Jul 8, 2020
0:25-7:43
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
(Greece)
The First Ape on New Earth
— In my Best of 2016 list, what a
wonderful second album of carnival psychedelic black metal and
prog. Bubbling in my heart and turning it black from the inside.
Sweet and wicked.
8:55-15:02
INEXORUM
(MN)
The Breaking Point
— In my Best of 2018, this black
metal musician is inspired by his wild Minnesota surroundings. His
muscular death vocals are a great juxtaposition for the chilling
desperate emotional romantic black metal. Let me bathe in the
moonlit lake he is crooning to. So hot.
15:29-22:56
DESCEND
(Sweden)
Blood Moon
— This 3rd album is jammed with a
blast of a range, from death to haunting doom to prog and various
instrumentation. Oh you Swedish devils with the juicy riffs, it is
in their blood. This is a joy from beginning to end.
23:44-29:29
CANIS DIRUS
(MN)
We Are The Ancient Ones
— Another Minnesota gem where the men
wear beards and howl at the moon. The sound is scattered debris of
forlorn with the stark brutality of the vocalist, a surprising
gentle acoustic and heavy metal solos that remind us of what we
love. METAL.
30:06-35:41
LANTERN
(Finland)
Shrine of Revelation
— Finnish and their amazingly
guttural vocals that automatically launch their sound to
malevolence naturally. You think it is this mean death, but these
bands are really pummeling us with surprises, packages to unfold
and delight.
36:03-40:19
WORSHIPPER
(MA)
Lonesome Boredom Overdrive
— Their 2019 album was playing in my
house last week and I randomly checked on their bandcamp, and they
had a newly released single. It didn’t fit in their 2019 album, and
they wanted to release it finally – the song title fitting to our
times. They have the best warm retro vocalist.
40:57-40:37
LJOSAZABOJSTWA
(Belarus)
Idzi I Hliadzi
— These little parts of the world
where influence is from afar. The Finnish, the Estonians, and now
Belarusians. It just thrashes in all directions, heavy metal and
doom and riffs and punk pace. And then they throw in the neck
churning riffs to make you clap. Thank you sirs.
51:46-56:01
BLOOD STRONGHOLD
(AU/Poland)
Unbowed Wolves
— Maybe you don’t have the stomach
for a 2-piece raw black metal that spins out to minimal after
dabbling in the massive storms of layered ethereal
melodies.
56:25-END
LIVING GATE
(Belgium)
Living Gate
— You’ve got to expect big things
from members of Oathbreaker, Amenra, Wiegedood and YOB. Bright,
brutal, ferocious death metal. Simple.