Written by: Loveloth
George Carlin was a genius. A philosopher in comedian's cloth, an astute social commentator and a dude who was way ahead of his time. His ability to confront people with difficult-to-stomach facts in a hilarious way remains to be topped. Among all his numerous (and brilliant) bits, a few stuck with me, so today I will showcase a quote from his “Saving the planet” bit--which, like most Carlin routines, is even more relevant today: “We’re so self-important, so self-important. Everybody’s gonna save something now: “Save the trees! Save the bees! Save the whales! Save those snails!” and the greatest arrogance of all: “Save the planet!” What?! Are these fucking people kidding me?! Save the planet?! We don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet! We haven’t learned how to care for one another and we’re gonna save the fucking planet?!” Keep in mind he said this in 1992, in a time where grunge was becoming a serious deal, and way before Al Gore, Kyoto's convention and the whole “Save the Earth” hype that is cool today. Now, as a the filthy palaeontology nerd that I am, and to have as smooth of a transition as possible, it is my duty to showcase you any band that decides to tackle such matters. The Ocean do it, Endolith does it, and now Thecodontion do it on their debut Supercontinent.
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Written by: The Voiceless Apparition
20 Buck Spin is killing it lately. They continually release engaging albums that are a joy to listen to. I have to be honest and say that I was not privy to Ulthar before I received this promo, but because of the sheer pedigree of releases 20BS has, I knew I had to give this a chance. Providence is their second studio album and comes a year a half after their previous opus/debut album Cosmovore. I was not prepared for what horrors would await me upon clicking on the link, but as always, I kept an open mind. Here is my experience. If there are two words to describe this album, they would be "horrifying" and "other-worldly." Atmosphere is crucial to the vibe of this album, but not in a soothing way--moreso in a "visionary" way. Each song transports you into a world outside of our own, a world of twisted and deformed creatures with a lust for carnage. Each planet seemingly more viscous and unrelenting than the one before. But enough of that, let's talk about the music. As soon as you click play, you are absolutely decimated by "Churn." This mighty opener is a viscous and brutal attack of the senses. Jagged riffs and dissonant melodies saw through battering blast-beats with such precision and malicious force. 
Written by: Volt Thrower
Hailing from Milan, Italy, is the lone and sole cosmic black death metal unit Cosmic Putrefaction. The mysteriously monikered G.G. is back to provide all vocals and instruments on the second full length release for this project, The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers, on I, Voidhanger Records, out May 22nd. There has been some considerable hype surrounding this album in the metal twittersphere, and it absolutely crushes expectations. I feel truly blessed to have been given a sneak peek at an album sure to crack many end of year lists. So far it has been a brutal blackhole of a year, but the metal releases have been solid and consistent, somehow managing to escape the devastation of the shitty supernova known as 2020. Cosmic Putrefaction manages to put their name straight to top of the list with this scathing, six song symphony of destruction.
Fresh off the hunt, Capt. Graves smelled blood. He seems to like this one, which is always a relief. In any case, we're glad as always to have him back in his scrivener garb. - Ed.
Written by: Capt. Graves
It's been a while since I've stepped foot in the Village. I took myself on a mountainous retreat, staying away from humans as much as possible. Fortunately I was made for this type of apocalyptic survival measures. It reminds me of being back home on Tumulus, I couldn't be in a better position if I tried. I've had the pleasure of listening to some amazing backwoods Maine black metal, and it fucking delivers. Here we have Feral. They haven't released an album since 2017, so I've been anxiously waiting for Circle Trap Kill to be bestowed upon the land. This is no frills black metal, they come out of the gate RIPPING. I can't get over the long intros in most black metal releases, but this one does nothing of the sort. Feral has caught my attention, and damn am I excited to have listened to this album at least 4 times since it's release yesterday. 
Written by: The Voiceless Apparition
What is horror? Is it the monsters under your bed, or is it really just imagination. If that is the case then what if we could manifest our own fears and horror into a physical representation of that. ÆVANGELIST would be just that. Since 2010, the prolific Matron Thorn has written, composed, and authored the material for ÆVANGELIST, and has crafted new ways of manifesting horror and the otherworldy into a singular band. Sure, you could say this is black metal, death metal, avant-garde metal, etc., but it's so much more terrifying and horrific than your typical "dissonant black metal" band...or any music, for that matter. Nightmarecatcher is the 8th full-length album from ÆVANGELIST, and marks a self-described rebirth of the band, and I'm inclined to agree.  Written by: Bane Ov Silence
Unbowed is one of the best kept secrets in the music world today. For the uninitiated, Unbowed is a melodic death metal band from Ontario, Canada. The group incorporates elements of folk and black metal--it all comes together into an experience that every fan of extreme music should take the time to listen to. While I’m not usually a huge fan of melodic death metal, Unbowed's last album, Through Endless Tides, was my runner up for album of the decade. When I saw that Alex Snape, the guitarist and a founding member, was planning on releasing a solo EP under the guise of Ritual in Ruin, I jumped at the chance to review it. In short, Ritual in Ruin is the darker black metal version of Unbowed. All the songs still carry the triumphant and cinematic feel of Through Endless Tides, but the guitar tone and vocals give the songs a much darker atmosphere. It seems contradictory to make an album that is simultaneously triumphant yet also dark and sinister, yet here, it works very well.  Written by: Cantina
Several things could be said about Bölzer, but beyond any possible connotation, this fascinating swiss duo surely doesn't pander to the herd of formulaic blackened death metal outputs. Furthermore, the artistic relationship between KzR and HzR, the masterminds between this band, seem to be tighter than ever. It's already been three years since the release of their divisive full-length debut "Hero," yet Bölzer have proven yet again to be ready to destroy any opposition by exhuming their most beloved musical format: the EP. Longtime fans may have different perspectives in regards of this, but the band is currently showing NO intention of drifting away from their unconventional yet resolute path. Their unique brand of black/death metal seems to have grown into its fullest form--and with a certain ease, I must add. |
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