Sh*t That Comes Out Today: April 2, 2021
Slow release week, at least as far as previously-announced stuff is confirmed — but who knows what might pop up on Bandcamp today? I certainly don’t; I’m writing this on Monday.
Haunt
Beautiful Distraction (Church)
Five full-lengths in three short years plus several EPs and splits and a re-recordings record — it’s not just Trevor Church’s prolific output that’s impressive, it’s his continued evolution. Songwriting, production, and playing all show a consistent improvement from album to album. Beautiful Distraction features his most AOR-friendly pieces yet. Possibly his Pyromania? The melodic emphasis really highlights the melancholy present under his upbeat compositions. Bonus points for the Profondo Rosso reference in “Fortunes Wheel” to complement the deep red album art.
Mythic Sunship
Wildfire (TeePee)
Press materials compare this to “free jazz in a doom setting;” mostly because of the sax, probably. Not enough sax in heavy psych. These Copenhageners clearly spent time interning at the Hall of the Mountain Grill by heart, so while their measurements of the depths of space may seem familiar they know how to pilot their silver machines effectively. They like Hawkwind, is what I’m saying. I also like Hawkwind — who doesn’t? Most Hawkwind fans can’t generate as much heat as Mythic Sunship with their weapons of choice, though.
Plaguewielder
Covenant Death (Disorder)
A black metal project named after a Darkthrone record, WEIRD. These Ohioans know the darkness that comes from Middle-ish America, and they also know the best way to conquer it is with stuff that originated in Middle-ish Scandinavia. Thankfully, they add honest-to-goth post-punk vibes to provide some merciful release from the blasting beats. We may be in the midst of an actual plague but it’s worth getting down with this sickness — they prove quite adept.
Steel Bearing Hand
Slay In Hell (Carbonized)
666 years in the making, Steel Bearing Hand’s second album comes out swinging. A fistful of alloy straight to the face. This thing is a one-band wrecking crew stitched together from the best parts of Power Trip, Frozen Soul, Celtic Frost, Possessed, all that good shit. Texas metal with an undisputed Texas punk attitude. They even have the balls to close it with a 12-minute death-doom slow-mo beatdown. It just rips.
Wode
Burn In Many Mirrors (20 Buck Spin)
Wode’s cover model should probably see a chiropractor, their chakras are very much out of alignment. Probably from headbanging along as the band plunges skull-first down Tartarus’s gullet. These UK black metallers go maximalist with their sound, fully embracing their classic metal roots — three of the members also do time in thrown-back first-wavers Aggressive Perfector. They bring that love of big riffs and bigger hooks to their second-wave project and it launches this into serious neck-wrecking territory.
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY
Amulets – Blooming (The Flenser) Listen
Aphrodite – Orgasmic Glory (Fighter) Listen
Earthless – Live in the Mojave Desert Vol. 1 (Heavy Psych) Listen
Fuoco Fatuo – Obsidian Katabasis (Profound Lore) Listen
Helstar – Clad In Black (Massacre) Listen
