Rolling Metal 2018

In addition to the Facelift Deformation album, I also bought these yesterday:

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1416330462_16.jpg
Purefilth, Unhuman Forms Prevail

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3565808802_16.jpg
Dysmorfectomy, Disembodied Anomalies (pre-order, out 5/30)

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2420710384_16.jpg
Scatology Secretion, The Ramifications of a Global Calamity

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3011024320_16.jpg
Dysmorfectomy, Hypothermal Dissection

Shifting from broooootal death to jazzy/proggy tech-death now, since the new Obscura just landed in my inbox. They've got the Cynic-al vocoder on the choruses, and a full-on '70s fusion bass sound...I am excited.

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3780199449_10.jpg

Sometimes I think there are more brutal death metal bands than there are people on earth

lol! Wormed are enough br00tal death for me, no other band of that kind have made mutch of an impression. Not a fan of those album cover aesthetics either.

New Urfaust album is fucking brilliant btw, probably their best.

I do kind of love that the color palette for a lot of BDM albums has become a weird lurid blue/syrup purple

Looking forward to that new Urfaust!

Broooootal death/slam bands have the best artwork in metal. There's not even a contest.

new Aura Noir fucking delivers. I listened to the Merciless yesterday and the new one today...new one stands up on its own, love it

There's a new Marduk track on Spotify (and elsewhere I presume), "Equestrian Bloodlust," and a new Immortal on YT, "Northern Chaos Gods," and both make me want to hear the full albums. I haven't really been wowed by anything from any of the involved musicians since Sons of Northern Darkness and Romans so I guess this is hopeful news.

Actually these two bands are sort of in the same category for me: they've put out some amazing stuff -- albums full of strong songs with some of the most miraculous atmosphere caught on tape (Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is unbeatable in this; Those of the Unlight and Opus Nocturne aren't far behind) -- but over the years I've just gotten worn out by seeing/hearing about them. I don't even know why. Internet? Social media? Gossip and controversy?

The 20something me would be astonished to hear the 40something me complain of black metal market saturation but I guess that war was lost with Dethklok.

To say I was wowed by Sons and Romans is a bit of an understatement; they're two of my favorite things to come out of the Norway/Sweden metal ... thing. I'm fine with the tradeoff of primitive and occult atmospherics for insanely good songwriting and polished, confident playing. I'll take both, since they both exist.

Tbf black metal quickly felt saturated to me when post-Transilvanian Hunger absolutely everyone started pumping out albums and demos of garage quality 2-riff tracks with that garden sprinkler beat circa 1995-1996.

(That wave of generic stuff died down tho)

I didn't really like the new Marduk song or the new Immortal song. I wasn't expecting to give a shit about post-Abbath Immortal, so that's neither a surprise nor a disappointment. Marduk have been good to great since bringing Mortuus on board, though, so knowing that they're capable of much more than this bums me out. We'll see how the album is. It's been a long time since Serpent Sermon (I didn't give Frontschwein a fair hearing, and should probably revisit it one of these days).

Two obvious highlights of the week's new releases, for me, at opposite ends of the metal spectrum, are Follow the Cipher and Abraham.

pop gothic bright swords: https://open.spotify.com/album/0qSSaoW8WVNIku9TXuK3Sy?si=Tihz6CacSEuJi78fXPafBQ
lumbering noise-blasted doom: https://open.spotify.com/album/2pvFJdvNvCK6ZrZNsle7qM?si=baZM9a_KSHSJ1PDIW2B_4A

Picked up the 2fer reissue of Rotting Christ's Passage to Arcturo/Non Serviam, such an amazing band

I genuinely think this is a really attractive T-shirt; the thorns-and-branches shape of the white logo on the black fabric has a really appealing starkness. But the band is called BEGGING FOR INCEST, so...no.

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0013370817_10.jpg

eww but nice shirt

I have their first EP, Awaiting the Fist; it's standard brutal death metal, but not good enough to make me seek out their other stuff. But what's weird is, on their most recent album, 2016's Finsternis, they seem to have undergone an attitude adjustment. The music is the same, but instead of "Bashed Beyond Recognition," "Gutted Like A Pig," "I've Got An Abhorrent Fetish" or "As Long As You Swallow" (all track titles from 2012's Orgasmic Selfmutilation), they're called things like "Awakening In Nothingness," "Obliterate Human Conscience," "Induced Decay" and "Endless Void," and the album cover looks like this:

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3101179795_10.jpg

So I feel like maybe they should change their name?

Yeah, definitely. It looks more black metallic, are they incorporating that into their sound?

I mean, change the name you don't even need to touch the logo lol

It's still brutal death metal, just with lyrics that are more focused on a kind of cosmic negativity rather than sexualized violence and/or scatology. As though the lyrics matter in that genre.

I prefer cosmic negativity by a mile tbh

Speaking of cosmic brutality, the most recent Afterbirth ("The Time-Traveller's Dilemma"!) from last year is pretty cool. Not entirely skull-hammering death metal, there are some nice mellower riffs that sound inspired by Voivod's "Nothingface."

Yeah, I liked that album.

This new album by The Armed is highly recommended for all fans of maximalist grindcore and The Dillinger Escape Plan! It is wild.

This year's Deep Space Psudokument except more punk. Fucken incredible

More pop too

OK totally missed there was a new Avenger album last year.

http://avengercze.bandcamp.com/album/mir-v-haremu-smrti

the Armed album is v good, briefly discussed on the emo thread iirc?

OK totally missed there was a new Avenger album last year.

well damn, thanks for posting this; I had no idea

I think I gotta read this.

https://weightlessbooks.com/format/corpsepaint/

That does sound good but I definitely want to read an excerpt before giving anyone any money.

a metal album art blog just pointed me toward this record. it’s... so awesome??? https://xenoblight.bandcamp.com/album/procreation

My trust in Weightless Books is pretty high, so I took the plunge. Can report back.

just finished the xenoblight record. it is the real deal

new pig destroyer album head cage out in september

oh fuck

That's good news for September.

oh yeah i am so hyped for that

Xenoblight record rules, wow. great vocals

it’s always really nice when i notice how good a rhythm section is on a metal record

The pre-release At the Gates tracks paint their new album in the best possible light. The sum total is kind of underwhelming, alas.

I noticed it's AOtW over at Stereogum so I guess some people must like it.

At the Gates have never done it for me, and this new album is more of the same.

at this point the song Luxury Themes off The Armed's new album is song of the year, Brad when you posted it to the emo thread did you not think to add 'ps this will definitely be imago's favourite thing ever'

re: The Armed: Really enjoying it, too. It’s a great find.

Sort of sounds like a relatively more pop Genghis Tron. Not bad!

Jes Skolnik at Bandcamp was talking up this EP of lofi punky & noisy deathmetal and I have to say I agree

https://devilmaster.bandcamp.com/album/inhabit-the-corpse

The Armed album is great btw. Ben Koller of Converge drums on this one. Nick Yacyshyn of Sumac was on the last one. Ballou produced both. Been saying this one is a mix between Converge, Melt Banana and Cleric to me.

Finally got the new LLNN.

MASSIVE.

finally got around to the armed record and it's really great and obviously very much lj's thing