check out the playlist that goes with this thing.

34. Turia - Dede Kondre

The Netherlands, 2017

For the longest time I thought the branches in the top right corner were the logo of this band. Anyway. Dutch black metal had a moment around the end of the 10’s. I’m not sure if Turia got enough of the limelight they deserved. Maybe because Dede Kondre, their best, has a warmth in production and riffs that’s kind of un-Dutch (the title is in Sranan Tongo, it means land of the dead). Vocals by Tess Josien (also in Puritan Bone) are brilliant.

33. Stormkeep - Tales of Othertime

United States, 2021

I think it was ‘The Serpent’s Stone’ that was the first single before the release of this, it got my expectations insanely high and the album still delivered. Their debut Galdrum was good, but not thís good. Exciting, epic black metal. A sound that has been done a million times, but hardly ever this good.

32. False - Untitled

United States, 2015

I don’t remember exactly, but there was some kind of drama surrounding this band and I think they broke up (sexual assault allegations against one of the members I believe, serious things). This record has a chaos that almost spins out of control, paired with absolutely fantastic vocals that are layered perfectly. I never figured out if the album was untitled, or called Untitled.

31. Satyricon - Rebel Extravaganza

Norway, 1999

This one really scared me. It’s such an angry, fucked up record. I remember how polarizing this was when it came out, weird to think about that now. Sure it was different from what they did before (and those albums are also amazing, don’t get me wrong), but different was exactly what I wanted. Black metal needed to move forward, and Satyricon did.

30. Erraunt - The Portent

United States, 2015

Oneiric, who later started Doldrum, called this ‘eerie, mysterious black metal’. It’s the most fitting label imaginable. I mean, most of The Portent is acoustic, and still very much black metal. Listen to believe.

29. Blood Abscission - I I

2025

Because I’m a curious mind and because their first ep fell out of the clear blue sky and made a huge huge impact, I asked the people in BA who they were and where they were from. “The individual(s) in Blood Abscission wish to remain anonymous in name an place”, they wrote back. Well, fair enough. The music speaks for itself: fantastic straightforward black metal, that’s about compelling riffs and nothing else.

28. Ulver - Bergtatt

Norway, 1995

I’m not afraid to admit that I got into Ulver via their 2000 album Perdition City, a dark electronic adventure (still dear to me). But, later, listening back into the discography I absolutely recognized why Bergtatt was such an influence on a lot of bands on this list. Plus how cool is it where they went through the years? No matter how much they changed, there is not one album I didn’t like. Wolves evolve.

27. Murmuüre - Murmuüre

France, 2010

The fun of making this list is listening to albums that I knew might make the list, but wasn’t sure about yet. I knew Murmuüre was a special record, but when revisiting it this week I fell head over heels in love with it. Every time I listened to it, I’ve pushed it up a few spots. It is one part improvised guitar experiment, one part field recordings and another part pure magic.

26. Darkthrone - Old Star

Norway, 2019

Everyone has a favourite Darkthrone album and no one is wrong. Right? I’m going for Old Star because of ‘The Hardship of the Scots’, which to me is one of the best Darkthrone tracks. The whole album is great though. Doom infuced black metal, without any pretentiousness. Tomorrow I might pick Blaze, or The Underground Resistance.

25. Bosse-de-Nage - All Fours

United States, 2015

The go-to example when I want to listen to modern black metal that doesn’t give up any of the intensity. The first riff of ‘A Subtle Change’ is one of my favourite riffs ever, and it’s just a few notes.

24. Dødheimsgard - Black Medium Current

Norway, 2023

I liked their previous albums, but it wasn’t until Black Medium Current that it really really clicked. Maybe, in a way, it might be so good because it’s less ambitious than their other work, and it is focus that works so well: eyes on the songs. Saw them play it live, Vicotnik is a perfect showman. ‘Abys Perihelion Transit’ was my favourite song of 2023.

23. Sun Worship - Pale Dawn

Germany, 2016

At my very first Roadburn (in 2015, of course) I ran around like a chicken without a head, when I accidentally walked into the venue where Sun Worship were absolutely crushing their set (later released as Eleven Four Fifteen). Yes they looked like the IT department, but they sounded like a monster. This is their best album.

22. Aquilus - Griseus

Australia, 2011

I had heard the name but never the music. When I put this on the first time I fell in love immediately. It’s Opeth if they moved on from My Arms Your Hearse into black metal, with tasteful symphonics. One of the most well written albums on this list.

21. Ash Borer / Fell Voices - split

United States, 2010

Together these two fantastic bands pushed their longform, hypnotic black metal to unseen heights. And both were important for the development of the particular corner of American black metal where Cascadian got stripped of everything but forward movement, and formed a bridge between atmospheric black and raw black. Repress please!

20. Sanguine Eagle - Storm Mysticism / Shores of Avarice

United States, 2019

Kind of cheating here, but these two albums, released at the same time, are attached to each other for me. There are not many occasions where I don’t listen to both in succesion. I bought the demo on cassette back when it came out, and while I expected much from them after that, I never thought it’d be two albums at the same time that were this good. Such a beautiful buzzing texture, amazing atmosphere, with super powerful vocals bij the much lamented Simón ‘Lam’ Santana (also guitarist in Vorde).

19. Kaatayra - Só Quem Viu o Relâmpago à Sua Direita Sabe

Brazil, 2020

Caio Lemos made six albums in six years with this project, and found the time to make great work with Bríi, Vestígio and Vauruvã too. All worth your time, but this is his best. It’s easily the prettiest album on this list: lush, warm, as if the rainforest makes music. The acoustic undercurrent pair naturally with the harsh but subtle vocals, while drums make sure a next path through the forest is followed. Kaatayra redefines what black metal can be.

18. Terzij de Horde - Wacht/Lex Barbarorum

The Netherlands, 2015

A release (and band) that’s very dear to me. It’s hardcore infused, very angry black metal. This is the first song I heard from them. They do it in their (our) language Dutch, as an homage to poet Hendrik Marsman who gave the band it’s name. Man, it fits so well. They did get better on later releases, sure, but this release and following album Self have a kind of naivité and willpower that really speaks to me. Leven! Leven!!

17. Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise

Canada, 2014

Knotty and overwhelming at first, but slowly they’ll take you in and chew you up. Not a band I easily got into, but by the time Sacred White Noise was already out I checked out their first ep, which is a little more digestable and that helped me ‘get’ this band, and eventually this album (and the rest of their stuff). Yeah it’s complex and there’s a lot at once, but melodically it really hits me where I want it. More than related bands like Dodecahedron, Imperial Triumphant or Deathspell Omega. If I have to pick a band in that avant-garde/dissonant style, I’ll go Thantifaxath every time.

16. Spectral Lore - Gnosis

Greece, 2015

Weird to say this on a list that champions black metal, but you could almost forget you’re listening to black metal with Gnosis. This truly is a ritual.

15. Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage

United States, 2011

Two Hunters and Diadem of 12 Stars would be the obvious picks, but I’m a total sucker for the sagey incense smoke that’s coming from this album. It’s mysterious, it really takes the time and it just feels a little more unique. Even within a very recognizable and singular discography like WITTR’s. Normalize picking Celestial Lineage as your favourite!

14. Moonspell - Wolfheart

Portugal, 1995

A childhood sweetheart, and we’re still in love. Os lobos de Lusitânia were leaning on Greek black metal and riding the Peaceville Three gothic wave. The keyboards are cheap, the English is bad, and while it’s very much of the time, it is a classic to me. Very Portuguese, romantic black gothic at it’s best.

13. Weakling - Dead as Dreams

United States, 1999

Almost a meme band. But that doesn’t matter because the music is absolutely brilliant. A flash in the pan, but bright as the sun and we still feel the heat. If ever there was an album that deserved a little better mix (not to polish it, just to pick up the bass, push back the vocals down a little, small things) and, of course, a re-release..

12. Deafheaven - New Bermuda

United States, 2015

After the beautiful Sunbather, Deafheaven came out with New Bermuda knowing what they were doing. Sunbather was a youthful band running headfirst into a new sound, New Bermuda is experience and craft. I remember first hearing the album on a desktop computer in the Epitaph offices in Amsterdam, where I got a rare early listen. They wouldn’t send the promo around because of how much everyone was looking out for what this band would do next, which says something about how people were viewing them those days. What I heard in Amsterdam was a band homed in, pissed off, sharp as a knife.

11. Obsequiae - Aria of Vernal Tombs

United States, 2015

Maybe it’s more the sound than the actual songs of this band that I love so much. The weird thing is, I don’t like many castle black metal bands. On paper I’m nerdy enough to be interested in the niche, but in practice most medieval-ish black metal doesn’t do it for me. Obsequiae is absolutely perfect though. A band you can listen to with your eyes closed and drift away on to other times, or to listen to with all senses, to discover all the little details.

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10. Ustalost - Before the Glinting Spell Unvests

United States, 2021

Yellow Eyes’ Will Skarstad has too many great songs in his head. The great thing is that this album (and it’s predecessor) has so much personality: not a mere side project. I’ve had many nights not really knowing what to listen to, and many of those nights this record was there for me.

9. Krallice - Years Past Matter

United States, 2012

This might have been the hardest band to pick an album from, what a goddamn discography. But this was the first I heard from Krallice, and I think it’s the best harmony between intense black metal, progressive structures and atmosphere. Finally saw them live this april.

8. Liturgy - Aesthethica

United States, 2011

I’ve told you Michael Rekevics is my favourite black metal drummer, and he is. But that’s also because Liturgy’s Greg Fox doesn’t count. Fox is mostly active outside this genre (and not the most scary frontman ever). He is inhuman on Aesthethica though. Fucking crushing. His notes are everywhere and my brain wants to be where all his notes are. The music is maximalist, insane, an absolute musical cathedral. I think this album is Haela’s ultimate statement. Transcedental, indeed.

7. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

Norway, 2002

This band has members from Ulver, Emperor, Ved Buens Ende, The K(C)ovenant, Mayhem, Borknagar and Dimmu Borgir. It sounds nothing like any of them, and at the same time it has something from them all. Very progressive and so much more than strictly the black metal from their earlier albums, but that undeniable base is still what propels the whole spaceship here. Brilliant from start to finish.

6. Misþyrming - Söngvar elds og óreiðu

Iceland, 2015

This is the first album that I ever set an alarm clock for in the middle of the night, I just had to have this on vinyl (that wasn’t easy back then). It’s a fantastic rush of adrenaline, and the pinnacle of Icelandic black metal.

5. Volahn - Aq’Ab’Al

United States, 2014

Most unique metal album I’ve ever heard. The colours on the cover are not just thematically fitting, they reflect the colourful music itself. The guitar tone is piercing and sharp, the vocals echoing like a thunderous god from a mountain, the drums make everything flow like a river.

4. Panopticon - Autumn Eternal

United States, 2015

I can listen to this record whenever, and that’s not a given with this genre (or any genre). But Autumn Eternal is like black metal comfort food. I can eat it anytime, anywhere. Hmmm.. Autumn Eternal, nom nom.

3. Fluisteraars - Bloem

The Netherlands, 2020

No album of Fluisteraars is the same. This is the one where every song is absolutely beautiful. I once had a long conversation with Bob and Mink (Dutch) in Bob’s studio about their work, and I loved how down to earth their approach is. They know their black metal, we’ve had a really fun talk about the sketchy split offers they declined, the quirky viking metal they loved and what black metal actually is. What they do to get into the black metal mood? They walk. They walk a lot.

2. Yellow Eyes - Sick With Bloom

United States, 2015

Yellow Eyes make atmospheric black metal without it really being atmospheric black metal. The atmosphere is important, but it’s never a goal. Their discography is close to perfect: I could’ve chosen three other of their albums, including the most recent one (read my interview about it), for this position. Their sound is a whirlwind of riffs, melody and intensity. On Sick With Bloom I have the feeling that I’m right there with them in the cabin in the woods where they recorded this, completely encapsulated in the music.

1. Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk

Norway, 1997

A vague green light breaks through restless clouds. Then, what seemed like a coming storm before, now suddenly dies down and the light draws closer. A vessel descends, silently, steadily. A flock of birds flees the scene. Upon landing it becomes clear the ship is not terrestrial: a hatch opens, smoke and light blend together and out of the milky fog a figure emerges.

A deep voice, more technological than organic, slowly declares in four languages that their coming is not entirely peaceful. They have a demand. Earth must present to them the absolute epitome of black metal, the very condensation of everything that makes the genre, that defines it, that needs no further explanation. An album that stands for all others, that towers above them and gives everything a steady grounding. The figure bellows for humanity to hurry: the most grandiose recording of black metal must be handed over now, or the planet will perish. Format doesn’t matter.

The choice is easy, it can be only one. Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is the album humanity presents to them. “Start at the third song,” you mutter, “If you want to hear the best black metal song ever written”, trembling that their gaze is now fixed upon you. But they remain silent. The visitors cannot do anything but accept, and leave us in peace. For they know: the best Earthly black metal album that was ever made is with them.

Black metal black metal black metal! I’ve made my Top 100 black metal releases, and the first two parts are out, from number 100 tot 35, from Firestarter to Kostnatění. I hope you like it, please leave a comment.

New Albums

🌶️ Impure Wilhemina

Post, Switzerland (Season of Mist)

FFO: Foscor, Year of No Light, E-L-R

I’ve been saying it for a while: use your own language. I know everyone thinks they can still make it in the US, UK, Canada, Rwanda, Barbados and Australia, but it’s 2026. We have Rosalía, Arooj Aftab and Burna Boy who fill stadiums world wide. English is difficult (tell me about it), lyrics are difficult, I really think they get more beautiful or powerful in your own language. Plus I don’t like that so many singers say they can express themselves better in English. No, it’s just a little easier to get away with clichés and predictable nonsense that you and your listeners don’t fully understand because it’s not their first language either. Rant over, sorry. Impure Wilhelmina is Swiss so language is a mess anyway, but they decided to drown their doomy, dreary post-metal in one of their own this time, French. It works really well.

🌶️ Downfall of Nur

Atmospheric black, Argentina (Avantgarde Music)

FFO: Wolves in the Throne Room, Agalloch, Panopticon

I don’t know who Nur is, but I’d watch my back. This Argentina one-man band is back with a second album, after over ten years of relative silence (just a split). There’s enough of it now: an hour and twenty minutes of cascading atmospheric black metal. Good stuff.

There’s more: Dimmu Borgir (symphonic black, Norway), Opera IX (symphonic black/gothic, Italy), As The Sun Falls (melodic death, Switzerland), Psyclops (prog, USA),Desecresy (death, Finland), Haemoth (black, France) and Barren Canyon (🌶️ atmospheric black, Canada). The rest is in the playlist!

Eight new songs

🌶️ Left To Die (death, USA - members of Death and Gruesome playing obscure Death songs. I wanted to dislike this because we already have Gruesome and I can just spin my old Death records, but fuck it, it’s good)

🌶️ Sojourner (epic black, New Zealand/Sweden)

🌶️ Big|Brave (experimental drone, Canada)

🌶️ Einherjer (black, Norway)

🌶️ Goetia (death, USA)

🌶️ Haken (prog, UK)

🌶️ Together to the Stars (post-black, Sweden)

🌶️ Sallow Moth (prog death, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Maria José Llergo (flamenco pop, Spain)

Next week: Elder, Monolord, Trelldom, Devin Townsend, Funebrarum, Deafkids, Dauþuz, The Fifth Alliance, Pharmacist & Sarcasm.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

Leave a comment

And check out the first two parts of the black metal special. Third part is coming in a few days.

This is part 2 of my top 100 black metal albums of all time. If you missed part 1, I can paste a link wherever I want. Today, it’s →🦧← there.

Can you guess the number one already? It’s not Sunbather. Or is it? Stay tuned for the third and final part! Subscribe to stay up to date.

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66. Vattnet Viskar - Settler

United States, 2015

Atmospheric post-black, but with a gritty production that gives it teeth. After this they dropped the Viskar and not long after they threw in the towel alltogether. We still got this great album out of it. And great lyrics, “I stood upon the ground with legs of fire / And I leapt into the sky”. Especially when you know it’s about Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who perished in space shuttle Challenger.

65. Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon

Norway, 1997

A guitar tone that’s like an ocean tanker that just goes and goes, and steers only when it must.

64. Solefald - Pills Against the Ageless Ills

Norway, 2001

I don’t know what Lazare and Cornelius where on when they recorded this. It’s an apeshit concept album about hedonism, pleasure and morality and the music is just as apeshit. After this came out I had it stuck in my discman for weeks, and I still like it. First song I heard was ‘Jernlov’ (thanks In Decay We Trust) and that’s a great song, on a very good album. But I the madness of Pills speaks a little more to me. I’m afraid that’s probably telling.

63. Ophthalamia - Via Dolorosa

Sweden, 1995

I didn’t know anything about Abruptum, not much about Marduk or any of the other members’ bigger bands. I heard this on the Century Black compilation Firestarter and the guitar tone of ‘After a Releasing Death’ haunts me to this day.

62. Gris - À l’âme enflammée, l’äme constellée

Canada, 2013

Almost one and half hour, and still too short. I think there is no better dsbm album (but I’m not sure if I haven’t said that elsewhere on the list).

61. Bölzer - Aura

Switzerland, 2013

Best. Riff. Ever. You know the one.

60. Scarcity - Aveilut

United States, 2022

Typical weirdo Flenser music? Maybe, but Scarcity is more than a who’s who of New York black metal (members of Pyrrhon, Krallice, Weeping Sores etc), because of classical composer Brendon Randall-Myers who runs this show. They made something unique together: a haunting, microtonal nightmare of a record.

59. Fortress of the Pearl - Agony and Ecstasy

Greece, 2023

I’m a big fan of Ayloss, the Greek behind Spectral Lore, Mystras, Auriferous Flame and more. Fortress of the Pearl plays with harmony and atmosphere in songs that ebb and flow and just take you away to other worlds. Found this on vinyl this year in a local shop, so happy with that find.

58. Laster - their side of the split with Wederganger

The Netherlands, 2016

Laster can seem kind of unserious (have you seen their band pics?), but on this split they tried their hand on longform black metal, with remarkable focus and intent. Wederganger’s track is a lot of fun too, but Laster outshines it by a wide margin.

57. Entheos - Le Zahir

Canada, 2017

I don’t understand why this isn’t part of a conversation with Gris, Miserere Luminis, Sombres Forêts and all the other melancholic (depressive) black metal bands that do get praised constantly. What I like about Le Zahir is that it’s bass heavy, a little jazzy but ultimately relies on the heavy riffs.

56. Immortal - At The Heart of Winter

Norway, 1999

A classic that took me a while because of how goofy Abbath and co were. I saw them at a festival where they really didn’t belong in 2000, and Abbath did a fire breathing act. That was stupid enough, but it was also the middle of the day, height of august, over 35 celcius and he was giving the finger in the air while screaming “fuck the suuuun!”. But in the years after I’ve been going back, and their discography is untouchable. This is my favourite: cold, majestic black metal.

55. Cradle of Filth - Cruelty & the Beast

United Kingdom, 1998

How can you resist this?

54. Këkht Aräkh - Pale Swordsman

Ukraine, 2021

Haters miss out. The saddest orc around creates a unique gritty and gothic atmosphere with some great melodies, plus he shits on conventions - that’s black metal. I’ll tell you something: everytime he says he’s taking a nightly walk, un-tanned blademister, I get small but noticable goosebumps.

53. Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi

Finland, 2020

This album is a drugged out fever dream: the exact moment the drugs take hold and you’re not sure if you can control yourself anymore. That’s Mestarin Kynsi. I think they perfected that feeling on this album.

52. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry

France, 2014

I think part II is the most popular of the ‘true’ black metal albums Vindsval made. But I listened to part III more and there is something going on in the production of that record that just clicks. That said, I would happily recommend listening to all three parts as a marathon. Beautiful series.

51. Dæmonarch - Hermeticum

Portugal, 1998

A pure fun side project from Moonspell, who were in their Sin/Pecado era (which, by the way, I absolutely completely adore) by now, quite far from extreme metal and super serious. Hermeticum doesn’t take itself too seriously. But the songs here are great, with thick synths and Langsuyar screaming his ass off.

50. Dawn Ray’d - A Thorn, A Blight

United Kingdom, 2015

If you weren’t anti-fascist before listening to this, you’ll be when it’s done.

49. Altai-Sayan - S​ä​ngke​-​T​ū​rem Najt Mut​-​Mor​ä​h

United States, 2023

Another Ixiol find. Lead woman Iseult (or: Righteous Angel of the Celestian Altar, if you want to be courteous) has made many many things. Not all of them interesting, but Altai-Sayan is really special. Uplifting, grandiose black metal with big riffs, great ideas and a unique atmosphere.

48. Thrawsunblat - Metachthonia

Canada, 2016

When this came out I thought it had the most beautiful cover of all time. Well, I’m not so sure about that anymore to be honest. Kind of tacky. But the music did hold up very nicely. Folky black done well ánd originally. Joel Violette (ex-Winds of Ypres) is Canadian maritime metal.

47. Funereal Presence - Achatius

United States, 2019

Negative Plane, Bestial Devotion’s day job, is far more popular. But I’m partial to this solo project of mister Devotion. Maybe it’s the groove, or the deranged vocals, maybe it’s the cowbell?

46. Borknagar - The Olden Domain

Norway, 1997

This album is a little roughly shaped and I like that. And the choruses are so so good - thanks to Kristoffer Rygg of course. I have a super ugly picture disc of this (see picture above) that I cherish.

45. Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike

Norway, 1996

Kind of an unsung classic in what you could call the bigger black metal scene. Kvist should be named in the same breathe as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum and Emperor, but somehow stays in the mist. Maybe it came a few years too late? Regardless, it’s one of the best melodic black metal albums out there. I wonder if new stuff is actually still coming.

44. Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory & Injury

Ireland, 2013

The insanely low buzzing electronics on this album are sometimes too much - exactly what I want from this kind of dark shit. Waves of powerfull black metal crush upon shores of introspective passages and walls of doom. Have fun.

43. Oathbreaker - Rheia

Belgium, 2016

I’m obsessed with Caro Tanghe’s vocals and I wish there was more. Her screams go directly into my soul. A painfully honest record, thats artfully straddles the line between post-hardcore and black metal.

42. اکوان (Akvan) - Forgotten Glory

Iran, 2017

Akvan is a solo project from Iranian musician Dominus Vizares, who was born in the US to Iranian parents but moved back to Iran later. His black metal is peppered with traditional influences, not in the least by using setar and tar for the melodic work. Mesmerizing album.

41. Anti-God Hand - Wretch

Canada, 2021

Wretch is not streamlined or easy to listen to, but very interesting. Part Krallice and a sniff of Liturgy, and kind of leaning into Deathspell Omega, to give an idea, but it’s still very much unique. I sometimes hear the intro to ‘Zero-Harm Environment’ in my head at random moments.

40. Botanist - VI: Flora

United States, 2014

There are, famously, no guitars on this album and yes it’s still black metal. You don’t miss them either, with the hammered dulcimers adding atmosphere and character to the sound. Botanist became some kind of theatric project to me, later on, but VI: Flora is melodically and rhythmically super interesting.

39. Black Cilice - Banished From Time

Portugal, 2017

I didn’t know I liked this kind of raw, suppressive sound before checking it out. That cover image drew me in and I never looked back. It truely sounds like music from another world.

38. Zyklon - World Ov Worms

Norway, 2001

People from Emperor that tried to make death metal but failed and instead made super meaty industrial black metal. Fast, razor sharp, villainous, radioactive riffs. Last song in particular is absolutely enormous.

37. Pyramids - A Northern Meadow

United States, 2015

Basically Colin Marston (Krallice) and Vindsval (Blut Aus Nord) doing whatever the hell they want with the base material provided by the rest of Pyramids. The result is claustrophobic and unsettling, but also kind of pretty.

36. Spectral Lore & Mare Cognitum - Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine

Greece/United States, 2020

The only time I include an two bands that are already on thist list elsewhere, because I could not leave this one out. It’s so much more a collaboration than a split, especially on the last two tracks where they actually blend into eachother in one ambient and one fiery black metal track. It’s an epic, gigantuous album. A monument for atmospheric black metal.

35. Kostnatění - Oheň hoří tam, kde padl

United States, 2022

This is the most bonkers release from a totally bonkers band. Reinterpretations of Turkish folk songs that are still very much their traditional self, and also scorching black metal. Another great drumming performance by Jack Blackburn (see Ringarë).

Part 1:

Here we are. Black metal ist list! The first third (I’m going to publish it in three parts) of my list of favourite black metal albums ever, inspired by Neill Jameson’s excellent list. Mine is, like I said before, going to be quite different. Not surprising: when he was already blazing around with the first Krieg material, I was still mourning Kurt Cobain in primary school. It could have been worse though. I could’ve grown into a fucking Foo Fighters fan.

What I love about black metal is how malleable it is. The base material is so unrelenting, violent, unforgiving, and yet in the right (or wrong) hands apparently it fits flutes, cowbells and banjos, Mesoamerican culture, space, castles, mines, big city life, hedonism, rainforests, indie rock, prog, jazz, hell, there’s even an improvised album here. Some even condone talk of the devil.

One thing that struck me making this list: 2015 was one hell of a year for me. Jesus christ. I really didn’t know how good I had it back then, but a fifth (!!) of this list is from that year. Maybe I fell in love with the style again after a period of diving into other genres (I did). I also noticed I opened my Bandcamp-account in 2015, that must’ve helped. But of course all those albums wouldn’t have landed on my list if they weren’t objectively (well) great.

Also striking is how many entries are from the United States. Apparently I’m a sucker for the thicker textures, the atmosphere, the transcendental nature that black metal on that side of the ocean grew into the last two decades or so. Also a lot of Dutch and Norwegian albums, less surprising.

Anyway, if some of my opinions may seem blasphemy, they’re probably right at place in a black metal list.

100. Firestarter compilation

Germany, 1998

Compilation cd’s where a thing, kids. There were a lot of them and they were dirt cheap. I usually checked them out and forgot about most of it. But a few of them were very important to me and my taste. Spinetingler II by Spinefarm (2000) - good. In Decay we Trust vol. 1 by Wounded Love (1998) - great! But most importantly Firestarter (1998) from short lived Century Media sublabel Century Black - brilliant. That fucking thing started with ‘Thus Spake the Nightspirit’! I was 15 and thought I was going insane. I still think is the ultimate black metal song, any era (more about that later). It went on with Old Man’s Child, Satyricon, Rotting Christ, Borknagar, Ophthalamia, Ulver, Samael, Tiamat, Opeth… all bands I didn’t know or wasn’t really aware of and I took it all in like a sad pubescent sponge. I can’t say if this than that, but I have a strong feeling that if I didn’t have this cd, I wouldn’t be writing this. I’d probably be listening to the Foo Fighters.

99. Al-Namrood - Diaji al Joor

Saudi Arabia, 2015

I’m still the only person in the world that had the chance to do a face-to-face interview with Mephisto. He was such a nice, cool, relaxed dude. Absolutely didn’t look like an enemy of the state, until you hear his music. One of the few black metal musicians who actually risks his life for it. It’s raw, loud, dark and almost painful to listen to.

98. White Ward - False Light

Ukraine, 2022

You can’t really listen to this album without knowing what happened just before the release: the invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia. False Light is a deviant album that, even though it was written before the war, has that darkness looming over it (of course the conflict was already smoldering). And even without those thoughts this is a fantastic mix of dark jazzy passages and black metal, that never feels arty or even weird.

97. Haunter - Thrinodía

United States, 2016

I’m not sure why this band decided to change their name into something I already forgot because it’s forgettable. Unlike this album. Thrinodía is incredibly heavy, edging death metal closely, but with some very memorable leads that bring it back into black metal. The recent remaster was (like the name change) completely unnecessary, the grit adds so much.

96. Behemoth - Thelema.6

Poland, 2000

This is very much a nostalgia pick. I was 18 when it came out and I saw them play with Carpathian Forest. It was the last stop of that tour and to prank Behemoth, Carpathian had altered their backdrop so it said ‘BEHOMOTH’. A pretty bad joke, but Nergal didn’t seem to be able to laugh about it when they came on, which made it funny. Thelema. 6 is still a super sharp album, not an ounce of fat. Listen to that dry as bone production by Nergal, such a contrast with his later maximalism.

95. Final Eclipse - Interminable Darkness

United States, 2022

I don’t know if these are the guys from Death Fortress, but they sure as hell play cool Death Fortress-ish riffs.

94. Lamp of Murmuur - Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism

United States, 2020

The hype around this band was insufferable in 2020, but I couldn’t help but falling in love with this full length debut. Just.. great riffs.

93. Häxanu - Totenpass

United States, 2023

Riffy, addictive black metal. One of the many projects that involves Alex Poole, like Chaos Moon, Ringarë, Martröð, Entheogen and of course Neill Jameson’s own Krieg. All worth your time (and I’ll get back to one of them later), but if you want some insanely memorable no frills no bullshit leads, go check this out.

92. Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 1-The Tartarean Chains

Australia, 2019

You can completely let yourself go within this one, drift away among the stars and into infinity. A beautiful convergence of material and thoughts between celestial bodies.

91. Darkspace - III I

Switzerland, 2014

This is the antagonist of Midnight Odyssey. Space is beautiful and mysterious? Hell no, space fucking suuuucks.

90. Kaikkivaltias - Astu

Finland, 2023

An album I stumbled upon when Ixiol announced it, and I was quick to order it. One of the few castle black albums I dig next to Obsequiae, although (or: because) Kaikkivaltias’ sound is much different. If Obsequiae plays in halls of kings, Kaikkivaltias plays on the back of an ox cart at the square of a provincial town.

89. Cross Bringer - The Signs of Spiritual Delusion

Russia, 2020

Singer Lina R. later joined the excellent Predatory Void, but I prefer the mad intensity of Cross Bringer on this debut. Focused and intentional, and Lina spits fire. A pure cathartic release.

88. Thorns - Thorns

Norway, 2001

A Norwegian end of the nineties who’s who worked on this, but it’s Snorre W. ‘Blackthorn’ Ruch’s riffs that make this such a revered record. Lore says Ruch is the first who pioneered the typical tremolo picking in black metal. I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s amazing how he went from those beginnings into this industrial nightmare.

87. The Clearing Path - Watershed Between Earth & Firmament

Italy, 2015

This is probably Gabriele Gramaglia’s first release of substance. He has moved on into far more complex and much heavier music with Cosmic Putrefaction and vertebra Atlantis, but I loved this explosion of emotions, well written and intricate.

86. Dimmu Borgir - Spiritual Black Dimensions

Norway, 1999

Stormblast, For All Tid, this that, whatever. When I’m in the mood for some over the top symphonic black metal, I grab this record. It’s sharp and cold, has the best vocals from ICS Vortex ánd the best piano leads.

85. Vanum - Realm of Sacrifice

United States, 2015

Michael Rekevics is my favourite black metal drummer (Yellow Eyes, Fell Voices, Vilkacis), but he has more to offer than blastbeats. In this band with Kyle Morgan from Ash Borer he let’s his deep bark roll. If you’ve ever seen him do it live, you will never forget it (and if you have looked him in the eye, expect waking up at night, sweating, crying).

84. Arizmenda - Within the Vacuum of Infinity…

United States, 2009

Always a little under the shadow of Volahn. I saw them together at their only show in The Netherlands ever (I think) and while Volahn had my favourite music, Arizmenda made a huge impression: the feeling that at every moment it could all escalate, great tension.

83. Agriculture - Agriculture

United States, 2023

Me and the guys from Zes Losse Tanden podcast really thought we had found the new Deafheaven with the first Agriculture ep. On their subsequent debut full length they presented themselve as their own beast. The song ‘Relier’ alone, brilliant. Everytime I add a divider to this post I hear it in my head, “Diviiiiiiiiideeeerrr, this is the holy dark!!!”.

82. Dolorian - When All The Laughter has Gone

Finland, 1999

Super doomy, dreary, sad and dragging black metal. Can’t be happier this got finally reissued and got a vinyl release earlier this year.

81. Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

United States, 2021

Opener ‘Antaresian’ begins with, Jacob Buczarski once told me, a heavily edited boiling pot of water. You can’t unhear it now either. Doesn’t matter, the harmonics are just so so good. And yes, solo albums and songs over 10 minutes: not a good sign. But Mare Cognitum’s are worth the time.

80. Nechochwen - Heart of Akamon

United States, 2015

Really good acoustic section, rhythm, and then the same theme but distorted, just before it all comes falling down into great black metal. So well done, and it sets the tone for the rest.

79. Victory over the Sun - Dance You Monster To My Soft Song!

United States, 2023

Claustrophobic and then jubilant, oppressing and then cathartic. Vivian Tylinska plays guitars, drums, vocals, synthesizer AND accordion in this band, and I don’t know how and I don’t understand how it all works so well together. Tasty, tasty bass lines too.

78. Ultha - A Light So Dim

Germany, 2026

Probably recency bias, but this album really blows my mind. Great songwriting, great vocals, not surpassed by any other black metal album this year yet.

77. Coldworld - Autumn

Germany, 2016

Great melodic album that brought Coldworld more into atmospheric black than the previous depressive bm album. It’s emotional, melancholic, compelling stuff.

76. Mare - Ebony Tower

Norway, 2018

Nidrosian black metal sounds a bit Icelandic to me. The immersiveness, the ritualistic nature, the dissonance. But there is a trace of Darkthrone in Ebony Tower too.

75. Heraldic Blaze - Blazoned Heraldry

United States/Norway, 2024

A demo that flutes like no other, and makes it work like no other.

74. Vorde - Vorde

United States, 2014

The weird vocals aren’t for everyone, but is anything in this genre? Drums are fantastic, and that’s of no surprise because it’s Mike motherfucking Rekevics.

73. Wreche - All My Dreams Came True

United States, 2021

I’m sorry, I just like blasphemy. Wreche does it with piano instead of guitars, and that’s not just a funny idea, it works. The piano is like a field recording of a melodic kind of water fall, if that makes sense.

72. Ringarë - Of Momentous Endless Night

United States, 2023

There is Alex Poole again. This is the band that would become Chaos Moon, but Ringarë was brought back into life in 2019 to exist alongside eachother. It’s the drumming on Momentous that does it for me. Jack Blackburn, who is in six hundred other bands absolutely kills it on this release.

71. Esoctrilihum - Eternity of Shaog

France, 2020

I listened to this when it came out because I listen to everything that comes out at I, Voidhanger, and I immediately changed into the dude on the cover of the album. Never changed back.

70. Eigenlicht - Self-Annihilating Consciousness

United States, 2018.

A band from Olympia and that’s what they sound like. Beards dripping from IPA. Cascadian as fuck. Slowly built up, slowly crushing down.

69. Udåd - Udåd

Norway, 2024

A surprise, because Thomas Eriksen already has a good solo project, Mork. Udåd is very lofi, the riffs are unsteady and the structures are basic as a boulder, and it’s all very addictive. Can’t help but whisteling all the riffs he comes up with.

68. Sirius - Spectral Transition-Dimension Sirius

Portugal, 2001

Someone in the much lamented Fame in Amsterdam recommended me this, in the time I came in there weekly if my money wasn’t already spent in the even more lamented Boudisque. Both shops were people knew what I liked and sometimes pointed me to brilliant stuff like this. Sirius is otherworldly.

67. Rhinocervs - RH-11

United States, 2011

I wasn’t aware of this project in time to experience the release of the different records and when I got up to speed, their output was already intimidating. Not Trhä intimidating, but still. Part 11 though is where it’s at, for me. Spellbinding, misty black metal.

Thanks to I’ve been thinking about my own list of 100 (more?) black metal albums. Not because his is wrong, on the contrary: I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from his list that I had never heard, and I’m loving it. But my black metal is different and we won’t have much doubles. More outside influences, a lot of modern stuff, more bright colours - if Neill’s black metal is nineties tape trading, mine is 00’s hipster blogs. I’m working on it but, as Neill did, I don’t want to work too long on it. Black metal is rough on the edges (and on the inside, for that matter), so such a list should be as well. Probably somewhere next week! Still time to try to influence me in the comments…

New Albums

🌶️ Father Dionysios Tabakis (π. Διονύσιος Ταμπάκης)

Byzantine/electronic/drone, Greece (Heat Crimes)

FFO: I really have no clue what to give you here

Yeah this is a very odd one. Fr. Dionysios Tabakis is a fifty-something orthodox priest in a small Greek village with a hobby. This hobby is worth your time because it’s like listening to someone’s inner world. This album (his debut) has traces of chrismas carols, industrial, new age, prayers, dubstep, techno, and - and this is why it’s here but really, you have to forget what you know about genres and preferences - fretless drone and doom metal. Will it end up on your end of the year list? Probably not, but I don’t think this week offers such a record (although, don’t sleep on that Rhododendron), so it’s the perfect week for listening to something you didn’t expect to listen to. And when you really give into it, maybe it’s not so odd after all.

There’s more: Tyrannus (death/black/thrash, UK), Ara (black, Austria), Defect Designer (experimental prog death, Norway), Rhododendron (🌶️ post, USA), Junon (psych black, Germany), Lorn (black, Italy), My Heart, an Inverted Flame (synth doom, USA), Angellore (gothic/doom/death, France), Psychodeux (rock/doom metal, Hungary), Pro-Pain (hardcore, USA) and a live album from Midnight Odyssey (ambient black, Australia). The rest is in the playlist!

Ten new songs

🌶️ Primus (metal/funkrock and everything in between, USA)

🌶️ Warning (doom, UK)

🌶️ Mork (black, Norway)

🌶️ Earthside (cinematic prog, USA)

🌶️ Green Lung (stoner/doom, UK)

🌶️ Acero Letal (heavy/speed, Chile)

🌶️ Mono (post, Japan)

🌶️ Trelldom (avantgarde black, Norway)

🌶️ Dishumane (death, USA)

🌶️ Madball (hardcore, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Dua Saleh (pop/rnb/electronic, Sudan/USA)

Next week: Dimmu Borgir, Downfall of Nur and Impure Wilhelmina.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

Leave a comment

Welcome to the To The Teeth newsletter! Your weekly update of new heavy music. You can listen to (most) everything in the playlist on Spotify. If you like what you read, go to Patreon (receive a patch!) & Bandcamp (buy a patch!). Peppers are hot 🌶️!

Sorry, had to skip another week. I was out in the far western point of Normandy. What a beautiful piece of Europe! This friday is one of those releasedays. What a line-up.

New Albums

🌶️ Darkthrone

Black, Norway (Peaceville)

FFO: Bathory, Celtic Frost, Hellhammer

This is the 22nd Darkthrone album. How many metal bands do you know that have been around for 40 years, poop out over 20 albums and still release stuff that you want to check out because it might very well be good? I know one. Just one. Darkthrone. Well, and maybe the Melvins. Anyway, Pre-Historic Metal is a funny title, but it’s fitting. Ted and Fenriz call this ‘old metal’ because it’s oozing with seventies and eighties influences, and because they don’t even want to be physically close to a clicktrack. Or autotune. Or well, any modern recording equipment. Old metal also means a healthy obsession with riffs and with moments that make your upper lip go upperder. Full disclosure: I’ve just listened to this twice, but I kinda feel this is the best since Old Star. Where did this new energy come from after forty fucking years and twenty fucking albums?!

🌶️ Panopticon

Atmospheric black/folk, USA (Bindrune Recordings)

FFO: Saor, Wolves in the Throne Room, Agalloch

Also quite the discography by now: twelve records. Panopticon is a special band, known for that specific blend of grandiose black metal and warm americana. I’ve always been stuck on Autumn Eternal but everything Austin Lunn releases with this project is worth a spin.

🌶️ Gadget

Grind, Sweden

FFO: Nasum, Lock Up, Napalm Death

GOOD GRIND, DID SOMEONE ORDER GOOD GRIND?

🌶️ Lago

Death, USA (Everlasting Spew)

FFO: Morbid Angel, Gorguts, Immolation

Lago wear their love for Morbid Angel, Gorguts and Immolation on their sleeves, but they have a very cool sound of their own. I love the bends they make, adding in fantastic guitar solo’s wherever they go.

🌶️ Otay:onii

Experimental noise, Germany (Pelagic Records)

FFO: Uboa, Dis Fig, Lingua Ignota

Music can be all kinds of things. Lane Shi Otay Onii, born in China and living in Germany, wants it to be all kinds of things. Or maybe she doesn’t want it: it sometimes feels as if she just lets go. It’s all carefully composed though, with her fantastic voice piercing through. Noise in the most artful way.

There’s more: A Forest of Stars (🌶️ avantgarde/prog, UK), Draconian (gothic/doom/death, Sweden), War On Women (hardcore punk, USA), Yoth Iria (black, Greece - w/ ex/members of Rotting Christ, Varathron, Melechesh), Restless Spirit (stoner/doom, USA), an ep from Scarab (death, Egypt), Voidthrone (black/death, USA), Galibot (🌶️ black, France), IATT (prog black/death, USA), Old Moon (🌶️ melodic black, USA), Frozen Soul (death, USA), an ep from Strega (🌶️ blackened heavy, Italy - you gotta hear those vocals), Mamorlis (heavy, USA) and Ascended Master (thrash/death/black, USA).

From last week: Kaatayra (🌶️ atmoblack/folk, Brazil), Svrm (🌶️ atmoblack, Ukraine 🌻), Black Cilice (🌶️ raw black, Portugal), a split from Burnt Lodge & Veytik (🌶️ melodic black, New Zealand & melodic black/death, USA), Countess (black, The Netherlands), Candarian (death, Costa Rica) and Oldowan Gash (🌶️ black, USA).

The rest is in the playlist!

Fourteen new songs

🌶️ Mar de Grises (melodic doom/death, Chile)

🌶️ Elder (stoner/prog, USA)

🌶️ Emptiness (avantgarde/post death, Belgium)

🌶️ Genghis Tron (experimental, USA)

🌶️ Converge (metalcore, USA)

🌶️ Together to the Stars (post-black, Sweden)

🌶️ Rezn (psych/stoner, USA)

🌶️ Stormkeep (melodic black, USA - w/ members of Blood Incantation, Wayfarer)

🌶️ Véhémence (epic/melodic black, France)

🌶️ Wailin Storms (gothic blues, doom)

🌶️ Defiled (death, Japan)

🌶️ Endseeker (death, Germany)

🌶️ Tooms (sludge, Ireland)

🌶️ Goetia (death, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Seu Jorge (pop samba, Brazil)

Next week: Junon, Tyrannus, Defect Designer, Wraith & Pro-Pain.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

Leave a comment

Skipped a week. Good reason: I saw not only to Rosalía this week (omg), but was at Roadburn and saw, among others, Krallice, Yellow Eyes, Kowloon Walled City and Inter Arma play The Cavern in full!

Great things that came out last week: Crippled Black Phoenix, Doodswens, Muerto, Leila Abdul-Rauf and Reeking Aura.

New Albums

😭 At The Gates

Melodeath, Sweden (Century Media)

FFO: Entombed, The Haunted, In Flames

God, this one hurts. I’ve been a fan of this band for over 25 years. I’m old. We all know the story: a day before Tompa went into surgery to save his life, he recorded all the vocals for this album. The cancer took his life anyway, but he flipped death off bravely with this beast of an album. It’s ATG as we’ve known them since the comeback of 2014: melodic, well composed, intense and just so much fun. But of course, bittersweet as a motherfucker. I was at Roadburn festival last weekend, where I have always loved to see him walk around, also when he didn’t have a show planned. And the shows he did were just so energetic, fun, full of love for the thing. It’s in every syllable on this album, which makes it a great but also hard listen. We’ll miss him immensely. Tompa forever.

😭 Sepultura

Groove/thrash, Brazil (Nuclear Blast)

FFO: Sarcófago, Soulfly, Slayer

It’s spring of 1996, almost exactly thirty years ago. I’m too young (13) to go to the big music festival that’s happening at the time, but I’m on the backbench of my parents car listening to the radio, transmitting live from the festival. Sepultura played, never heard of them. Metal, never heard of it. But it blew me away. ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ was my christening into heavy metal life, and I never looked back. Wait, I look back all the time. I’m old.

Anyway, Sepultura is old, too. They’ve had a great run. Sure they’ve had a hard time recovering from the departure of the Cavalera’s, but they stuck with Green - who’s been in the band much longer than any Cavalera - and I think that paid off in the end. They’ve always had great songs, Machine Messiah was good and Quadra was really good, so they’re going out on a high note and they really deserve that. I’m going to miss this band.

🌶️ Portrayal of Guilt

Blackened hardcore, USA (Run For Cover Records)

FFO: Full of Hell, Gaza, Chat Pile

Easily one of the most interesting metal/hardcore fusion bands out there at the moment. A very recognizable sound, and still they bring something surprising with every release. I saw them live on the Devil Music tour and was properly spooked.

🌶️ Scimitar

Blackened heavy, Denmark (Crypt of the Wizard)

FFO: Slaegt, Hammers of Misfortune, Negative Plane

Scimitar would probably be awesome without the vocals (there’s people from Slaegt in this, and the guitar leads are awesome), but singer Shaam Larein lifts this up high. Maybe II comes a little quick after last year’s I, you could think. But there are bats to be eaten, kids to be scared, fires to burn.

There’s more: Roman Candle (screamo/hardcore, USA), H. Mortiz (thrash, Chile - /w dude of Vórtize, Demoniac), Ebony Pendant (black, USA), Atlantic Ridge (black/doom, Italy), Pig’s Blood (death, USA), Volcandra (melodic black/death, USA), a split from Nixil & Drouth (🌶️ black, USA & black/death, USA), Firmament (atmoblack, Germany), Demon Spell (heavy, Italy), Kõdu (black, Estonia), Six Feet Under (death/groove, USA), Pure Wrath (atmoblack, Indonesia), Aversio Humanitatis (black, Spain), and Terror (hardcore, USA). The rest is in the playlist!

Seven-ish new songs

🌶️ Big|Brave (experimental drone/doom, Canada)

🌶️ Quicksand (post-hardcore, USA)

🌶️ A.A. Williams (doom rock, UK)

🌶️ Panopticon (atmoblack/folk, USA)

🌶️ Dimmu Borgir (symphonic black, Norway)

🌶️ Monolord (stoner/doom, Sweden)

🌶️ and a trailer for the movie+o.s.t. by Blood Incantation (death/drugs, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Quiet Light (electronic, USA)

Next week: Black Cilice, Oldowan Gash & Venom.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

Leave a comment

New Albums

🌶️ Immolation

Death, USA (Nuclear Blast Records)

FFO: Morbid Angel, Incantation, Suffocation

I dare you to name a more consistent death metal band. They started out in 1988 and just released a 12th album of seriously good death metal. If they’ve had a dip in the 00’s, they abosultely redeemed theirselves from 2017’s Atonement forward. As someone on their bandcamp rightfully asked: How are they still so good?

🌶️ Archspire

Tech death, Canada (self released)

FFO: Origin, First Fragment, Necrophagist

You gotta have some big shiny balls to go fully independent after the streak of succesful releases this band had. After twelve years with a label, Archspire crowdfunded their fifth record and do everything themselves. A lot of risk, but also full independence. They wrote:

“Did you know the industry standard royalty split is 80-85% in favour of the label? This means if an album sells for $29.99, after manufacturing costs and the label cut, the band might get as little as $3.00. Labels provide an advance on royalties, but it often takes years (or never) to recoup. Archspire wants to break free of that cycle.”

You gotta admire their stance. Plus, let us not forget: the music is great.

🌶️ The Melvins & Napalm Death

Sludge, USA & grind, UK

FFO: these two bands

Some combinations shouldn’t work on paper, but do, others are the other way around. And some combinations (like this one) are fucking perfect on paper and fucking perfect on the final product.

🌶️ Witch Ripper

Stoner/sludge, USA (Magnetic Eye Records)

FFO: Mastodon, Mastodon, Mastodon

I’m not trying to be cute with that FFO (I’d never!), but it’s really all you need to know. If you miss the heavier mid-era Mastodon that ate dynamic riffs for breakfast, this is the band for you. My only doubt would be if they’re not too much like Mastodon. But, they’re doing that sound so good and pull of such cool vocals, that I really can’t complain.

🌶️ Final Eclipse

Black, USA (self released)

FFO: Death Fortress, Drudkh, Aeternus

Metal is turning into one big Beyoncé. Surprise release after surprise release! Well to be honest, Final Eclipse have never been big on PR, they let the riffs do the talking and just release when it comes out. It’s not clear who’s behind this band, but word on the streets is that it’s the Death Fortress guys. Makes sense if you listen to it: grandiose, compelling songs that leave a mark with fantastic riffing. And check out that logo…

There’s more: Gnod (🌶️ psych/drone, UK), Inferi (tech death, USA), Spirit Adrift (🌶️ doom/heavy, USA), Doedsvangr (black, Finland/France/Norway), Vomitory (death, Sweden), Totenwache (black, Germany), Paisaunt (atmoblack, Finland), Skaphos (black/death, France), Metal Church (power/heavy/thrash, USA), Bloody Valkyria (epic/melodic black, Finland), Astral Spectre (blackened heavy, Germany) and an ep from Melechesh (🌶️black/death/folk, International). The rest is in the playlist!

Seven new songs

🌶️ Warning (doom, UK)

🌶️ At The Gates (melodeath, Sweden)

🌶️ Khemmis (doom, USA)

🌶️ Mono (postrock, Japan)

🌶️ Einherjer (viking, Norway)

🌶️ The Answer Lies in the Black Void (atmodoom, Netherlands/Hungary)

🌶️ Reverorum Ib Malacht (black/ambient, Sweden)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Hiqpy (indierock, The Netherlands)

Next week is Roadburn-week. Not a big chance I’ll have the time (or energy) to make a newsletter. But you can be on the lookout for: Crippled Black Phoenix, Doodswens, Muerto, Leila Abdul-Rauf and Reeking Aura.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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RIP Bo Lueders. Inspirational dude on many levels, and he’ll be missed on many levels.

New Albums

🌶️ Sunn O)))

Drone/doom, USA (Sub Pop Records)

FFO: the cosmic background microwave radiation

There is beauty in subtlety. And Sunn O))), even though planet crushingly heavy, are masters of subtlety. I once did an interview with Bell Witch’ Dylan Desmond, who told me that there is emotion in long winded notes that seem withheld before moving on. Sunn O))) have mastered it and this self titled (always a ballsy move for a legacy act), recorded in a forest north of Seattle (with a lot of field recorded extras), is the culmination of their sound. This time back to just O’Malley and Anderson, they move with small changes, tiny adjustments, adding texture, removing it, it’s a constant recalibration of the course. The perfect balance between maximalism and minimalism.

🌶️ Ultha

Black, Germany (Vendetta Records)

FFO: Ash Borer, Yellow Eyes, Sun Worship

I love a good surprise. Ultha is one of the best black metal bands from Germany and although this week they did allude to a new release later this year, apparently it’s later this year and here we are. It’s huge black metal, with passages of doom and psychedelic influences that make the five quarters go by really easily. Great album.

🌶️ Corrosion Of Conformity

Crossover/sludge, USA (Nuclear Blast Records)

FFO: Crowbar, Down, Melvins

Never been too big on CoC, to be honest. But I’ve always enjoyed what Keenan and co do from a distance.

🌶️ Poison Ruïn

Dungeon punk, USA (Relapse Records)

FFO: Amebix, Misfits, Black Flag, dungeon synth

Poison Ruïn sounds like a lot of other bands, and still like no other. There’s a lot of punk (this is essentially a punk band), a little heavy metal, a pinch of thrash and a black metal sauce. Undeniable.

There’s more: Lantlôs (post/shoegaze, USA), Green Carnation (prog, Norway), Nervosa (thrash/death, Brazil), Den Der Hale (experimental post-psych, Sweden), Doodseskader (sludge/post/nu-metal, Belgium), a split from Exhumation & Funeral Chant (death, Indonesia & black/death, USA), Foghazer (black/electronic, Germany), Sisyphean (black/death, Lithuania), Gallowgate (raw black, UK/USA), Banshee Moon (symphonic black, USA) and Cult of Occult (sludge/doom, France). The rest is in the playlist!

Six new songs

🌶️ Converge (metalcore, USA)

🌶️ Funebrarum (death, USA)

🌶️ Mork (black, Norway)

🌶️ Godthrymm (epic doom, UK)

🌶️ Monolord (stoner/doom, Sweden)

🌶️ Junon (psych black, Germany)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Angine de Poitrine (🌭 math rock, Canada)

Next week: Immolation, Witch Ripper, Melechesh, Archspire, Gnod, Inferi, The Melvins + Napalm Death & Vomitory.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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New Albums

🌶️ Këkht Aräkh

Black/ambient, Germany (Sacred Bones Records)

FFO: Draugveil, Lifelover, Ebony Pendant

The Këkhman is back with his unmistakable black metal for Gen Z: a lot of vibe and not a lot of respect for previously established genre boundaries. Should Bladee be on a black metal album? Well, maybe not in 1992, but now: a lot of yes. This album will polarize even more than his first two, and that’s just as it should. You don’t have to like this, but black metal is meant to go against the grain. If you are angry about this album, you might be the grain.

🌶️ Ram-Zet

Avantgarde black/gothic, Norway (ViciSolum Records)

FFO: Arcturus, Madder Mortem, The Kovenant

Speaking of old farts: I haven’t thought of this band for twenty years. I loved their Escape (2000) when it came out for it’s channeled insanity and the way it had traces of nu-metal, gothic, industrial, black metal and more. Super unpredictable. I’ve lost them after that, but very happy the band is still going.

🌶️ Hellripper

Blackened thrash/speed, Scotland (Century Media)

FFO: Bathory, Midnight, Venom

If Hellripper-riffs can’t get your bloodflow up, I don’t know what will.

🌶️ Great Falls

Noise/hardcore/sludge, USA (The Ghost is Clear Records)

FFO: KEN Mode, Knut, Knut

It’s hard to explain why a band or album sounds ‘urgent’. This new Great Falls album is on the verge of exploding. It’s pure, emotional, chaotic, intense noise rock that goes in all directions at once. Anxious, tense and brutal.

There’s more: Dystopia (🌶️ post-black, The Netherlands), Enisum (black/ambient, Italy), Black Label Society (groove, USA), The Crypt (🌶️ doom/classical, USA), Bekor Qilish (avantgarde black/death, Italy), Dionysiaque (doom, France), Cryptworm (🌶️death, UK), Tulus (black, Norway), Foetorem (death/doom, Denmark), Abkehr (black, Germany), The Oldest House (sludge/doom, Spain), Barbaric Oath (black/death, Germany), Teratoma (death, Germany), an ep from Anneke van Giersbergen (🌶️ prog rock, The Netherlands), Ain Sof Aur (black, Brazil), Winterfylleth (black, UK), Myrath (folk/prog, Tunisia), Night Vigil (🌶️ atmoblack, Greece - another excellent Ayloss project), Varmia (black, Poland), Aggressive Perfector (speed/black, UK) and an ep from Enslaved (prog/black, Norway) with a shanty choir. Yeah you do you, Enslaved. The rest is in the playlist!

Six new songs

🌶️ Moonspell (gothic, Portugal)

🌶️ Elder (psych/stoner/prog, USA)

🌶️ Panopticon (atmoblack/folk, USA)

🌶️ Dimmu Borgir (symphonic black, Norway)

🌶️ The Fifth Alliance (sludge/post-hardcore, The Netherlands)

🌶️ Portrayal of Guilt (blackened hardcore, USA)

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Naaz (indie pop, The Netherlands)

Next week: Corrosion Of Conformity, Poison Ruïn, Lantlôs, Green Carnation & Nervosa.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!

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