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Ay, slime writhers. We hope you’re all well. It’s been about a month since our last podcast episode. Though we broke our promise on keeping the episode output to a new one every three weeks, I was in the middle of a home move, which made it difficult to find time to slice this episode’s audio up. Fortunately, we already have another episode recorded (and a new one that will be recorded in the next week or so), so anticipate our schedule to resume unabated.
With that out of the way, this iteration is chock-full of debuts. Be it EPs or full albums, we cover an extensive array of tones, from stomping and melodic metalcore to unhinged, brutal “free jazz”. Black metal is abundant and diverse, reaching corners that harbor circus music, creeping atmospheres, and soul. The death metal here is spacey, excoriating, and abhorrent. We also noticed that many artists featured on this one synthesize a smattering of genres together, which inadvertently catapulted our word slop into echelons unfathomable. You can find all of the artists we chat about, in roughly chronological order, in the list down below.
If you have some artists, albums, singles, or any other form of musical media you’d like us to consider for an upcoming episode, please feel free to send us an email or reach out at one of our various social media channels. In a couple of weeks’ time, there will a new “Reviews and Other Rambles” episode that covers even more artists than we do in this episode. Thank you all so much for your continued support!
Segment 01: Band Developments
Pupil Slicer dropped a new tune, “Thermal Runaway“, featuring Cara Drolshagen of The Armed. It’s unclear (at the moment) if this track is a part of their anticipated sophomore LP.
The ethereal folk project Aerial Ruin, helmed by Erik Moggridge, dropped a new album, Loss Seeking Flame, on March 9, 2022. It comes about four-and-a-half years after his stellar Nameless Sun.
A new Burst Synapse LP is in the works, but no release date or other album details have been divulged.
Segment 02: New(-ish) Tracks
Greyhaven – “Foreign Anchor”
The lead single from the proggy post-hardcore quartet, Greyhaven. Their third album, This Bright and Beautiful World, will be out April 15, 2022 via Equal Vision Records.
Black Matter Device – “Sewer Slide Pact”
The first single from Autonomous Weapons, the sophomore album from Richmond’s mathcore sextet, Black Matter Device. Grotty thrums and feverish abrasions. Their record will be out on April 22, 2022 via Dark Trail Records.
Ithaca – “They Fear Us”
Ithaca, a London-based metallic hardcore quintet, debuted their lead single, “They Fear Us”, off their upcoming sophomore record of the same name. This album will drop on July 20, 2022 via Hassle Records. Melodic, thick, and plodding.
Almanac Man – “For Your Cause”
The first and only single released from Almanac Man’s debut album, For Your Cause. Bass-heavy noise rock weirdness from Denver. The full album dropped on March 4, 2022, via The Ghost is Clear Records.
Talsur – “Sullen Man“
The one and only single from the one-man doombearer known as Talsur. This track comes from their new album, Dark. No details on the album’s full release have been provided (yet).
Segment 03: EPs, Splits, and/or Demos
YRRE – Luhlae x The Witch
A killer find from Connor. An atmospheric black metal/ambient composition that is “an adaption of a ciné-concert composed to the movie The VVitch.” Stifling and unsettling, but simultaneously heady.
Norskald – The Laughing Bird
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise, given Connor’s love for all things melodic death metal of the Swedish strain. It’s a digital re-release of the Québec’s debut EP, which originally dropped in 2018. An additional track, “Contemplation”, is appended for this version.
Scud – Self-Titled
The botox-bloated debut EP from Israel’s three-piece deathgrind outfit known as Scud. Unkempt and disorienting riffs, rife with chunky grooves. They were also featured on Machine Music’s first Milim Kashot compilation back in 2019.
Segment 04: Weird Bandcamp Picks
Tantric Bile – Seminal Baptism
Absolutely unhinged (and sometimes hilarious) “easy listening” “slamming brutal free jazz” from California’s Tantric Bile. This is their debut record. According to the web, Tantric Bile features Matt Stephens of Effluence—a batshit, experimental death metal project that we covered on our last episode.
Cow Humps – Minutes of Miniscule Torture
A joke EP from Kolkata’s grinding slam unit known as Cow Humps. This one harbors a litany of vocal features—one for each track—as well as a bevy of amusing sound samples. I didn’t know what to expect when pressing play for my first spin, but I ended up enjoying it a good deal.
Segment 05: Forgotten Recents
Genghis Tron – Dream Weapon
Genghis Tron’s return album after 13 years of hiatus, Dream Weapon. It sees the previously electronic-infused experimental grindcore group broadening their auditory horizons toward vistas most atmospheric and dreamlike. This is a chill album that the two of us have consistently re-visited since it came out back in March 2021.
Jarhead Fertilizer – Product of My Environment
Miasmatic, crawling death metal from Ocean City’s Jarhead Fertilizer. This project is mostly comprised of Full of Hell members, past and present. Atrociously repugnant.
She Said Destroy – Succession
The third album from the shapeshifting Norwegian metal quartet, She Said Destroy. This one spans the gamut of styles, ranging from d-beat-driven hardcore punk and flourishes of dungeon synth to plodding death metal and stirring post-hardcore.
Spors – Self-Titled
The debut record from the Toronto-based atmospheric death metal two-piece, Spors. Connor learned of this project via one of the members, Flooko, who creates trippy and verdant astronaut paintings.
Segment 06: Albums of Focus
Pensées Nocturnes - Douce Fange
Timestamp in episode: 01:28:30
The seventh album from Paris’s avant-garde black metal weirdos, Pensées Nocturnes (translates to Nocturnal Thoughts). Think of circus music crossbred with black metal. It sounds unhinged and maniacal, but it isn’t without its moments of stargazing wonder. I’ve never heard anything like this. Out via Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions (January 21, 2022).
Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
Timestamp in episode: 01:42:06
The end of Rolo Tomassi’s unintended trilogy. While both of us have not experienced this progressive heavy group’s output until now, Where Myth Becomes Memory shores up a tonally rich experience that plunges into wondrous sonic depths. Synth-propelled rhythmic melodies, kinetic compositions, gnashing rasps, and sharp attention to absorbing atmospheres. Out via MNRK Heavy (February 4, 2022).
Chalk Hands - Don't Think About Death
Timestamp in episode: 01:52:54
The debut album from Brighton’s loud post-hardcore quartet, Chalk Hands. While post-hardcore is a somewhat apt descriptor, this group melds elements of screamo, post-rock, and math-rock into a titillating concoction that dredges resonances of heartache and bliss. Out via Dog Knights Productions (March 18, 2022).
Zeal and Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
Timestamp in episode: 02:03:32
The third album from New York’s soul-infused black metal project, Zeal and Ardor, helmed by Manuel Gagneux. This is a fascinating merge of black metal, melodic death metal, soul music, and a smattering of difficult-to-pin tones. Out via MVKA (February 11, 2022).
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If you’ve scrolled this far, thank you so much for perusing the bands featured in this episode. All the links to our socials can be found below.
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