SHORT REVIEWS Our second set of April 2022 releases finds us honing in on some of the more obvious hits and some of the weirder outliers in the second half of the month. I’ve done my best to grab ahold of the most interesting stuff I come across while still presenting some decent variety here, no fucking around with stuff that doesn’t stick this time. If you find something you dig in the lot of ’em, go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase. The arts require your support and/or own contributions. If you’d like your music reviewed send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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Info:
ARTIST:	WATAIN
TITLE:	The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain
LABEL(S):	Nuclear Blast
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

It seems as if it’d been a lifetime since ‘Casus Luciferi‘ had gotten its fangs in me back in 2003, and yet another lifetime since I’d reviewed the redemptive ‘Trident Wolf Eclipse‘ in 2018 yet I didn’t for a moment feel any pangs of starvation for their bombastic, stadium worthy treatment of proper Swedish black metal tropes. I’d be thrilled to see them in a live setting but their track record with full-lengths has never really blown my mind. For a band that’d risen from the best sort of underground reality with fine taste, exceeding art direction, and inspired live performances in mind they’d always struck me as one ‘for the cause’ rather than a spearhead, a next-level weapon to bleed the way forth. As is the case with any black metal group sustaining unusually high station with major label digs and headlining spots their discography has taken a few raw chances and with uneven results, yet with ‘The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain‘ they finally begin to compete with the Marduks and Necrophobics of the world in terms of songcraft and not just exaggerated signature.

Theatric, modern and highly melodic black metal pieces dominate the altogether too-long stride of this record, a sort of all-hands approach which retains Watain‘s signature furor while generously sidestepping the brutality that implies. I can hardly complain about the easy-paced and sprawling verses of pieces like “Serimosa” and “Before the Cataclysm” for the sake of how memorable they’d end up being in the long run. This is just the tip of the iceberg, though, in terms of this record fuming with its raring state of attack upon some of their loftiest songwriting yet, a sort of epic banner-waving presence intending to dole a great work, and one with some struggle involved in its birth. Their labors eventually begin to read as ambitiously rounded as the album grinds on, peaking around the tuneful and thrashing Dissection-isms of “Leper’s Grace” and making a convincing case by the time “Funeral Winter” arrives to seal their strong impression made herein. There are certainly many, many bands putting out similar work on a much smaller scale around the globe these days and perhaps this allows for ‘The Agony & the Ecstasy…‘ to contrast directly with the herd, as this record was able to state most clearly why Watain are a popular phenomenon and not just another Swedish black metal band.

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Info:
ARTIST:	PYRITHE
TITLE:	Monuments to Impermanence
LABEL(S):	Gilead Media
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

Pittsburgh-based trio Pyrithe still intend to landscape the detrimental mentality of the anthropocene with their own brand of art-metal absurdism as a sort of mission statement on this debut full-length. They’ve found some considerably alien expansion of forms (or, anti-forms) which distract heavily from this goal as they move away from the aggro-sludged and noise wracked-core accost of their ‘WRCT‘ (2018) live demo unto something less concrete yet somehow more solid. ‘Monuments to Impermanence‘ greets the hopeless cataclysmic fall of man with a wry smile as their post-everything atmosludge tic finds angle inward with opener “Asurviance”, a piece which gloms math metallic shakes, suspended time, spaced refrains and extreme bursts of frantic eyes-closed fiddling ’til said edging serves a lumbering sludge song around ~2:20 minutes in. This is the microcosm staring into itself and pulling out a miniature as the album, when considered as a whole, presents a modern and unpretentiously progressive haute sludge work peppered with avant-noise rock swells, post-metal bursts of glossy guitar runs and just enough forehead vein popping shouts. I’d found it all a bit fiddly-dee to start, jamming through an irrationally connected headspace ’til “Earthen Anchors” hit most directly, the aggression of the song paired with a vocal spot from Doug Moore (Pyrrhon) being naturally magnetic in anchor. Maybe I’d just needed time to warm to ’em and learn the language a bit but I’d found the major connection to be made here was over on Side B with the two “Ekphrastik” pieces ultimately conquering the mind. Sludge-adjacent art music of this caliber is rarely so satisfying in its vexing, wondrous quality yet I don’t think this one struck me to the point of habit.

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Info:
ARTIST:	CELESTIAL SEASON
TITLE:	Mysterium I
LABEL(S):	Burning World Records
RELEASE DATE:	April 25th, 2022

From gothic death/doom metal to alt-rock inspired stoner metal, the 1990’s were a wild ride for Netherlands-based act Celestial Season who’d disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2011 for a nostalgic single release, taking almost another full decade ’til 2020 found the band respectfully dividing their legacy into a “doom era” with re-releases of their first two albums in a slick boxed set as well as a CD reissue of thier still vastly underrated demo days. There is a massive amount of trivia to include here, including references to Bluuurgh…, breakcore and various record labels but keeping on track with their “doom metal” return we find ‘Mysterium I‘ as the first part of a trilogy very much in keeping with the style they’d reintroduced on their impressive return with ‘The Secret Teachings‘ (2020). It isn’t that they’ve attempted to recreate ‘Solar Lovers‘ (1995) and wheel back in time since but instead find a unique, modern yet earthly path through the realm of gothic doom metal. This resonates a bit more here on ‘Mysterium I‘ wherein once we look past the gothic metal charisma of original vocalist Stefan Ruiters and the well-placed work of violinist Jiska ter Bals and find the rhythm guitars playing both a supporting and adventurous role throughout the full listen, incorporating subtle movement beyond gothic metal within each song. The only major criticism is that they’ve not been particularly daring otherwise, this first record being restful beyond the signature melodrama the band. It all begins to annoy after some number of listens, as if a too-close and a bit angered whisper is hitting the ear from both sides, but the greater doom of it all is yet entirely successful.

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Info:
ARTIST:	CANDELABRUM
TITLE:	Nocturnal Trance
LABEL(S):	Hell’s Headbangers Records
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

Though I greatly appreciate raw black metal from every possible angle all that I demand from the artist is at least one point of precision that allows the experience some readable value and in this sense, well, we’re having the wrong conversation about Candelabrum anymore since most of ‘Nocturnal Trance‘ is certainly heavy on the mids and light on low frequency but not at all abrasive or raw in a “mean” or obstructive sort of way, it is simply amateur work by design. Every bit of this Portuguese artist’s third full-length is droning, thickly atmospheric and ungraciously repetitive in its simple atmoblack-built and keyboard-rounded progressions yet there is nothing so “raw” about it worth flinching at… Well, beyond a few obvious flubs which persist despite the fellow playing quite slow, simple arrangements. What I’d gotten from my time with Candelabrum turned out to be entirely different than expected, a stunning atmospheric chill with simple indie rock and shoegaze worthy beats set to allow the listener to ride the wave fixed in place, encircled by each riff in solitude for stretches of ~7-8 minutes. The effect of a focused listen is exactly that, a bout of solemn quietude reflective of one’s own indifference; Whatever dimly lit scene that he sets does ultimately conjure a state of mind, or, a certain focus which is far more experiential than a lot of the more musically viable black metal I’m slathered with so often. If you’d like something more immediately satisfying and ‘raw’ I’m sure the latest Faceless Entity, which is also quite good, will be satisfying along those lines but I can see why this artist sticks with certain folks, there is something to be said for the perpetual apathy, or mental suspension enjoyed within each of these songs.

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Info:
ARTIST:	QAALM
TITLE:	Resilience & Despair
LABEL(S):	Hypaethral Records
RELEASE DATE:	April 15th, 2022

Los Angeles-based quintet Qaalm have leveraged the long-form immersion available to both funeral doom and classic atmospheric sludge metal in crafting an impressive form of dread-ridden and ethereally set doom metal on ‘Resilience & Despair‘, a simple brilliancy of form and feeling which defies tradition by inclusion rather than mutation. That is to say that there are classic sludge metal tones and doom metal riffs structuring each of these four ~15-20 minute pieces yet elements of black metal, funeral doom, and gothic death/doom help to gird their ideas without coming across schizophonic or overtly progressive. As heavy as the potential for misery is in the midst of each mammoth piece it is the dread lying in wait that sustains the tension of each, slowly peeking around every corner and scanning every ashen vistae with some considerable development before the band begin wailing upon their finer lead guitar work and more intricate (or, active) riffing. This works well in the span of what might initially appear to be an exhausting ~70 minutes, the illusion of time recedes for the sake of these exaggerations never losing sight of the sludge/doom metal dynamic, which remains accessibly read even at their most snarling mad (see: “Existence Asunder”) or sky-gazing (“Cosmic Descent”). Of course it is one thing to throw prose and analytic fuss at a band like this but I don’t need a long-winded review to suggest that feeling and presence go a long way towards making Qaalm‘s brand of doom something special, and easily warmed to.

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Info:
ARTIST:	AL-NAMROOD
TITLE:	Worship the Degenerate
LABEL(S):	Shaytan Productions
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

Saudi Arabia-borne black metal act Al-Namrood might not have arrived as early on as similarly inspired middle-eastern melody/folk music infused acts like Arallu, Melechesh, and Darkestrah but they’ve remained a remarkable creative force in this rare subset for an impressive eight full-length albums. ‘Worship the Degenerate‘ follows the incensed and punkish rancor of ‘Wala’at‘ (2020) with a contemplative yet still defiantly aggressive state of mind, wherein the production values are quite clear and the drums are likely programmed yet the nigh industrial metallic nakedness of these elements make great sense once the full spectacle arrives via curator and main performer Mephisto‘s knack for percussion and traditional oriental instrumentation. The result is destructive and brief at just ~26 minutes, it is a record concerned with outright attack rather than nuance yet there are points of immense respite within. New vocalist Artiya’il doesn’t stand out in any good or bad sense here but does a fine enough job matching the intensity of pace and pulverization in general. Lead by violent movements and built upon gloriously tuneful folk pieces in their usual admixture, these signature elements both aid and juxtapose thrillingly with brutally harsh black metal performances, I’d only wish there were a couple more pieces to flesh out the full listen.

Info:
ARTIST:	SACRILEGA
TITLE:	The Arcana Spear
LABEL(S):	Blood Harvest Records
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

Though I’d initially set ‘The Arcana Spear‘ aside thinking it was a short EP, it’d been a damned glorious surprise to fall into this abyss-guided morbid death metal debut from San Diego-area spawned trio Sacrilega. Formed between ex-members of black-thrashing maniacs Invocation War and fanatical drummer P. (Rights of Thy Degringolade, ex-Sacramentary Abolishment) around 2019 these folks play what could be considered blackened death metal heavily informed by the gray area enjoyed between the two sub-genres in the late 80’s, an echoing and calamitous sound which is immediately characterized by a distinct style of drumming and chaotically sped volleys of riff. The major reference that comes to mind should be pretty obvious if you like Angelcorpse‘s psychotic ‘Hammer of Gods‘ as much as I do, though this band is less directed by exaggerations of ‘Blessed are the Sick‘ and more informed by classic black, thrash, and death metal of a certain bestial order. These guys end up firing off so much energy and riffage to start that the sensory overload hit pretty quick, becoming a maniac blur by the time the ~40 minute record resolved. The who best representative songs here in terms of it being more than your usual bestial thrashing death metal record are “Rites of Macabre” and cursed thrasher “Ode To The Sepulcher Dream”, at least for my own taste. Can’t get to everything in depth this month with so many quality releases but this is one of the best records put out in April.

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Info:
ARTIST:	SLOWTORCH
TITLE:	The Machine Has Failed
LABEL(S):	Electric Valley Records
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

Inspired by dystopian science fiction novels of the early 20th century (via Huxley and Bradbury) this northern Italian stoner metal band’s second full-length aims big in belting out a bluesy, anthemic bout of soulful lament for the inevitably dark future of humanity. ‘The Machine Has Failed‘ is a very clean, extremely well rendered heavy rock record that reels in the chunky excesses of 90’s SoCal stoner metal with a bit of their own equally classic alt-metal edge. The guidance provided by charismatic vocalist Matteo Meloni is almost too steadfast as Slowtorch finds their bluesy, chunkier rocking mode and sticks to that pocket for the duration of the record without giving an inch to the usual excesses. Though they do break up the rhythmic rant of it all by the time “Sever the Hand” rolls in on the second half there is little they manage to do to bring back that momentum ’til lead single “The Machine Has Failed” picks the major impact of the full listen back up. Not every song here lands and a few of ’em are a bit samey but when these guys are “on” they a convincing enough roll that fans of classic stoner metal/rock should appreciate.

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Info:
ARTIST:	-S-
TITLE:	Dom, w którym mieszkal Waz (A House Where Dwelled A Snake)
LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records
RELEASE DATE:	April 22nd, 2022

Polish avant-garde drum n’ bass n’ clarinet duo -S- describe their sound as “dark occult funk” which is suggested as infused with black metallic intent but reads a bit more like a tormented psychedelic experience as they reach a point of nihilistic collapse in lieu of creating a grand, serious concept album centered around Faust. With lyrics in Polish and a sort of darkjazz informed anti-rock crawl subduing the impact of the four ~7-10 minute pieces, ‘Dom, w którym mieszkal Waz‘ reads as imaginative yearning under the influence, a largely berating narrative I don’t understand presented with echoing contrabass flooding and steadily irregular rhythms. The speedier kicks into quasi-black metal drumming and the bass clarinet performances (when prominent) stand out as the prime point of appeal here beyond the obvious focus of the bass guitar (see: “Janvs Absconditus”), which is an sometimes unwilling dualist with the vocal work. Eerie, imposing, though not at all so vexing that it isn’t entirely listenable this is a fantastic vibe generator despite how bare it sometimes reads. While I would love to see them edge into extreme metal noxiousness more directly, there isn’t necessarily anything missing from the expressive weirding on offer here. Over the course of this month I’ve found myself returning to this record countless times for its transporting qualities yet finding very little else to say about it.

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Info:
ARTIST:	NO/MAS
TITLE:	Consume/Deny/Repent
LABEL(S):	Closed Casket Activities
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

No/Más is a Washington D.C.-based classics minded deathgrind/hardcore quartet whom have tapped into late 80’s thrash metal among various other underground aggression for this admirable, high action debut full-length. This shouldn’t imply they’ve written 5-6 minute songs packed with a hundred riffs and run-on leads but that they’ve condensed the hardest hitting bits of records like ‘Arise‘ and ‘World Downfall‘ before naturally applying that murderous energy to their blazing fast grindcore sound. Mean thrash and death metal tonality serves the band’s sound well within 1-3 minute burner songs at a powerviolent clip, later kicking into metallic hardcore territory as the record leans into its second half. I wasn’t at all expecting the mosh metal stuff they’ve always done to work out but there isn’t a beater on the full listen, if nothing else these guys have channeled the right stuff in sourcing their attack on this record and it sure as Hell got me listening.

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Info:
ARTIST:	HOLY DEATH
TITLE:	Moral Terror Vol. 1
LABEL(S):	Self-Released
RELEASE DATE:	April 29th, 2022

The first of a few singles this hardcore and sludge influenced death/doom metal trio are planning to release this year arrives as a pair of two minute pieces, each dense with ideas and bearing Holy Death‘s ever-intensifying signature swagger and groove. “East ov Eden” is the big cut here for my taste with its punchier NYDM influenced rhythms. I appreciate the memorable mileage they’ve gotten out of a fairly simple riff progression within this relatively short song, making it feel huge in a death metal sense yet just as easily read as a tough hardcore piece next to the even more direct lunges of “Ultraviolent”. Not much else to really dig into here considering the brevity of the single.

https://holydeathdoom.bandcamp.com/

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