It is the final month of the summer, and we have some tunes here that invoke the affirming (at least for some, although I detest the heat and I am not among them) spirit of this time. The sleazy tones of Demiser’s Slave to the Scythe delivers the black/thrash goods with its high-octane energy, and the Kaiju-themed approach of Oxygen Destroyer swaps out the black metal ferocity for death metal weight. Staying with the guitar as the focal point, Ink & Fire offer a clinic for off-kilter playing and searing intensity. On the other end of the sonic spectrum, Mamaleek descend into experimental depths to unearth a midsummer oasis, and the volcanic interests of Phenocryst’s death metal raise the temperature.
Still, there is much here that makes the sky darken. Concrete Winds and their pummeling black death, the old-school death metal of Vile Rites, and the deviancy of Horns & Hooves are among them. But, the deeper darkness comes from the adventurers. Kashaiof’s overarching amalgamations, Endon’s intense noise, and the droning, dark ambient collaboration between Mark Solotroff and J.R. Robinson hail the return to darker times. That and much more, so dig in! – Spyros Stasis
Concrete Winds – Concrete Winds (Sepulchral Voice)
Risen from the ashes of death metal stalwarts Vorum, Concrete Winds have turned up the intensity to 11. Their debut record, Primitive Force, set the standard for Mikko Josefsson and Jonatan Johansson to move into the primal ferocity of the black/death space. Their third, self-titled full-length, continues to drill down to the boundary between the sonically palatable and utterly disgusting. The echoes of Blasphemy and their crazed guitar work see “Infernal Repeater” lose complete control. It is a nightmare scenario that comes to full form with “Demented Gospels” and takes on a more militant form, channeling the likes of Diocletian in “Systematic Degradation”.
Still, in this juxtaposition of black and death metal, Concrete Winds make a more prominent move toward the death metal side. The guitar work calls upon Morbid Angel’s early days, establishing a connection to the Angelcorpse’s hatred (“Hell Trance”). That leads the way down the grindcore path, and indeed Concrete Winds’ energy is derived from the Repulsion opus, Horrified. “Daylight Amputations” follows this chaotic approach, while the punk lineage is only a step away in the erratic lashing of “Virulent Glow”. It is a move that allows Concrete Winds to play around with off-kilter ideas. Industrial notions appear not simply as outros (“Hell Trance” and “Pounding Devotion”) but as fundamental parts of the track structure.
“Subterrean Persuasion” is a standalone moment that uses this mechanical touch, forcing a contradiction between its rigid form and its chaotic evolution. The cherry on top completes another devastating work from Concrete Winds, neatly packed in just under half an hour. – Spyros Stasis
Demiser – Slave to the Scythe (Blacklight Media / Metal Blade)
Demons, flaming swords, scythes… Demiser’s artwork on their sophomore record, Slave to the Scythe, has everything you would expect from a respectable revival of black/thrash. Thankfully, so does the music. Staying on the path set by their debut, Through the Gate Eternal, Demiser offer an energetic, tongue-in-cheek ride through 1980s heavy glory modernized for our times. On the surface, Slave to the Scythe worships Sodom’s early days, relishing the schizoid lead work and the exhilarating progression. But, Demiser don’t isolate themselves in that sonic space. The record’s polished sound is the first sign that something else lurks therein.
Soon enough, the thrash ideals begin to morph. Alterations arrive, traversing the speed metal scene (“Phallomancer the Phallomancer”) or descending to the eerie black metal depths, echoing with the glory of early-day Bathory (“In Nomine Baphomet”). Hook after hook, the sentiment is made obvious. Demiser connect the thrash sound not so much to its punk aggression but to its heavy metal lineage. Instead of thrash’s crazed solo work, Demiser take a cue from classic heavy metal unleashing melodic gems that carry the legacy of Diamond Head and Angelwitch. Similarly, their progression is informed by Motorhead’s rock ‘n’ roll spirit by way of Venom, which provides high-octane energy to “Carbureted Speed”. In that way, Slave to the Scythe is a more refined side of the genre, but it still delivers all the goods. – Spyros Stasis
Endon – Fall of Spring (Thrill Jockey)
Endon released, in low-key fashion, two of extreme music’s great works in the 2010s. Mama and Through the Mirror are astounding records of far-reaching creativity, blending noise, black metal, screamo, and hardcore to deliver an assault to the senses. 2019 found Endon calibrating their sound toward the powerviolence revival in Boy Meets Girl, which took away some of the earlier magic. Their follow-up, Fall of Spring, finds them in a strange place, having been reduced to the trio of Taichi Nagura, Koki Miyabe, and Taro Aiko, following drummer Shin Yokuta’s departure and the tragic loss of Taichi’s brother Etsuo Nagura.
In the same way that Boy Meets Girl focuses on a point of origin, so does Fall of Spring. In this case, it is noise, industrial, and power electronics. Endon leave behind the traditional rock instrumentation and dive into the meditative fields of “Prelude for Hollow” as the unearthly chants appear over a post-industrial backdrop. It is the calm before the storm, and it is easy to see how it connects to the hellscape that arrives in “Hit Me”. Repetitive beats meet with fiery distortion, a hammer that mercilessly beats down on an anvil, mirroring Hospital’s extreme offerings. The vocals pierce through the wall of sound poignantly and prepare for the descent to the lower depths of abstract sonic terrorism. “Times Does not Heal” is erratic, leaving behind the anchor of percussive elements and lashing out without warning (even if it lulls you with some minimal electronica lure).
The epic closer “Escalation” feels like the deconstructed form of compositions from Endon’s earlier period. It combines tribal percussion, harsh noise, and brutal industrial beatdowns to complete this excruciating sonic annihilation. Fall of Spring, like Boy Meets Girl, is a meditation on purpose. And while it is an enticing ride, the underlying question remains. Will this introspection result in a return to the previous, fully-fledged form? – Spyros Stasis
Eye Eater – Alienate (Independent)
Excellent debut from the yet unsigned New Zealand outfit Eye Eater, who mesh progressive and dissonant death metal with deathcore elements and djent tropes reminiscent of Gojira and the like. While the style is not revolutionary, the songwriting and execution on Alienate are on point. They jump from slamming segments of technical death metal that thrash everything in their path to slower but higher waves of grooves and sludge attacks. – Antonio Poscic
Gråt Strigoi – The Prophetic Silence (Fiadh)
Gråt Strigoi see black metal as something malleable, an amorphous entity that the beholder can manipulate and adjust. For their fourth full-length, The Prophetic Silence, the Glaswegian act took its time. Three years in the making, it departs from their hectic schedule of releasing a new record every year. The result shows that a more meticulous process has taken place, allowing their sound to cover much ground. It all starts at the point of origin, where the black metal eeriness takes over in “Remembrance”. This aspect carries much history, going as far back as the dark visions of Emperor, through the progressivism applied by A Forest of Stars and Ashenspire, to the early Cascadian hermitage of Wolves in the Throne Room. “The Sacrifice” and “For the Blood Made Ruins Pt. I” continue within the same scope but move toward the early post-black metal sensibilities of Deafheaven.
This combination of the atmosphere and unyielding spirit dwells in dark corners. Dissonance and brutality perform a relentless assault in “Upon the Darkest Entry We Dream”. Yet, at the same time, Gråt Strigoi open up atmospheric pathways. It can be something as simple as a clean guitar, but then again, it can be an involved ambient interlude. The ambient explorations can be subtle, as with the ending of “Remembrance” and the start of “The Sacrifice”, but the latter becomes enamored with a heavy industrial setting. It is a harsh affair that pierces through with repetitive beats and noisy synthesizers before blossoming into its doom-laden progression.
Gråt Strigoi’s black metal then transforms, the heavier manifestation reaching for a funeral procession à la Bell Witch for “I, The Beholder” and “For the Blood Made Ruins”. It is the final touch on a multi-faceted work, and it finds Gråt Strigoi at their finest. – Spyros Stasis
Horns & Hooves – Spectral Voyeurism (Invictus / Stygian Black Hand)
Horns & Hooves are enthralled by the decadence that both the proto and early black metal aspects conjured. Their discography is filled with visions of perversion and debauchery, highlighted from the cover to Morbid Lust, and completed with their debut full-length I Am The Skel Messiah. Their new EP, Spectral Voyeurism, is a distilled and potent version of the same vision, starting with the malicious black/thrash assault of the title track that brings in memories of Bathory’s first era. The direct lines to thrash are nicely pronounced, the solo work relishing the crazed fascinations of Slayer.
Still, the inverted ideas of Necromantia by ways of Negative Plane and Cultes Des Ghouls take over. The riffs of “Waiting for Creation” and “Dust” produce waves of obsidian darkness, where Horns & Hooves reveal their triumphant character. This “waste not” mentality brings so much to mind the aforementioned pioneers. Divulging into melodic pathways is no taboo for the band, who produce catchy lead work within the confinements of the genre (“Waiting For Creation”). Neither do they shy away from exploring the atmospheric, either with synthesizers or vibraphones or some old-fashioned acoustic guitars. This ability to combine the primal aspect of the Bacchian with an otherworldly (verging on the hellish) quality always works for Horns & Hooves, and it is not about to stop now. – Spyros Stasis
Ink & Fire – Emblazoned Visions Yield Eternity (Death Prayer)
Losing sight of melody inside black metal’s textural form is easy. Even Austere’s excellent hooks get this grainy application, blurring beautifully through layers of distortion. But, for someone like M.K. this is not an issue. Ink & Fire’s debut, Extinction of Spirit, is a testament to the solidity of the electric guitar, and it continues with the band’s sophomore Emblazoned Visions Yield Eternity. From the get-go, the playing is erratic yet coherent. A hectic and sui generis approach unfolds, gaining tremendous momentum as the faster drumming of “All Tales Galivant” and “Infinite Hammer of Fate” settle in.
There are moments when the descent to traditional black metal pathways is necessary. The title track passes through this realm, but the earlier triumphant character captures the ear. In this mode, Ink & Fire traverse substantial ground and blur the very foundation of their sound. At times, the melodies pick up the ecstatic side of folk music (“Gestures of Endearment” and “To Fall”) before surfing through contorted traditional metallic lead work (“Let Us Proceed”). They then reach for a Celtic Frost-ian attitude before they dive into, until that point, the dormant, punk attitude of “Astute Wreckless Abandon”. At first listen, Ink & Fire might appear nothing out of the ordinary, but a closer inspection reveals the abundance of riches that hide beneath. – Spyros Stasis
Kashaiof – Days (Orthodox)
Like their previous outings, the latest album by Eyal Bitton and Itzik Gil Avizohar as Kashaiof straddles the line between dark ambient, power electronics, industrial, and noise but doesn’t quite fit in any of these neatly defined drawers. Instead, the duo’s music is a spectral amalgamation of styles: an oblique sonic shape observed in peripheral vision. Rather than concrete songs, their pieces are fragile, like ephemeral electroacoustic sculptures, and the sort of sound artists such as Mexico City-born, Berlin-based Mario de Vega might build up and destroy during their performances.
The tracks and styles on Days transform into each other in gradual, sometimes imperceptible fluctuations, moving from the crashing waves of “Gravity” to the crunching, swirling noises governed by breathless rhythms on “Pyrite”. Elsewhere, the droning, murmuring, and fluttering surface of “Grace” swallow everything that came before it, whether it’s the plaintive chants and uncomplicated drone of “Clay” or the concentrically expanding tremors of “Galena”. This is the sound of a crumbling reality. – Antonio Poscic
Mamaleek – Vida Blue (The Flenser)
If you go into any record by San Francisco experimental outfit Mamaleek —but especially their latest release, Vida Blue—with an expectation of conventional song structures and easy-to-follow musical threads, you’ll have a bad time. The saner way to approach each of the nine songs presented on their tenth LP is to embrace their idiosyncrasies at face value and think of them as self-contained non-linear narratives akin to miniaturized versions of the mind-bending postmodern fiction by Thomas Pynchon or William Gaddis.
King Crimson-esque flutes and expanding string textures are pushed to the side by bumping metallic grooves. At once old-timey and modern, a whistling whirlwind ushers flickers of funky yet discordant avant rock into a cave that echoes with heavy dissonance and deranged screams. Threateningly caustic spoken word in the best tradition of Captain Beefheart transforms into a gorgeous piano arpeggio, dissipates into ghostly atmospherics, then reassembles itself as a contemporized new wave, Ariel Pink-like strut. Finally, it all ends with a Mr. Bungle-inspired party. None of it makes sense, yet all of it does as moods become stories on some deep, unconscious level. Created in memory of the band’s late keyboard player, Eric Livingstone, Vida Blue encapsulates all the unknowable chaos and uncertainty of simply being human. – Antonio Poscic