Mar 24, 2021
0:25-6:48
STORTREGN
(Switzerland)
Grand Nexion Abyss
— Guitars galore; strummed to
galaxy-driven solos to technical. Textures and genres include
technical death, melodic black, and a blast of proggy lurches and
massive riffs. A chilling rasp of a vocalist drops perfectly to the
hottest muscular. Huge album.
8:02-11:59
PUPIL SLICER
(UK)
Wounds Upon My Skin
— Yes, this album is that good. Not
just another Dillinger; this pulls its weight from all directions.
Grind and noise make way for massive riffs and groove with
unexpected moments. Her vocals are strength and agony.
12:27-16:50
ENFORCED
(VA)
Malignance
— Lighten this shit UP, with some
brutal hardcore. Richmond in the HIZ-HOOOOOUSE. Appropriate fist on
the album cover.
17:23-28:02
MARE COGNITUM
(Portland)
Luminous Accretion
— Intricately woven guitar and drums,
building to always something bigger. The suffocation is manageable
with breaks of melody and a softened edge. Always
stellar.
29:04-36:14
WESENWILLE
(Netherlands)
The Descent
— A duo that has packed it all in
there: sharp, angular, chaotic black metal sweetened with drama. It
will take time to figure it out.
36:52-40:57
KANKAR
(Germany)
Thüringer Schwarzmetall
— Another 2-piece with a powerful
weaponized vocal, an equally effective drum, and moments of beer
rock’n’roll warming it all up.
41:34-46:00
LUNAR SHADOW
(Germany)
And Silence Screamed
— 80’s heavy metal soul with poignant
lyrics and reflective ballads. Emotional and solid.
47:04-51:02
DVNE
(Scotland)
Enûma Eliš
— Pronounced Dune. Thick, rich sludge
with proggy overtones and epic breakdowns. A cool breeze of
post-metal and experimental ambient really break it
apart.
51:36-57:59
FUATH
(Scotland)
The Pyre
— Two Scottish bands in a row! This
is the most medieval warrior wintry black forest black metal you’ll
hear in a while.
58:23-END
TOPOGRAPHIES
(SF)
Lonely Figure
— I wondered how the vocalist Gray
Tolhurst, son of the Cure's drummer/keyboardist, ended up in San
Francisco. He was going to college here! He pushed away cold wave
and post-punk for a long time, and finally broke down. We
should be so lucky. This is a luscious, poppy, misting, moody,
dreamy album.