Rolling Metal 2019

<i>I think it's safe to assume that at least 50% of BM bands are affected by the rot in some way, whether its symptoms are visible or not.<i/>

The rot, for me, is in the feigned 'we're apolitical!' BS. Too often to me that's a couch for 'we've chosen a side: we prefer being edgy to, like, taking any kind of stand against right-wing populism'.

Bleh messed up the tags there.

we regret to inform you that these guys making some of the most violent and hateful misanthropic music on earth are not as woke as we hoped

there's a pretty huge gap btwn "not being woke" and generalized misanthrophy vs the stuff cited in the MetalSucks post

More like I prefer it when it's just a depiction of violence and hateful misanthropy rather than a tacit vehicle for far-right propaganda. Thankfully, art is always more (and less) than what its catalyst/creator intends it to be, so I have no qualms about listening to this stuff (I won't pay for it, though). Nor do I have any qualms about saying that M. is an edgy shithead and that there are other ways of meaningfully engaging with anti-theism and the holocaust.

If you're as tired of all this "which black metal band is racist this week, and how racist are we talking here, really?" bullshit as I am, here's something different.

Tanith are a NYC-based band who combine 70s hard rock/metal crunch (think BÖC, Heart) with excellent, folky male/female vocal harmonies. Their debut album, In Another Time, comes out 5/24 on Metal Blade. Here's the first song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPY_Jw-O5k0

70s hard rock/metal crunch (think BÖC, Heart) with excellent, folky male/female vocal harmonies

sold!

Whoa, thanks for the Tanith recommendation, Phil! It's so much better than the black metal bs that's distracting the hive mind these days.

Not bad, although I still struggle with this neo-trad stuff due to its relative lack of aura. I like their touchstones but the original records' documentary value is at least half the fun for me.

Going back to the Polish fash/black metal bs for a second, the Deus Mortem album is actually quite good and the lyrics don't contain any objectionable material as far as I can tell.

new Misþyrming announced for 05/24

https://misthyrming.bandcamp.com/album/algleymi

oh and there's a new DSO album out the same day

https://deathspellomega.bandcamp.com/album/the-furnaces-of-palingenesia
https://youtu.be/E-sNygFHM9M

Ok so... Palingenesis is a general philosophical term but also has a meaning specific to fascism, if it was another band perhaps there would be more cause for doubt but given what we know about their vocalist I'm not sure I can look past it personally.

It sucks because I've been a fan of theirs for years, all to do with the riffs and drumming and not the pseudo-intellectual gurgling of the frontman but I'm just so sick of this shit.

So I guess I needed a reminder that not every black metal let is a fash weenie

https://spectrallore.bandcamp.com/album/no-excuses-for-fascist-sympathy-book-of-sand-cover

And in case anyone has another speech about separating art from artist or how bm is supposed to be evil please tell it to your goldfish or something instead of me thanks

I had no idea about its fascist meaning – hardly surprising, alas. I'll listen to it when it comes out but there's no question that this lingering bullshit detracts from my enjoyment of the music.

xp

And yeah sorry I get a bit aggressive and go on about this stuff, but it gets me down. I don't judge anyone who still wants to listen to this stuff fwiw, there might even be something defiant about listening to music by people who would gladly see me dead lol

knowing nothing about them / their vocalist, given the direction of the imagery in that video, I would have assumed the opposite ideological bent tbh

someone smarter than me will need to divine the possible significance of the title / lyrics

From the Wikipedia page on palingenesis:

British political theorist Roger Griffin has coined the term palingenetic ultranationalism as a core tenet of fascism, stressing the notion of fascism as an ideology of rebirth of a state or empire in the image of that which came before it – its ancestral political underpinnings. Examples of this are Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany...

DSO's lyrics have always had a spiritual bent and there's been no problem there at least before now (don't know about the new one though). And as I say there'd be reasonable doubt in many cases, but Aspa is an out and proud neo-Nazi.

Should we have a separate thread for black metal bullshit?

I'm not opposed to airing it out here tbh

I'd vote yes for a separate BM Assholes thread or something - the metal thread for me is coolest when it's about good music. I can get "this obvious black metal nazi dude has turned out to be a nazi" from every other metal source I follow.

I wouldn't have even known about it if I hadn't posted the track here so it gets dicey. if another thread does get srted maybe we can just link to it whenever someone accidentally nazi-posts

I was literally relistening to Vigilance Perennial today and wondering when we could expect new Falls of Rauros, when lo and behold...

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/05/02/track-premiere-falls-of-rauros-new-inertia/

Regarding DSO, I don't think Mikko writes the lyrics and I'm not sure he's an out and proud neo-Nazi. Honestly, with metal and noise, I assume the worst of everyone unless they're explicitly not terrible (ie Masami Akita). He runs the forum at Special-Interests and is quite active. You could probably ask him outright if only to settle your feelings about DSO. I know Mgla is going through it now based on their Northern Heritage association.

Look I'm happy to leave the subject alone now but this article seems pretty damning, along with stuff I've read in the past there's really not much room for interpretation

https://varisverkosto.com/2019/03/the-influencers-of-the-finnish-ns-music-scene-part-3-mikko-aspa-of-northern-heritage-clandestine-blaze-vapaudenristi-sarvilevyt/

Excited for new Falls of Rauros though! (They're probably OK. Probably).

new False album on Gilead is very good indeed - never really listened before, think the heavyhanded irony of the name put me off - is assuredly in the antifascist camp and Revolver are streaming one of its three lengthy songs it seems https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-black-metal-crew-falses-vicious-new-song-victual-our-dead-selves

There's a new HammerFall song, and...well:

JOACIM CANS describes the creation of “(We Make) Sweden Rock,” “This is a glorious tribute to the Swedish hard rock and metal movement with a lyrical theme using direct references to both other bands and songs. With catchy contagious riffs and enchanting (ear-worm) melodies this song will be an instant classic at future HammerFall shows. Without the Swedish rock and metal scene with bands like Heavy Load, At the Gates and Yngwie Malmsteen the world would be a pretty boring and dull place! This is our noble tribute to all the bands that inspired not only us to play metal, form bands and eventually crusading around the world in the name of Heavy Metal. All hail the sons of the northern light!“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwNo-pWxDAY

Going to withhold full judgment until I can hear the full album, but uh... the Belzebubs track I heard ("Blackened Call") is actually pretty good. I was surprised. The whole album is getting rave reviews from some unexpected quarters.

Last thing I'll say about the fash: I've repeatedly advocated for distinguishing between the music and its maker(s) but that doesn't mean the music is in any way 'pure' or devoid of ideology – I just think it's always more (and less) than the sum total of its catalysts'/creators' political intentions, whether good or ill. So I'm perfectly alright with bringing up the matter here whenever it rears its ugly head, especially if Mikko fucking Aspa is involved. That article ultros posted about the Finnish scene sums it up quite well.

I've liked several tracks from that Belzebubs album.

Thanks for the link, Ultros. MA's politics are undeniable and the NS bent is explicit in Clandestine Blaze. I never sensed it in DSO which has been enough for me to enjoy the incredible music. But then again, some of my favorite metal is Graveland and Grand Belial's Key which I would never say is okay. It might be time to just be done with it all.

There's a new Martyrdöd album coming out this month (May 10 on Century Media worldwide, May 24 on Southern Lord in the US). Here's a lyric video for "Pharmacepticon." Praktik ditt svenska!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzrdzc1CmlI

new Wildhearts album is terrific

Guys if u like Priest hit the 2019 Firepowe tour if ya can.

We got "Starbreaker" tonight

And ALL GUNS BLAZING

ahhhh there's finally a new Immortal Bird album! First track is a ripper.

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/thrive-on-neglect

The Martyrdöd caught my attention. Thanks to the very ancient-Bob Mould guitar tone and some unorthodox and unexpected pop in some of the record, it sounds like Land Speed-era Husker Du gone crusty D-Beat and it's quite intriguing!

i keep seeing that name but not checking it out because i just can't help but think "Marty Dude"

Marty Dude died a Martyr's Death.

New Tomb Mold single out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7FYTCsvzOg

Fuck yeah!

oh nice

yesssss

new Cult of Luna - I'd have loved more material w/ Julie Christmas but this sounds mighty fine regardless

https://youtu.be/XoFJA24GhfA

Man, that Tomb Mold track is great. 20 Buck Spin is on one hell of a roll.

Speaking of 20 Buck Spin, I'm digging this sampler track from the upcoming Fetid album, seems like an apt title for this sort of queasy sludgy death metal:

https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/steeping-corporeal-mess

really digging this Herxheim demo (physical release on NWN soon), wondering how long it'll be until they're outed as white supremacists

An odd title, that. Sold.

It's pretty good and yeah bizarre title, sounds like something Demilich would use as a song title

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH3cwxxjfB8

not sure how well this'll go over but i had never heard of this band before and this song is pretty sick. def on the metalcore/nu-metal revival side of hardcore but a really excellent version of that