0:25-7:53
WACHENFELDT (Sweden)
Ut
— Swedish evil melodic and riffs, non-testosteroney vocals with the energy of some thrash and speed.

8:59-15:18
SPIRIT ADRIFT (AR)
Angel & Abyss
— Nate Garrett is a lovely person who loves lyrics and has a pension for the heart-wrenching heavy metal ballad. This is (his)their best album.

16:09-21:23
GRAVEFIELDS (Ireland)
Psychoactive Rites
— Irish duo create a lovely melodic-enriched brutal partnership of a versatile vocalist and a guitarist that approaches grind.

21:44-25:23
IMMORTAL BIRD (Chicago)
Anger Breeds Contempt
— Angular death metal and female badass founding member from Woods of Ypres and Mares of Thrace.

26:33-30:29
BETHLEHEM (Germany)
Aberwitzige Infraschall-Ritualistik
— Another incredible female lead singer of a legendary 90's German black metal band that now infuses modern electronic into their iconic sound.

31:07-35:41
MOTHER IRON HORSE (MA)
In Effigy
— The raw vocalist and accompanying technical musicians pushes this band into a must-listen.

36:05-40:35
NUCLEUS (Chicago)
Entity
— Chicagoans love their crushing death with a focus on weird. It will bend you.

41:00-45:08
WIDOWER (Austin)
Cosmic Holocaust
— Texas compels you to raise a fist to this galloping thrash and demonic vocals.

46:22-48:16
FULL OF HELL (MD, PA)
Thundering Hammers
— Another incredible grind and noise and atmospheric offering with the best live lead singer. These guys are young and weird and it makes for always new.

48:37-56:19
NYSS (UK)
Face Down in the Blood and Piss
— Fusion-rich black with jazz and noise in the mix.

56:35-END
UHTCEARU (Minnesota)
Black Dreams
— You can see the spirits rise above the cold tundra of Minnesota. Or some shit.

A show of this year's faves so far.

0:56-6:36
WORMWITCH (Vancouver)
Vernal Womb
— Distinct twists within crusty riffy anarchistic tempo changes. The perfect album.

7:07-13:45
PHOBONOID (Italy)
MOA-192b
— Immersive guitars become meditation, with evil electronic heartbeats throbbing sinister.

14:07-18:02
SOULMASS (FL)
Praise the Sun
— Crisp production and strangling gurgling vocals, all within a wall of head churning explosion.

18:37-24:14
DIÄT (Berlin)
Missed the Bus
— This isn't just a modern take on nostalgia; this band plays homage to old school alternative, post-punk, electro, punk and industrial. They have created a unique mix on a wide spectrum ranging from poppy to ambient to gothy-dance. Respect.

24:52-29:05
FESTERDAY (Finland)
Gravelove
— Festerday had a splash of melodic and catchy - a bit like Deadbird - in their version of rampaging death. Super fun album. Crazy they started nearly 30 years ago, but haven't made music for 25.

29:37-34:45
LIGHT DWELLER (AR)
Sloven
— Arizona births jagged angular sharp complex death.

35:09-40:37
DOWNFALL OF GAIA (Germany)
The Grotesque Illusion of Being
— Ignore the terrible cheesy band name. Deeply emotional post-metal hides behind the melodic black metal in the forefront, heavy on the riffs.

41:05-47:07
FANGE (France)
Il Reconnaîtra Les Siens
— Fange has it all, including noise, industrial, hardcore, sludge, laid atop a slab of atmospheric black metal.

48:01-54:49
GUÐVEIKI (Iceland)
Gullveigar sverðsins
— Another explosive alien black metal offering from Iceland, raw and progressive and scary.

55:09-END
TERRE (Belgium)
Filth Below
— Dark species of sludge; down-tuned to reach the pit of your soul.

0:25-6:45
WARFORGED (Chicago)
We've Been Here Before
— A wide variety of brains from Gorguts, Alkaloid, Artificial Brain and Revocation bring forth a relentless flow of challenging death.

8:09-12:38
VALE OF PNATH (Denver)
The Darkest Gate
— Sinister electronic surround a concoction of evil, progressive death.

13:10-17:25
THOUGHT LEADERS (Bay Area)
Hello Unknown
— Romantic post-punk saturated with shimmering melody created by LEGENDARY musicians in the Bay Area.

17:57-24:02
MURG (Sweden)
Stjärnan
— Jagged edges of forest black metal with a murmur of melody running through.

24:55-28:50
FIRESPAWN (Sweden)
The Hunter
— Supergroup of musicians from Entombed, Necrophobic and Dark Funeral. The new album is supposed to incorporate more heavy metal.

29:24-33:02
BELZEBUBS (Finland)
Blackened Call
— Finnish virtual comic band is serious. Seriously.

33:22-36:26
DAWN OF DEMISE (Denmark)
Collapse
— A fire-breathing Danish vocalist in a catchy, groove-filled death.

37:02-43:36
TÚRIN TURAMBAR (Poland)
Jestem kurwa Babilonu
— The Polish are also aliens, and this is a raw, experimental abstract creation with the vocalist speaking in (Polish) tongue.

44:29-50:32
CONJURER (Indiana)
Light of Death
— Indiana band is a lumbering stoner melodic beast with a stellar, endearing vocalist.

50:52-53:43
ENFORCER (Sweden)
Searching for You
— This was my 2015's 'Best Vintage Old School Beer Metal that Automatically Feathers Your Hair When You Listen to It.' Nuff said.

54:15-END
XAON (Switzerland)
Carillon
— Fantasy and folk mixed with just the right amount of cheese to make it a blast.

0:25-9:01
MESARTHIM (Australia)
Ghost Condensate I
― Synth beating through Australian black metal madness.

10:02-18:02
GOD'S BASTARD (Brooklyn)
God Raise The Sea
― Brooklyn duo project with musicians from Floods, Krallice, Anicon, Geryon. Tribal mesmerizing drums and low throaty vocals mixed with epic screeches scratching into my heart.

18:24-21:43
ULTRA SILVAM (Sweden)
Wings of Burial
― Energic speed-driven black, malicious chords, all chaotic and organic in texture.

22:05-28:41
ELLENDE (Austria)
Der Blick wird leer
― Melancholy black metal focused on the pain, rather than the fury.

29:22-34:56
AIHOS (Finland)
Ancestors Blood
― Finnish black metal with a savage blur of drumming weaved with a depressive scape of anguished melody.

35:23-39:20
CRAFTING THE CONSPIRACY (TX)
Dimension Door
― Groove and muscular mixed with intense hardcore blasts within death metal that sounds quite Swedish.

39:44-47:06
GARDSGHASTR (Sweden)
Slit Throat Requiem
― Majestic , epic, monstrous symphonic supergroup.

48:05-52:33
INCANDESCENCE (CAN)
Above All
― Duo that creates a large proggy, technical, black metal with death vocals and guitars that bring forth melodic.

53:05-END
VARAHA (Chicago)
Climax & Exile
― Gothic-influenced haunting post-metal with a variety of vocals, from doom to epic metal screech.