terraasymmetry Features

SYNCHRONY: Music News, Week in Review & Upcoming (11/23/2019)

SYNCHRONY is a weekly feature focusing on relevant heavy music news, new releases, upcoming releases, as well as a week in review to help folks keep up with all of the content on GrizzlyButts. This’ll also include a list of upcoming releases and some preliminary notes on upcoming reviews or coverage. Some Seattle, Washington area live shows will be intermittently featured. If you have New Releases, show announcements, or important heavy music news that’ll be relevant or interesting to folks contact me at: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com Priority to PR/label submissions and straight up if I can’t hear it, I won’t cover it.

THIS WEEK IN NEWS

  • French progressive metal band MANTRA have managed a novel and artfully crafted interactive concept album with ‘Medium’, which focuses on the ‘duality’ of mind and body. Interactive? Yes, in the sense that they’ve written two separate pieces that are actually massively intertwined. Each is a ~17 minute side on an LP and they can be played in unison to reveal “Medium” itself. Check it out on the website, it really is stunning to be able to slide between each side while listening and see how different the two songs are and how well they meet: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Australia by way of Canada ‘acid metal’ band SABÏRE have signed with the ever-heavy Listenable Records for the release of their debut full-length ‘Jätt’ which is slated for a 2020 release. When they say ‘acid metal’ they mean catchy traditional heavy metal a la Tank, WASP, High Spirits. While you’re waiting for more news on the upcoming debut head over to Bandcamp and check out their 2018 EP ‘Gates Ajar’: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • French purveyors of all things death XenoKorp have announced their signing of Liège, Belgium based technical death metal band PESTIFER alongside the announcement that they’ll be releasing the bands third full-length ‘Expanding Oblivion’. The album will release sometime in 2020, notably recorded using analog techniques and mastered by Viktor Bullok who is best known for his work with Tryptikon. In addition to this announcement each of Pestifer’s albums are now available on XenoKorp’s Bandcamp, check out ‘Reaching the Void’: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Cold Spring have announced luxurious reissues of Australian industrial/post-punk/noise revolutionaries SPK‘s third album ‘Zamia Lehmanni (Songs Of Byzantine Flowers)‘ originally released in 1986. Out of print since 1992 this was essentially the unofficial first solo release from Graeme Revell and a final release from SPK before they’d move to the states and become better known for soundtrack work. The history of this band is tragic, wild, and lands in this beautifully ethereal place in 1986. More details and several preview tracks are up on Cold Spring’s Bandcamp: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Strike open the coffin! Iron Bonehead Productions have set the shattering of  your eternal resting place for the last day of the first month of the next year (January 31st, 2020) for the snarling debut full-length from Swedish black/speed metal band REAPER entitled ‘Unholy Nordic Noise’. The crypt-tuned early Bathory-esque plunge of “Horn of Hades” can be witnessed at Iron Bonehead’s SoundCloud: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • The fine folks at Agonia Records have announced that Swedish brutal death metal mainstays DERANGED have entered Malmö based Berno Studios to record their tenth album and first with new vocalist Johan Bergström who also currently fronts Visceral Bleeding. I always liked how ‘against the grain’ these guys were, even if it meant sounding like Cannibal Corpse to stand out in southern Sweden. Very brutal pedigree so, I’m guessing similar to their 2016 record. Follow Agonia Records on Facebook to keep up with things as they develop: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Floridian funeral doom? Expect some truly neon green mayhem amidst WORM‘s steeped-in-slime blackened funereal death/doom derailment, ‘Gloomlord‘, which’d been recently announced for release through Iron Bonehead Productions on January 24th, 2020. This is the second album from the band since the project had expanded into a duo, it looks like the Metal-Archives entry for the band is woefully inaccurate. The album art is fantastic for this release and the first clip, the 11+ minute “Abysmal Dimensions” is an absolute must-hear for this week, truly dark! Check it out on Iron Bonehead’s SoundCloud: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • True death metal savior Memento Mori have announced they’ll be releasing the long-anticipated full-length debut from Santiago, Chile death metal band COFFIN CURSE on January 27th, 2020. ‘Ceased to Be’ can certainly boast worth on its own merits, the appeal will be instant for most, but of course it bears mention that these guys are from Inanna, a long dormant death metal band who’d more or less splintered into Coffin Curse after the woefully underrated ‘Transfigured in a Thousand Delusions’ album in 2012. Can’t wait to hear the whole thing! Check out the first preview track, “Where Sickness Thrives” on YouTube: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Damn, remember the 90’s/early 00’s era of Victory Records where a fucked up hardcore label steadily rose towards some bullshit? Somewhere in the middle of all that Floridian ‘evilcore’ band BLOODLET rose to infamy with their Integrity-esque roar and they’ve not done anything since 2002. December 20th, 2019 marks the digital release of their latest EP entitled ‘Viper In Hand’, (January 20th, for the ltd 10″ EP) and I believe their first for Translation Loss Records. Hit up their Bandcamp for a prevew of the title track: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Nordvis Produktion have announced proper reissues of all three out of print DRÅPSNATT full-lengths, marking February 7th, 2020 as the release of the band’s debut album, ‘I denna skog‘, from 2009. Each release will feature new cover art with further details to come in terms of ‘Hymner till undergången‘ (which Nordvis re-issued in 2014), and ‘Skelepht‘ (2012). Dråpsnatt are quite underrated in terms of Swedish black metal that is atmospheric, spiritual, and also quite abrupt and written ‘in the moment’, the debut does a fine job of communicating this modus but the duo see a beautiful expansion beyond that point. I’m interested in the rumors that the project had some earlier demos/albums that were scrapped and that the might reform in the future. Otherwise, I believe this will be the first time any of these records (excepting ‘Hymner…‘) are available in vinyl format, suggesting new masters for those releases. Listen in full on Bandcamp: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Danish black metal lifers HORNED ALMIGHTY have announced their sixth full-length album, ‘To Fathom the Master’s Grand Design‘, will be released January 17th, 2020 through Italian label Scarlet Records. I’ve been following this band for a while now since their vocalist joined death metal band Exmortem for ‘Berzerker Legions’ two decades ago! The first preview track “Antagonism Eternal” is up on YouTube now: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Nuclear War Now! Productions have announced Swedish death/doom tyrants SALTAS‘ debut full-length ‘Mors Salis – Opus I‘ for release in February/March of 2020. The project features members of Runemagick, The Funeral Orchestra, and Irkallian Oracle and is appropriately driven by the left hand path, away from the norm unto it’s own pocket of Hel. Just preliminary information so far, stay tuned on NWN! Prod’s Bandcamp: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Russian gods of Ancient death metal PYRE have signed a deal with Memento Mori for the CD release of their yet untitled second full-length, the follow up to their debut ‘Human Hecatomb’ (2014). The St. Petersburg based band have busied themselves with many other projects since, long enough that folks might’ve forgotten how powerful that first Pyre album was! We’ve been promised something “new and unique, darker, more hypnotic and cryptic” for the next album, and I can’t wait to hear it. More details to come soon, for now follow Memento Mori on Facebook to keep up: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Kouvola, Finland death metal band KORPSESOTURI are the latest signing to the venerable Xtreem Music for the release of their second full-length. The band’s first album ‘Malus Corpus’ (Rotted Life, 2018) was this massive Grave-like thunder and it sounds like they’re aiming for a similarly charged follow-up in 2020. That second album will be recorded early next year for a Spring/Summer release in 2020. For now go follow them on Facebook, check out Vainaja too, and jump back into their debut: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Transcending Obscurity Records have announced their partnership with Portuguese modern death/groove metal band COLOSSO for their upcoming EP ‘Apocalypse’ for a January 24th, 2020 release. Hadn’t heard of this band before, apparently they’ve released four full-lengths and been around at least a decade. That experience certainly shows on this EP. Check out the dissonant blast of “War” on YouTube: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • Gather incense, bones, and bongs as Listenable Records have announced they’ll be releasing the third full-length from Swedish occult psychedelic stoner/doom metal band SATURNALIA TEMPLE. ‘Gravity’ will feed the utter darkness within in late February alongside a European tour with Wolvennest and Dread Sovereign. Follow Listenable on Facebook to keep up to date: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • ÆVANGELIST have returned uh, in Finland with a French vocalist? Yep, the original vocalist for Cradle of Filth-alike Anorexia Nervosa has joined Matron Thorn in his rebirthed version of this psychedelic black/death metal act. Hell’s Headbangers Records will release their “debut”, ‘Nightmarecatcher‘, in the early months of 2020 on compact disc. They’ve kicked off this announcement with a bang, a dissonant and seemingly improvisational 18 minute psychedelic death/drone song “The Origin and End of All: Pain of the Fallen”. I look forward to hearing the full thing, the drugs must be fantastic: [Click/Tap HERE for more info]
  • HYPE ALBUMS AT PRESS THIS WEEK FROM: Worm, Umbra Consciente, Zifir, Jordablod, Horned Almighty, Eleine, Colosso, Bloodlet, Ruminant, KK Null, Carniflate, Crusadist, Hellsodomy, Nova, Meth Assassin and several more. Look for coverage in the near future. Don’t see your album listed? Send it to me!

GRIZZLY BUTTS‘ WEEK IN REVIEW (11/16/19 – 11/22/19)

WEEKLY FEATURES:

  • Ten From the Tomb 11/18/19: Nothing but Black Metal November Pt. III
    • This week I chose to cover ten more recent black metal albums that stood out to me. I’ll be doing one more entry of ‘Nothing but Black Metal November’ this year. Normally folks do this as a ‘challenge’ where they listen to nothing but black metal for the month and essentially journal/blog about it. In my case I’ll just be pulling in as much black metal as I can until it is time to work on lists for the end of the year.
    • Must hear: Dysangelium, Krater, Horrocious.
    • Next week (11/25) will cover black metal yet again.
  • Thrash ‘Til Death #47: Armoured Angel (Australia) 1982-1995
    • I’ve definitely covered some duds and half-developed ideas by virtue of covering formative death metal experimentation but Armoured Angel were remarkably capable no matter where they’d gone with their style. The riffs overflow from their thrash metal work ethic and create a powerful and unique atmosphere as they transition towards a semi-melodic death metal band.
    • Next week (11/26) will take a look at SLAUGHTER LORD.
  • 20 Underground Sludge Metal Albums You Missed in 2019
    • Here is the second of many sub-genre specific ‘end of the year’ lists for 2019. It wasn’t an amazing year for Sludge Metal but there are still plenty of good/great things to check out.
    • Highlights: Opium Lord, Throatsnapper, Witchden.

REVIEWS: The big releases this week were from: Obsequiae, Blood Incantation, Aggressive Perfector, Child Bite, Cryptic Brood, Lord Mantis, and Unfathomable Ruination. This week was the big one for releases, the last push to clean house before the last quarter of the year closes for religious holiday. I’ve paced my lists and Top 50 etc. stuff to release over the course of December. I have about eight half-finished reviews and about six lists in the works, should all just dump out at some point.

UPCOMING SHOWS: [That I’ll likely attend]

  • KING DIAMOND w/Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats @ The Paramount 11/25/19
  • HIGH ON FIRE, Power Trip, Devil Master & Creeping Death – 12/02/19 @ Neumos – Seattle, WA

RELEASED/OVERLOOKED THIS WEEK (11/16/19 – 11/22/19)

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NOTE: This small sample includes overlooked releases that are not yet reviewed or covered but are recommended. Some of these will still be featured in other coverage. An asterisk (*) indicates that a review is drafted or in preparation. Click/Tap on RECORD LABEL name for preview, stream, or store.

UPCOMING RELEASES (11/23/19 – 11/29/19)

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NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list, some titles are already reviewed and/or covered and some have yet to enter the final queue for consideration and processing. An asterisk (*) indicates that a review is drafted or in preparation. Click/Tap on RECORD LABEL name for preview, stream, or store.

Did I miss something important this week? Send me an e-mail and tell me about it. It is always worthwhile to speak up for the lesser known stuff. Please remember you can donate to help keep me in front of the computer writing about metal. Thanks.

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