Sh*t That Comes Out Today: May 28, 2021
I know other stuff comes out this week – and a lot of it good! – but NEW PERTURBATOR.
Alastor
Onwards and Downwards (RidingEasy)
Sometimes it’s a long way down and it seems like that’s the only way off the pillar you’re stuck on, but there’s always another way — listening to cathartic doom metal, for example! Alastor summon Uncle Acid vibes (which means Sabbath vibes, obviously) in this exploration of madness and its inevitability. At least it’s got some swing to it, making the plunge more appealing than if it was a straight slow drop into the precipice. Robin Arnryd pronounces “dead things in jars” like “dead things in yars,” which is either his Swedish accent showing or an homage to 80s arcade classic Yar’s Revenge. Either way, I’m into it!
Daniel Davies
Spies (Sacred Bones)
I rewatched Assault on Precinct 13 last week, and man that movie rips — lean and mean and driven in large part by John Carpenter’s minimalistic synth score. Davies works with Carpenter in his eponymous band, but his solo stuff shows that he’s capable of both learning from and building upon his mentor’s visceral approach to composition without feeling like rote imitation. This EP (only three songs fewer than his last full-length!) allows him the opportunity to play with the different possibilities afforded by the synthesizer, capturing everything from freezing landscapes to sweaty Los Angeles nights, making it an essential companion piece to last year’s excellent Signals.
Ghastly
Mercurial Passages (20 Buck Spin)
That Giger-looking monstrosity welcoming you to the titular mercurial passages on the cover actually sums up Ghastly’s deal pretty well. Ornate and horrifying, disgusting but with moments of surprising beauty, it definitely makes you want to conquer your inherent revulsion to study it more closely. Their secret lies in spiking their Swedish-style death with some Morbus Chron/Sweven psychedelic sickness. Makes it easier to open your mind.
Perturbator
Lustful Sacraments (Blood)
It’s been four years since James Kent unveiled his plans for his new model. Since then he’s done some further tinkering. Lustful Sacrament brings his sound into the post-Blade Runner world we live in, retaining his signature darksynth as atmosphere and flavoring but moving decisively in a post-punk/goth direction. As with everything else he’s done, it rules. He still excels at plunging the listener into nightmarish worlds of his own making. Go ahead, join the cult. We welcome newcomers.
Portal
Avow (Profound Lore)
I would question the wisdom of releasing something this oppressively dark at the dawn of summer, but I suppose it’s winter in the Antipodes (where Portal hail from). At any rate, Avow will not be soundtracking many Memorial Day barbecues, even in the gothiest of households. If you like death metal that sounds like the tape has been mangled and warped and run through the washing machine (without any degradation on the production end), Portal once more have you covered. This one may be even more demented than the last few — and I legitimately did not think that possible!
OTHER SHIT THAT COMES OUT THIS WEEK
Alestorm – Live In Tilburg (Napalm) Listen
Alluvial – Sarcoma (NB) Listen
Angstskrig – Skyggespil (Despotz) Listen
Bloodbound – Creatures Of The Dark Realm (AFM) Listen
Burning Witches – The Witch Of The North (NB) Listen
Cirith Ungol – Half Past Human EP (Metal Blade) Listen
Eminence – Dark Echoes (Blood Blast) Listen
Gwar – The Disc With No Name EP (Pit) Listen
Khandra – All Occupied By Sole Death (SoM) Listen
King Of Asgard – Svartrviðr (Trollmusic) Listen
Mental Cruelty – A Hill To Die Upon (Unique Leader) Listen
Messier 16 – Iota (Indie) Listen
Noctule – Wretched Abyss (Translation Loss/Church Road) Listen
Of Mice & Men – Bloom EP (SharpTone) Listen
Silver Lake by Esa Holopainen – Silver Lake by Esa Holopainen (NB) Listen
Stormruler – Under The Burning Eclipse (Napalm) Listen
Unfathomable Ruination – Decennium Ruinae EP (Willowtip) Listen
White Moth Black Butterfly – The Cost Of Dreaming (Kscope) Listen
