RC lauded acts with under the radar recent releases

[Reign in Acai]

RC Circlejerked till the cows came home. Have only given in one whirl, fell on deaf ears. Definitely sounds like a grower.

What's some other new shit from established acts that have gone largely unnoticed since the world has turned into a mass of Opeth17s?

I've definitely been lacking in the pinkage department. Been keeping up with black/death, but severely missing out on a bunch of softer releases that geezers sip scotch to. Lay it on me.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Here is what I posted at the FB group that you dicks reject:

15 Metal albums from 2018 That Kicked My Dick In:

***Antisoph – Antisoph***

- IMO, one of the most criminally overlooked albums of 2018. Ripping, technical, and infectious AF, all atop semi-quirky clean vocals. Once it hooks you, you're caught. This is probably my Metal AOTY and worthy of an RC circle-jerk of yore (those who know, know). Looking forward to these guys' future output.

***Moss Upon The Skull – In Vengeful Reverence***

- Blegium's MUtS play Progressive Death Metal with a shmorgashbord of influences that they brilliantly deliver in spades. Groovy one minute, dissonant the next, then neck-snapping riffage afterwards, this album is tough to put down...and it's FUN.

***Barus – Drowned***

- Along with MUtS, this has been my most played metal album this year. Aptly titled, the incredibly dense atmosphere and production literally feels like your being ripped through the undercurrent, gasping for breath.

***Messa – Feast For Water***

- Female-fronted, very bluesy Doom is what's on tap here. These Italians provide beautiful female vocals, great songwriting, and even better atmosphere which even verges on noir at times. Oh, and there's a sax solo thrown in for good measure.

***Great Falls – A Sense Of Rest***

- Pissed.Heavy.Abrasive.Angular.Pummeling.Gut-Wrenching.Whirlwind.Massive....All words I'd use to describe Great Falls. For being so in-your-face about it all, there is also tons of subtlety to unpack within the songs once familiar with them. Take the anger of Today Is The Day, the heaviness of early Neurosis, and technicality of Gorguts, roll 'em up and you'd have this album.

***Soldat Hans – es taut***

- It's tremendously difficult to describe the music on this album but it's remarkably brilliant and refreshingly original. They cohere the polarity of light/dark to perfection. Consisting of 3 tracks (2 songs nearly 30 minutes each), the impatient/ADD folks need not apply. You need to relax into this music and let it wash over you...then rip you to shreds. FFO: Kayo Dot, Earth (Hex), Cult Of Luna, Bohren & der Club of Gore, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, you get the idea. Transcendent stuff.

***Ihsahn – Amr***

- What hasn't been said already by the previous lists in this group? This album really surprised me and forced me to check out his past-catalog under his solo moniker. Catchy as all get-out.

***Wake – Misery Rites***

- These Canadians are the heir to the Grind throne and this album is, so far, their pinnacle. If you dig Grindcore and/or Deathgrind, this is absolutely mandatory listening. Ferocious.

***Between The Buried and Me – Automata I & II***

- Admittedly, I'm a BTBaM fanboy. After the somewhat disappointing Coma Ecliptic, they came back with vengeance with this double ep/album (wtf guys?). Bringing back the harsher elements and experimentation, this is what BTBaM fans have come to adore. The double ep format was stupid though.

***Cult Leader – A Patient Man***

- From the ashes of Gaza, Cult Leader was born. Their last album was mostly overtly viscious deathgrind that ran you the fuck over. This album has that also but throws in some depressing, downtempo, almost Type-O-Negative vibed songs amongst the ruckus which, while vastly sonically different, is just as heavy and oppressive as the beat-you-to-a-pulp-then-piss-on-you songs. It's the most depressing deathgrind album you're likely to hear.

***Noise Trail Immersion – Symbology of Shelter***

- These dudes from Italy give me the same uneasy feeling as Deathspell Omega. However, although it shares the general aesthetic, this isn't black metal. I guess you can call it a frenetic, dissonant, highly textured version of blackened mathcore with gobs of oppressive atmosphere. Pure cathartic chaos.

***W.A.I.L. - Wisdom Through Agony Into Illumination and Lunacy Vol. II***

- Atmospheric black/death/doom metal with a great philo-spiritual concept/story. Consisting of only 2 songs clocking in around 30 minutes each and an awesome digibook format with around 20 or so pages of artwork, writings, and lyrics, there was a lot of thought put into this project. Very atmospheric with times of droning, tribal, ambient parts and even a 9-minute somber classical piano interlude...yep.

***Howling Sycamore – Howling Sycamore***

- Avant-Progressive-Speed Metal? I dunno but featuring members of Watchtower, Ephel Duath, and Necrophagist/Obscure with guest appearances by Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) on saxophone and Kevin Hufnagel (Gorguts/Dysrhythmia) on guitars, you know you're in for a wild ride and that's exactly what they deliver.

***Lychgate – The Contagion In Nine Steps***

- Castlevania Doom. Imagine walking up a dark, musty stairwell of an old stone castle with lit candles burning on either side amidst the backdrop of Dracula playing the pipe organ up in his loft just to fuck with you. Throw in a dash of carnival type antics and you have this album.

***The Aftermath – Vermine***

- An incredibly intense tech-death annihilation that moves in and gets the fuck out. The amount of shit that's packed into a single 3-minute song is bewildering. Fuckin' Canadians, eh!

 

[Krilons Resa]

Non-Metal:

*Tangled Hair – We Do What We Can (Prog-Math-Indie Rock)
*He Was Eaten By Owls – Inchoate With The Light Go I (Brilliant-Gorgeous-Avant-Post-Art-Rock)
*Slow Mass – On Watch (Diverse, Sonic Youth-y Indie Rock/Post Hardcore)
*Daughters – You Won't Get What You Want (Claustrophobic Paranoia)
*Mary Halvorson – Code Girl (Jazz w/ vocals & rock vibe)
*Myra Melford's Snowy Egret – The Other Side of Air (Modern Jazz)
*Lack the Low – One Eye Closed (Avant-Pop)
*Jonathan Finlayson – 3 Times Round (Modern Jazz)
*Igor Lumpert & Innertextures – Eleven (Modern Jazz)
*Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy (Indie Rock)
*All Traps On Earth – A Drop of Light (Dark Scandinavian Symphonic Prog Rock)
*Emma Ruth Rundle – On Dark Horses (Downer Indie Rock)

 

[J.]

RC Circlejerked till the cows came home. Have only given in one whirl, fell on deaf ears. Definitely sounds like a grower.

I didn't think this was all that, but only because I own the two demos that came before and most of the songs are on those demos. But it's nice to hear the old Arcane Sun singer has still go it

 

[J.]

Some newer bands that I dig:

Midnight Odyssey, Mesarthim, Alrakis - all of the spacey black metal variety
Spectral Lore - I love this band (guy). If you havent heard III, do it now
Divine Element - Thaurachs of Borsu - very Amon Amarth-y, but better guitar work
Eneferens - new kid on the block. doomy Agalloch type stuff
Fellwarden - Oath Bearer: great album of pagan black metal. think early Ulver, Winterfylleth, Saor
Hinayana - fantastic band from Austin. Doom/death, just released a full length after their great demo. Check bandcamp
Myrkgrav's new one is good, if a little disjointed
Rotting Christ is still killing it. Their new comes out next month
Wędrujący Wiatr is good is you like Drudkh
Bròn ‎- atmo black metal. well written stuff. see bandcamp

I really dig this band:



In fact, all these can be found on Bandcamp.


Newest ones by Nokturnal Mortum, Enslaved, Graveland, Drudkh, Akercocke, Amorphis, Belenos are decent to good. The new The Chasm is meh.

 

[NAD]

I'm still giving Àmr some spins, but I don't really "get" it yet. I fucking love Arktis. and it is probably my favoUrite new album of the past several years.

The new Sleep was pretty awesome. Worth the wait for a worthy followup to their legacy.

Latest album from On Thorns I Lay just arrived today, will listen later. I don't know anything of theirs beyond the early shit.

I fell in love with Dark Tranquillity once again with Atoma. No new strides or anything, just damn enjoyable.

Pure from In The Woods... is pretty god damned good. I guess that came out in 2016. They have a new one I haven't heard yet, shall rectify that soon.

I got really into Amorphis last year, I thought "it's time to give Elegy another shot" and quickly bought like 8 more of their albums.

Enslaved always put out a solid album. Since the dissolve of Agalloch this is the only band I buy new albums from within days of being released.

Pillorian rules! I wish I could say the same for Khôrada but man, that dude's voice bugs me. I'll keep on keepin' on though as I <3 all those other dudes.

The latest Empyrium releases are fucking GOOD. I just picked up The Mill and it has blown my fragile little mind possibly more than The Turn of the Tides.

I also picked up a bunch of black metal from the Middle East over the last several years, much of it was Darkthrone worship, but I found a few standouts. Seeds of Iblis has an album called Anti Quran Rituals that is relatively solid, and Jilwah by Dhul-Qarnayn is a band name I can never remember, but the album is fun. 27 minute songs FTW.

I listen to Triptykon more than I do Celtic Frost. That makes me a true victim of modernity, but it smells good, so fuckit. I wish every band understood huge bass sound like Thomas Gabriel Fischer.

Otherwise, most of the albums I buy were released in 1995 or so. That's kind of been my jam since about.............1995 or so.

EDIT: Fuck everything I wrote earlier and listen to Acid Witch - Evil Sound Screamers. The best fucking thing since I first touched boobies.

 

[Krilons Resa]

NAD, I think you would probably spooge in every last one of your socks over the latest Daughters album, if I must say so myself.

 

[Ellestin]

***Barus – Drowned***

- Along with MUtS, this has been my most played metal album this year. Aptly titled, the incredibly dense atmosphere and production literally feels like your being ripped through the undercurrent, gasping for breath.

I approve of this line sir. This album is nuts. The new Daughters also rules hard. If the style is your thing it would be a crime to give it a pass.
I didn't know Hinayana had released a full-length, thanks J. for the heads up. Listening right now, sounds neat, glad they fixed the undermixed vocals from the demo.

Of late I've mainly had two albums on repeat:

----------------------------

Antlers - Beneath.Below.Behold

Band from Leipzig, Germany, featuring the Spanish guy from Sangre de Muerdago (first-class forest folk, check them out by any available means!). They play a kind of atmospheric black/death metal, the riffs remind at times of early Primordial, but the pace is rather more intense on the whole. The vocals are on the growly side, which definitely fits. Can't really describe in more detail, these are pretty straightforward songs, but with a grave/solemn beauty that betrays the involvement of said Sangre de Muerdago main dude.



----------------------------

Krolok - Flying above Ancient Ruins

This album throws me into fits of raving vampirism. The most qualified (conceivably best) Darkthrone/Mayhem worship act since the days. Nightflying cavalcades drowned in reverb with vocals like a skinned owl, a few great solos and some ambient parts to deepen the atmosphere of medieval sabbath. These dudes hail from Slovakia. Also check out their other band Malokarpatan, which bites more into heroic heavy/thrash and is equally brilliant. But I dig Krolok more.

 

[spikes77]

Good call on the W.A.I.L-excellent album. If you liked that one check out the VIII album below.

Some from 2018


Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury

Not to toot my own horn, but I did say after their 2016 EP, their next full length would be something special. This is that full length--decadent, harrowing, technical death/black that is fully in line with their aesthetic of 20's metropolish excess and futurism. The jazz and horns are incorporated extremely tastefully--These guys are definitely representing NYC well.




The Body - I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer

This band continues to evolve and incorporate variousgenres and elements to their sound. This one
incorporates more electronics and female vox--with a great sense of dynamics between harsh and the melodic.Their abrasive harsh vox, which is essentially anotherinstrument, is better integrated-- (a plus, those aregrating--which is the point I guess). This is bleakbleak stuff. They release so many albums their material
is overlooked.



Circle of Ouroborus - Vangin laulu

Another year, another CoO release--this one more on the melancholic black metal side of things that they do so well. The songwriting for this one seems particularly inspired--and it has continued with another split also
in 2018. I know their discography seems daunting (multiple releases just about every year, --but if at least four of you fuckers give me the okay, I will write up a RC circle of ouroborus discography primer for the uninitiated. They have certainly developed a few different styles that vary from album to album but always with that "finnish sense of melody and melancholy (one and the same for the finns I suppose)


Basalte - Vertiage

Bm out of Montreal with elements of doom/sludge--great guitar work with dynamics and melody.



Urfaust - The Constellatory Practice

A Forest of Stars - Grave Mounds and Grave Mistakes

Turia & Fluisteraars Split



W.A.I.L - Wisdom Through Agony into Illumination and Lunacy

Mournful Congregation - Incubus of Karma

Mamaleek - Out of Time

I have followed this band for awhile now--their kurdaitcha album was interesting . This album is a
weird mix of trip hop, jazz, industrial with elements of metal here and there (mostly in the vox) Certainly
for the adventurous--really one to play all the way through to get a complete picture.





Esoctrilihum - Inhuma
death/black with great dynamics--music able to breath with a high degree of melody amidst the chaotic horror. This band actually released two albums in 2018 (which is crazy--I have not checked out the first)




swedish bm--haunting, desperate etc. etc. solid riffing here-




Solar Temple - Fertile Descent (Dutch bm--two long songs--droning-good stuff.

Ungfell - Mythen, Mären, Pestilenz

Iskandr - Euprosopon

More bm from the dutch scene, which is really going strong. They nail the droning style with enough
variation to keep things interesting--




Mount Eerie - Now Only

I saw some of this material live, certainly a difficult listen.

Sainte Marie des Loups - s/t

Raw unhinged bm of the darkthrone variety,--nothing new, but very well done. With this sort
of style, you know the riffs, but still love it when it's executed so damn well. See the latter part of the track attached.





From 2016

VIII - Weird proggish bm with solid riffs and some horns and piano sprinkled throughout--



Ehnahre - Douve
I posted this in 2016 but RC was more of a ghost town than it is now---this band has greatly improved since their first two albums. Dissonant avent garde doom with piano incorporated throughout -A long album, and not an easy listen, but rewarding.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Spikes!!!! Nice. Now I have more stuff to check out. There isn’t enough hours in the day. I have found that, within the past 3-5 years or so with advent of social media and especially bandcamp, it’s absolutely impossible to keep up. It always kinda was, especially if you listen to a wide range of genres, but it’s just completely overwhelming these days.

A good problem to have; I know. The other side of the sword always seems to getchya though.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Both, VII and Mamaleek, are awesome.

 

[spikes77]

Spikes!!!! Nice. Now I have more stuff to check out. There isn’t enough hours in the day. I have found that, within the past 3-5 years or so with advent of social media and especially bandcamp, it’s absolutely impossible to keep up. It always kinda was, especially if you listen to a wide range of genres, but it’s just completely overwhelming these days.

A good problem to have; I know. The other side of the sword always seems to getchya though.

I definitely agree, especially with bandcamp, there seems to be soo much out there. Inevitably, there's going to be some overlooked stuff--but I do think the quality shines through even if you're 2-3 years behind. Some of the metal blogs definitely help me sift through some of it---especially once you get to know the writers musical preferences (no clean singing, invisible oranges last rites, etc. etc.). Another thing i've been thinking about though is the oversaturation dynamic--specifically with black/death. Yes there's a lot of crap--but i'm hearing some really high level of music coming out for first albums--composition/technical ability/production---the Deathspells, portals, etc. have set the precedent--and band's (one person bands alot of the time) are running with these foundations and expanding it. Obviously this plays out both within a country (see the dutch bm scene--that seemingly was super underground 4-5 years ago--definitely bandcamp helped these bands I think) and within certain sub genres.

 

[NAD]

NAD, I think you would probably spooge in every last one of your socks over the latest Daughters album, if I must say so myself.

An old band of mine from years ago reunited by recording an album on our first evening together in over a decade, and the guitarist recommended this one highly to me as well. I shall be picking it up, post haste!

 

[Krilons Resa]

An old band of mine from years ago reunited by recording an album on our first evening together in over a decade, and the guitarist recommended this one highly to me as well. I shall be picking it up, post haste!

I know you're a big fan of Swans so you should def dig it. It has the same aesthetic vibe and, although quite different, reminds me of them in a way. It's funny 'cuz when first getting into the album, I though of you and how this is a NADrian album.

 

[NAD]

Ha! Too funny. I just bought it along with the new In The Woods. Sometimes I can hear new things.

 

[Reign in Acai]

Checking out all these recos, barely touched rhe surface.

Knocked out all of Ken's, one I dug the most was Messa. I'm a sucker for female fronted vox. Sounds like a good rainy day grower that ye put on when youre in a phase of introspection ala Antimatter.

Daughters can suck a dick, saw this audiogenuc turd lauded elsewhere, pure cacophony. If ye dig Thou, ye will probably like these fucks. Fucks sound like a plate of bad mussles. Nad will probably enjoy.

Spikes absolutely killing it with Count Kvltcula and Antlers.

Still a ton o listening to go, thanks friends.

 

[Krilons Resa]

 

[Ellestin]

Spikes absolutely killing it with Count Kvltcula and Antlers.

I think I posted those though [/attentionwhore]

 

[Ellestin]

That Messa stuff is indeed the tits. Speaking of strong female vocals I'm curious about the new Brutus album. The two tracks they put up on Bandkampf are quite glorious.

 

[Reign in Acai]

I think I posted those though [/attentionwhore]

Sorry, subconsciously have trouble assigning credit to a Frenchman.

Just started on Spikey's offerings.

NP- Imperial Triumphant