Mar 14, 2019
0:25-5:17
EQUIPOISE
(Pittsburgh)
A Suit of My Flesh
— A super-super group with members of
technical death and grind bands like Perihelion, Hate Eternal, Vale
of Pnath, and Inferi. Usually super groups can be idea-heavy and
confusing, and often boring. This is such a talented, thoughtful,
multi-faceted immense album.
6:36-13:33
SINMARA
(Iceland)
Crimson Stars
— Is Icelandic black metal the best
modern black metal? They manage to retain horror within a landscape
of lush and vivid and perfectly produced.
14:01-18:43
OOZING WOUND
(Chicago)
Riding the Universe
— Fans of Karp and Big Black, and
produced by Steve Albini, and it shows. Thrashcore, noise, angular,
prog-crust with smokey vocals. May be their best album
yet.
19:18-27:48
BERGRAVEN
(Sweden)
Den Dödes Stigar
— Theatrical horror black metal
portions of meandering dreamy pagan folk .
28:21-32:04
FERAL
(Sweden)
Dormant Disease
— Feral is apropos. Speed and death
with distorted guitars pushed out to the periphery.
32:31-38:12
UNENDLICH
(Baltimore)
My Own Misery
— Gravelly vocals atop icy ferocious
black metal mixed with beautiful instrumentation. .
38:34-45:22
DREADNOUGHT
(Denver)
Besieged
— Female-led psychedelic black metal
with saxaphone, flute and mandolin.
46:24-52:15
KING APATHY
(Germany)
Cleansing
— Political, anarchistic hardcore
with an underlying post-black metal anguished
atmosphere.
52:48-END
NAILED TO OBSCURITY
(Germany)
The Aberrant Host
— Opeth-style proggy death metal with
soaring melody and a mix of vocal styles. The spacy organic
instrumentation was a highlight.