#234 | Reviews and Other Rambles: Heavy Meta, Blastanus, Allegaeon, An Isolated Mind, and More

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Salutations, sluddites! We hope you’re all keeping well. Our respective schedules have become a bit complicated these past several weeks, which rendered our output of rambles sluggish. After this episode, we should be back to normal form (we already have a new one recorded).

In this episode, we talk about a bundle of releases, many of which are “dated” by internet standards (you’ll see what we mean when you scroll further down). Regardless of that aspect, we cover an assorted array of frequencies that are meditative and droning, hammering and technical, emotive, bedraggled, and soaring. 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. Thank you all so much for tuning in!

Segment 01: Band Developments

Brief rambles about upcoming music

Cave In’s new album, Heavy Pendulum, is set to drop May 20, 2022 via Relapse Records. We briefly ramble about one of its singles, “New Reality”.

Wormrot is back with a new album, titled Hiss. It’s been about six years since they’ve released new material. It will be out via Earache Records on July 8, 2022.

A new Insanity Check tune, “Räjähdysaltis” (translates to “Explosive” from Finnish), dropped. Black synth metal with traces of vaporwave.

Segment 02: New(-ish) Tracks

Rambles about relatively fresh tracks

Besna – “Zverstvá” 

Post-black metal with a progressive twist. We only speak about the album’s title track in the episode, but the full album is already out in the ether, as of March 11, 2022.

Greg Puciato – “Lowered (feat. Reba Meyers)” 

The lead single off of Greg Puciato’s sophomore record, Mirrorcell. It features Reba Meyers of Code Orange. The full album is set to drop on June 17, 2022, via Federal Prisoner.

Forndom – “Och med vinden ack de gunga” 

A new single from the Swedish ritual folk project, Forndom. This was released on the nine-year anniversary of the project with an accompanying music video.

Whores. – “Impostor Syndrome” 

A four-minute salvo of feedback-laden, sludgy noise rock from Atlanta’s Whores. It’s unclear if a new album or EP is on the way, but we can hope. This came out on March 1, 2022.

Segment 03: EPs, Splits, and/or Demos

Rambles about some newer bite-sized releases

Mycorrhizae – Mycorrhizae

Mycelium-rooted raw black metal. This is a relatively fledgling endeavor from Minneapolis denizen, Travis (ex-False). It’s the project’s first demo, released by Big Bovine Industrial Wastes on February 4, 2022.

Big Water – Park

A sub-ten-minute EP packing girthy riffs and post-hardcore thrums from Kansas City’s Big Water. This one came out via The Ghost is Clear Records on February 18, 2022.

IIRA – Demo

The debut demo from Zarathustra the Dead’s third solo project, IIRA. A rather emotive black metal release that makes captivating use of sustained pauses. This one was released back on February 4, 2022, via Death Prayer Records.

TRAPS / Sander Cohen – Bro Splits

A raucous split between two of the UK’s loudest noise rock groups, TRAPS and Sander Cohen. Connor has been spinning this one non-stop since it dropped back in February 2022. This was released by HALFMELTEDBRAIN Records.

Segment 04: Weird Bandcamp Picks

Random, and usually strange, finds from our Bandcamp dredging

Autosarcophagy – Dolor

The debut LP from the Oregon/Colorado naturalistic death metal duo, Autosarcophagy. Outlandish and bludgeoning. This one was self-released by the band back on February 4, 2022.

Fetal Blood Eagle – Indoctrinate

The first record from a new brutal death metal project that formed in Belgium. It features the vocalist of Aborted. This one came out via Listenable Records on February 25, 2022.

Segment 05: Forgotten Recents

Records we've been digging, but don't have the time for a deep dive

Thisquietarmy x Away – The Singularity, Phase II

An instrumental-propelled SciFi-drone odyssey forged by Eric Quach (Thisquietarmy) and Michel Langevin (Away) of Voivod. This second phase dropped back in June of 2021. The Singularity, Phase I, was released in December of 2020.

Human Cull – To Weep for Unconquered Worlds

Death metal-infused grindcore from Bristol. Twenty tracks encompassing 23-minutes of cranium-carving animosity. It’s been about four years since their last record. The trio independently released this one on January 21, 2022.

Khazad-dûm – Hymns from the Deep

We couldn’t complete an episode without a nod to Tolkein, as is tradition for Connor. Stifling funeral doom from England. Khazad-dûm’s debut originally dropped in early 2020, but it got picked up for a vinyl release by Avantgarde Music in March 2022.

Segment 06: Albums of Focus

Records we dive into with some depth (in order of episode appearance)

Heavy Meta - Mana Regmata

Timestamp in episode: 01:26:28

The debut full-length from Lowell’s progressive hardcore troupe, Heavy Meta. Though quite the tonal deviation from their 2019 Self-Titled EP, it sees the quartet bounding far above the confines of noise rock into realms atmospheric and technically bewildering. Independently released (February 11, 2022).

Blastanus - Beyond

Timestamp in episode: 01:37:19

The third LP from Finland’s death metal trio, Blastanus—their first slab of new music in ten years. Don’t let the name fool you, this album soars through a bevy of exhilarating technical and progressive territories. Independently released (January 28, 2022).

Allegaeon - Damnum

Timestamp in episode: 01:46:36

One of Connor’s all-time favorite bands. Technical death metal from Colorado that is as blistering and brutal as it’s kinetic and emotive. This is the group’s sixth record. Out via Metal Blade Records (February 25, 2022).

An Isolated Mind - A Place We Cannot Go

Timestamp in episode: 02:00:25

The sophomore LP from California’s solo experimental metal project, An Isolated Mind. This release marks a striking shift in sound that is wholly distinct from the artist’s discography to date. A hurricane of tender expression and reflection. Independently released (February 15, 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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