Shit That Comes Out Today: July 12th, 2019
By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be pallin’ around and kickin’ shit in the Grand Tetons. To be followed shortly thereafter by an extra festive weekend at Fire in the Mountains, where I’ll get to be one of the first to hear Blood Incantation’s upcoming album, live and in full! Not to mention tons of other sick bands and activities, all under one of the most stunning backdrops on the planet. Stay tuned for a full write-up on all the fun!
False
Portent (Gilead)
Listen “A Victual for Our Dead Selves”
2019 has been a prime year for black metal releases, and the latest from False is no exception. Following up their debut Untitled record, the Minneapolis audiomancers have crafted another passionate and exhilirating work that really shows off how much their sound has matured. Hats off in particular to Travis. That guy can do things with a drumkit that are illegal in 14 countries, and it’s absolutely brilliant. The furious percussion is joined by complex, atonal riffs played with breakneck speed and precision, ghastly vocals, and orchestral/choral patches that bring the whole thing to life. Portent is a fucking shredder, yet also dynamic, visceral, and highly engrossing. It’s the truth, I swear!
Nightfucker
Nightfucker (Sentient Ruin)
FFO Eyehategod, Burning Witch
Full Album Stream
I mostly just chose this because of the name, but it just so happens that the music is pretty sweet, too. Nightfucker deliver a grimy, toxic cesspool of blackened sludge/doom that explores “themes of addiction, abuse, suicide, hallucinations, delusions, mental illness, self-harm, and complete human collapse with revolting lucidity”. Their self-titled debut has been years in the making since the band was founded by Dominic Finnbow of Moss a decade ago, but it’s been well worth the wait. Oozing along the same veins as Eyehategod, their misanthropic filth will corrode your ear canals and possibly destroy everything you’ve ever loved.
Wear Your Wounds
Rust on the Gates of Heaven (Deathwish)
FFO Cave In, Converge
Listen “Rust on the Gates of Heaven”
What began as a solo project created by Converge’s Jacob Bannon has now exploded into having an all-star lineup of musicians, including members of Cave In, Trap Them, The Red Chord and more. “In some ways Rust on the Gates of Heaven is the first proper Wear Your Wounds album,” comments Bannon. “Since this lineup of the band was assembled, so much has happened within all of our lives. We weave much of that into this album, consciously and unconsciously.” Wear Your Wounds’ minimalistic, sweeping post metal certainly paints a somber picture of the members’ inner world, as well as tapping in to elements of their other musical endeavors (especially later Cave In and Converge). “I like to think that every piece of creativity we put out into the world in reaction to it has the potential to make a pinhole into what we perceive as impenetrable darkness. The sum of those tiny holes can bring light and perspective to one’s life. Maybe the noise we made here can be a beacon to others and help them in some way. Whether it by personally connecting with them or motivating them to put their own voice into the world. It’s all a positive if it leads you to a way out of whatever you may be in.”
Torche
Admission (Relapse)
Listen “Admission”
Read the MetalSucks review
Whoa! It’s been a while since I’ve been so blown away by a lighter metal album, but of course Torche would be the ones to pull it off. Admission is a beast of a record that’s totally heavy, but also refreshingly accessable. Its melodic sludge-pop leaves behind the bland elements of hard rock but preserves the fuzzy, punchy sound that’s so distinctly Torche. The album exhibits a very diverse array of tones, from the earth-shaking rhythm section to the warm, hypnotizing guitars and smooth vocal performance — often coming together in a wall of sound that’s borderline shoegaze-y. It’s spacey and introspective, but also catchy, with awesome hooks galore. Get an even closer look at the album on the Metalsucks Podcast, and catch Torche on tour with Wear Your Wounds!
Batushka
Hospodi (Metal Blade)
Listen “Chapter I: The Emptiness – Polunosznica (Полунощница)”
Let’s just cut to the chase here. Hospodi tests in at about 3.6 roentgens — “not great, not terrible.” It’s a pretty decent record, but it feels a bit uninspired, like Bart-ushka is desperately striving for some sort of legitmacy. But you probably already assumed as much, so instead of getting into the politics, here’s a quote from the band that’ll give you a better idea of what to expect: “The whole album is a concept based on the Liturgy of Death, the prayers for the dead, and Orthodox funeral rites and dirges. It’s all about a ritual that involves the dead and the mourners. We also used a lot of old folk songs and elegies from our homeland. These are sung during the wake, around the casket, in the deceased person’s home. Nowadays only a few older people know them and still sing them accordingly in our region. We decided to cherish that tradition and I’m glad that with our album these songs and rites will survive.” Any Russian grandmas out there want to start a cover band called Babushka?
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Arrowhead – Coven of the Snake (Ripple) listen
Auras – Binary Garden (eOne) listen
Blacks0n – Cry For Inspiration (Famined) listen
Cold Curse – Violent Measure (Creator Destructor) listen
Concrete Winds – Primitive Force (Sepulchural Voice) listen
Disentomb – The Decaying Light (Unique Leader) listen
Dream Troll – Second to None (N/A) listen
Elder – The Gold and Silver Sessions (Blues Funeral) listen
Hyvmine – Retaliation (Seek and Strike) listen
Impavida – Antipodean (Van) listen
Nomad Stones – Unriddled (Brutal Panda) listen
Oh, Sleeper – Bloodied / Unbowed (Solid State) listen
Ribspreader – Crawl And Slither (Horror Pain Gore Death) listen
Suicide Silence – Live & Mental (Nuclear Blast) listen
WAIT – We Are In Transit (The Artisan Era) listen
