Sh*t That Comes Out Today: June 26, 2020
Holy crap, it’s almost July. Here are some new metal releases.
Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin
Stygian Bough Volume 1 (Profound Lore)
Two of music’s most depressive acts join forces and – create something really depressing! Who could’ve seen that one coming? Aerial Ruin (a.k.a. dark folk artist Erik Moggridge) and doom duo Bell Witch (a.k.a. Dylan Desmond and Jesse Shreibman) vibe perfectly here. Moggridge’s melancholy enhances the slow-motion funeral doom of his collaborators and vice versa. At over an hour, it’s a lot to take in, but the unique mood they create makes it worthwhile.
Long Distance Calling
How Do We Want To Live? (InsideOut)
’70s sci-fi novel cover art and an intro track that references both Vangelis and Pink Floyd? Sign me up! These Germans deliver on the promise with mostly-instrumental prog soundscapes. They don’t just pay homage to vinyl-era bands – at times, they echo the rhythmic intensity of Zombi or the post-rock interplay of Slint. If this call comes from inside your house, answer it.
Mantar
Grungetown Hooligans II (Brutal Panda)
Another quarantine covers album! This one comes courtesy of German blackened sludge ‘n’ roll duo Mantar giving their takes on songs from the more artsy side of alternative like The Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, and Mudhoney, as well as riot grrl faves like L7, Babes in Toyland, and 7 Year Bitch. Also Mazzy Star? They certainly make the tunes their own – it’s not like the originals had roaring furnace vocals and Motörhead guitar tone. Picking selections off the beaten path lets them vandalize with impunity.
Neptunian Maximalism
Éons (I, Voidhanger)
Another I, Voidhanger release, another mind-bending two hours of weirdness. Neptunian Maximalism defy genre conventions by nestling drone/doom/stoner metal into a gentle pillow of free jazz and then doing a whole bunch of magic mushrooms and blowing the whole thing up. It’s more akin to some intellectual John Zorn madness than anything you’d try to headbang to, but it’s way too evil to be anything but metal.
Pyrrhon
Abscess Time (Willowtip)
Speaking of intellectual, this horrific amalgamation of noise rock, Sonny Sharrock-style avant-garde guitar torture, and grind seems like the sort of thing most people would appreciate more than actively enjoy. It’s not exactly a good time, is what I’m saying. Still, this New York-based (of course) destruction unit do their thing better than anybody else. Even if they’re the only ones doing it.
OTHER SHIT THE COMES OUT THIS WEEK
Ahab – Live Prey (Napalm) Listen
Falconer – From A Dying Ember (Metal Blade) Listen
Feuerschwanz – Das Elfte Gebot (Napalm) Listen
Grey Daze – Amends (Loma Vista) Listen
Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins – Whore Of Babylon (Silver Lining) Listen
Voidceremony – Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel (20 Buck Spin) Listen
Wino – Forever Gone (Ripple) Listen
