Sh*t That Comes Out Today: December 11 and 18, 2020
It’s just about the end of the year! Let’s extinguish the dumpster fire that is 2020 so we still have some fuel left for 2021’s trash conflagration. Last couple weeks are slow — mostly reissues — so this’ll be my final column for 2020. Happy holidays to you folks, and a very metal new year.
SHIT THAT COMES OUT DECEMBER 11
Boris with Merzbow
2R0I2P0 (Relapse)
What better way to see 2020 out than Japanese iconoclasts Boris and noise terrorist Merzbow mangulating songs mostly drawn from 2019’s Love & Evol (plus a bonus cover of the Melvins’ “Boris”) for 80 minutes? I’m sure that sounds like somebody‘s idea of a good time. That said, if you come into this with the appropriate, uh, expectations (that is, don’t have any), you are certainly in for a unique experience. And if you like the sound of dental drills scraped over Boris vinyl, this’ll sure finish your year right. I dig it but it’s hard to recommend to people less broken than myself.
Cardinal Wyrm
Devotionals (Self-released)
Bay Area doom trio Cardinal Wyrm recently welcomed Laila Abdul-Rauf (Hammers of Misfortune, Vastum) to their permanent ranks, and her CV acts as a good indicator that you shouldn’t expect traditional doom out of this outfit. That, and the delirium vision of the Disney castle on the cover. Simultaneously stately and grimy, these devotionals will leave you with some seriously twisted new gods to worship.
Yashira
Fail to Be (Good Fight)
Here’s something for those of you who like to measure your rage with protractors. Yashira slot themselves uncomfortably between doom, death, and post-metal, with angular riffs constantly keeping the listener off-center. Lots of screaming and pummeling (that they enlisted Full of Hell’s Dylan Walker for a guest spot should tell you about where they’re coming from), but there’s enough Gojira/Mastodon-style progginess to keep things on track.
SHIT THAT COMES OUT DECEMBER 18
Children of Technology
Written Destiny (Hells Headbangers)
Now this is the kind of dumb shit I’m into. Do you like Motorhead or Venom or (early) Sepultura or Toxic Holocaust? Don’t lie, of course you do. It is your destiny (see what I did there) to check out the third full-length from eminently reliable bonehead-thrashers Children of Technology. It’s been done before but who cares? At a lean 34 minutes, it’s the perfect shot of adrenaline to get you through this seemingly endless time.
Grayceon
Mothers Weavers Vultures (Translation Loss)
If you’re looking for the cure to seasonal affective disorder, this ain’t it. The members of this Bay Area-based trio are most notable for their association with aquatic post-metallers Giant Squid, and this doesn’t fall far from the tentacle. One of the main instruments used is a cello — not exactly known for its upbeat quality. Mothers Weavers Vultures is on the experimental side, although not so much that these pieces fall into the abyss of pointless weirdness. In fact, their bastard offspring of metal and neo-classical feels similar to Baroness at times. And that’s a good thing!
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT THIS WEEK(S)
Cro-Mags – 2020 EP (Mission Two) Listen
Daniel Tompkins – Ruins (Kscope) Listen
Deftones – White Pony x Black Stallion Reissue (Reprise) Listen
Domkraft – Day of Doom Live (Magnetic Eye) Listen
Elephant Tree – Day of Doom Live (Magnetic Eye) Listen
Fortid – World Serpent (Prophecy) Listen
Heads for the Dead – Into the Red (Transcending Obscurity) Listen
Heretical Sect – Rapturous Flesh Consumed (Gilead) Listen
Horsehunter – Day of Doom Live (Magnetic Eye) Listen
Imha Tarikat – Sternenberster (Prophecy) Listen
Riverside – Lost’n’Found: Live In Tilburg (InsideOut) Listen
Silent Skies – Satellites (AFM) Listen
Summoner – Day of Doom Live (Magnetic Eye) Listen
Wombbath – Tales Of Madness (Transcending Obscurity) Listen
