ENDTYMER is the inevitable weekly “music news blog” series I’ve been working to avoid for some time. It hits at the end of every week with the intent of covering notable new releases, sharing news of new releases, and musing over various personal listening habits. It is a largely informal blog, has opinions, etc. so chill out a bit. I do my best to cover as much of everything I receive in some form regardless of genre or representation, don’t hesitate to send anything and everything my way: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK

The second week of April brought a bit of something for everyone: On the stoner/doom side of things 1782‘s record ‘Clamor Luciferi‘ leaned back into the sound design/fuzz of their earlier material, Faerie Ring‘s ‘Weary Traveler‘ aligned traditional heavy metal with stoner doom/rock in a unique way, Blazon Rite returned with an even better sophomore album in ‘Wild Rites and Ancient Songs‘. Mesmur continues to impress me with their brilliant form of funeral death/doom metal on ‘Chthonic‘ which does a good service to both niches. Unhallowed‘s ‘Awaken the Black Flame‘ should hit just right for the classic melodic black metal fandom. In terms of death metal we’ve got a brilliantly majestic form in AthanaTheos‘ ‘Cross. Deny. Glorify.‘ a concept album I’m still discovering new details within, Chilean death metal band Putrid Yell impress to no end with their Swedish death metal influenced debut ‘Consuming Aberration‘ as well. In the more mainstream headspace this is the week of thrash metals originals: Overkill and Metallica both released decent enough records today, ‘72 Seasons‘ is a complete drag at two hours and their mid-paced, goof-rockin’ take on thrash continues to feel like it was written so that old, tired arms could play ’em live. Overkill never lost the plot, ‘Scorched‘ picks up some speed and flits back to their groove metal obsession less frequently. Even if you’d burnt out on their stuff years ago try this one out. So, the big contenders for AOTW are Philadelphia-based melodic dungeon punk group Poison Ruïn‘s debut ‘Härvest‘, Norwegian avant-garde black metal band Dødheimsgard‘s sixth album ‘Black Medium Current‘ and progressive death metal quartet VoidCeremony‘s second album ‘Threads of Unknowing‘. For my taste this is too tough of a choice, all three are equally valuable but I’ve chosen the one which one will get the most mileage out of me:

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“NEWS”

Canadian avant-garde black metal act THANTAXIFATH have finally returned with a second full-length album and it will once again be released by way of the good folks at Dark Descent Records. ‘Hive Mind Narcosis‘ will release June 2nd, 2023 on CD, 12″ LP, cassette and digitally. You’ll recall I’d given high marks for their 2017 mLP, sorta expecting a record to quickly follow. The band suggests the album is a lyrical blend of two mutually conflicting ideals: “The album has two levels working in dichotomy with one another. On one level there is a strong resistance to something, and on the other, there is a total acceptance of that same thing. Beyond that, we leave it open to your interpretation.” I believe the title of the album can send more thoughtful folks in the right direction but I’m looking forward to reading the lyrics myself. For now the first preview song, “Solar Witch”, is absolutely mystifying:

Phoenix, Arizona based death/sludge metal quartet THRA are ready with their full-length debut and it looks like ‘Forged in Chaotic Spew’ will end up in exactly the right spot with Translation Loss Records. The record will hit all formats on July 29th this year. They’ve described their sound as “Knuckle-dragging death metal laced with hypnotic and deviant sludge.” Vocalist Robert Wolfe elaborates on the record: “This record is a compilation of self expression throughout the last ten years of our lives. This is our contribution to heavy music and we put the darkest parts of our hearts into crafting these songs. All these songs come from very different time periods between now and when we were teenagers, so each song has a very different sound, but they still encompass the overall feeling we have come to portray as Thra.” The fact that they took the time to mature into a real-ass band before hitting a full-length speaks volumes. You’ll recall I’d reviewed the band’s ‘Gardens of Rot’ demo/EP back in 2019 so I’m glad they’re still at it and thriving from the sound of my first preview. No doubt a single will drop within a week from the announcement:

https://thra.bandcamp.com/album/forged-in-chaotic-spew

Australian death metal marauders CEMETERY URN are finally ready with another full-length and I’m pretty stoked on it thanks to this first teaser single “Damnation is in the Blood.” The band’s fifth album will be titled ‘Suffer the Fallen‘ and it is slated to be released this Summer by way of Hells Headbangers Records on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape. They will zero in on a release date, artwork and all that at a later date. In the meantime, crank this song up nerd:

Southern California throwback (to a throwback) hardcore punk band OVEREXPOSURE have announced a new EP titled ‘Strive To Survive‘ will be out May 12th on War Against Records. You can tell listening to these guys they appreciate some of the more classic stuff from the late 90’s naming (early) AFI and Nerve Agents (by way of Redemption 87) which were very much my high school years and a time when I’d started writing for several zines. Anyhow, they hit the nostalgia button for me on this single “Read the Signs (No Salvation)”:

New Orleans, Louisiana “post-doom” quartet FAUNS have released the first and I would assume sole single off their upcoming sophomore EP. ‘Surcease‘ is due out on cassette tape via their own imprint Auricular Acrimony this coming May 5th. The band comments: “‘Ashen’ paints a dystopian vision of inevitability: Our world in orbit smoldering with the absurdity of its religions, the atrocities of it nations, the ignorance of its past, and the repudiation of its sciences… for eternity.” The song blends atmospheric death/doom elements with post-metallic sheen and a very low mood, great piece which is inarguably immersive as a first impression:

Iron Bonehead Productions have announced June 23rd as the release date for mini-album from Malaysian black metal band TOMB. ‘The Dark Subconscious‘ will arrive on CD and 12″ vinyl. The Kuala Lumpur-based fellow takes heavy influence from ancient and doomed black metal though this time around his work comes across more bestial, incensed a la Abhorer. Check out “Black Altar of Sathanas”:

London, England-based black metal trio FEN recently released a music video for “Scouring Ignorance”, the first single their forthcoming album ‘Monuments to Absence‘, which releases by way of Prophecy Productions on July 7th this year. In terms of the song, The Watcher comments: “We originally wanted to pen a piece from a perspective of strength and self-actualization, addressing the idea of literally scouring ignorance from the world through determination and drive. We swiftly became aware of the futility of such a notion and instead, ‘Scouring Ignorance’ confronts ignorance itself as an almost tangible force – an infectious, quasi-elemental power that sweeps across our reality. Enlightenment, reason, empathy, and rationality are scoured from thought by the corrosive nature of ignorance itself, willingly embraced by the hapless herds that infest this world. This is a more realistic way to address the manifestations of ignorance swirling around us, reflected in the feverish gaze of foaming-mouthed demagogues and lapped up by the multitudes of the witless. Accompanied by one of our most intense compositions to date and placing the piece as the opener of the album we feel is a defiant and determined statement.” And I have to say, this is one of the stronger pieces from these folks in recent memory, they’d leaned into a post-black realm to the point that I’d not paid much attention, but there seems to be some serious conviction behind this one thus far:

Belgium-based dark death/doom metal project GATEWAY are ready with what promises to be an incredible record with ‘Galgendood‘, their latest full-length which’ll arrive by way of Transcending Obscurity Records this coming July 5th. If you’ll recall I’d premiered and reviewed their last release and couldn’t be more stoked they’re ready with a new one. Their label has released two of the songs from the album so check both of those out:

British heavy metal band FORGED IN BLACK have revealed the cover art and first single for their second full-length album ‘Lightning in the Ashes‘ which will be released on June 20th through Fighter Records. It will release on CD and Digital formats. “Dusk Breather” is fantastic piece to introduce the band’s sound to the general public, heavier, fast and meander than I remember ’em:

“Post-death metal” band PANDRADOR out of Poland have released the first single/music video “Hvergelmir” from their upcoming second full-length album, ‘Seiðr‘ which is due out next month via Pagan Records. Bandleader Bartłomiej “Bard” Bardon comments on the album: “The last few years (not only for known reasons) have left us disillusioned with the reality in which we have lived, the events and their consequences we have experienced. This has led us to reflect on what “Seiðr” is – a commentary on the “conventionality” of our surroundings; a look at the human desire to oppose one extreme in order to fall into the next one in emotion; the desire to be someone important because we are driven by satisfaction and conventional values, and often conventional complexes. In the midst of all this, there is also the deluding of ourselves with apparent benefits and rationalizing quietly how pathetic we actually are in our actions.” An interesting take on the Norse theme overall from these guys judging by the looks of it. Check out “Hvergelmir”:

Chilean melodic doom metal band WOODEN VEINS have announced their new album, ‘Imploding Waves‘ will release on June 23rd by way of Ardua Music. Formed by Chilean musicians who are currently based out of various European countries this band focus on what I’d consider the peak Opeth influenced era of melodic doom and death/doom, taking their sound to more interesting placed by way of progressive and gothic metal elements:

Avant-garde/progressive black metal legends SIGH have announced a new live album, ‘Live: Eastern Forces Of Evil 2022‘ which will release on Peaceville Records this coming June 23rd. Yes, the title intends to reference their ’97 live record ‘The Eastern Force of Evil‘ but this new recording was recorded in late 2022, featuring founder Mirai Kawashima on bass/vocals, Dr. Mikannibal on vocals/saxophone, Nozomu Wakai on guitar, and Takeo Shimoda on drums. Mirai comments on the new album: “Our new live album was recorded in August 2022 whilst we performed our live stream that we did during the pandemic, which was a cliché in the world under the Pandemic. However, the recording of both video and audio, turned out by far better than we had expected and we thought it’d be a good idea to physically release it rather than just putting it on YouTube or somewhere. This is a document not only about our blood-drenched stage but also about the new era of Sigh that began with Nozomu on guitar. 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of our debut album “Scorn Defeat”, and “Live: Eastern Forces of Evil 2022” covers our whole career from “Scorn Defeat” to the latest “Shiki” released in 2022. Don’t miss it!” And of course, I wouldn’t miss it as a longtime fan, I’m looking forward to seeing/hearing how these different eras are selected from and how they mesh in performance.

https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/live-the-eastern-forces-of-evil-2022

French death metal trio LIQUID FLESH, whom you might recall from their well-liked second full-length a couple years ago, have released “Tapage Nocturne”, the first single taken from their forthcoming third album ‘Dolores‘, which is scheduled for release on May 26th by way of Italian label Time To Kill Records. The band comment: “After our second album “Chair Liquide” released in 2020, we wanted to proceed a little bit differently for the next one. Given the cinematic influences that have always guided our songwriting, we wanted to get closer to the process of creating a film. We made a draft for the cover, this draft inspired us a ‘screenplay’ in ten chapters, then we wrote the lyrics for ten ‘scenes’. The music came at the very end. The album tells a woman’s journey from an aimless way of life to a surreal ending after a bad encounter. It is all about the dullness of daily routine, addiction and manipulation, told in a hallucinated way. Musically, the foundations remain the same, death metal from the late 80’s, early 90’s, but with more atmospheric material than on our previous works. Nonetheless, Liquid Flesh is before all a live band, so we wanted to keep that energy intact.” A very unique aesthetic and feeling for this type of band, I appreciate the original touch while still keeping it classic and readable as such:

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THIS WEEK’S VIDEOS / REVIEWS

Catch up with the latest YouTube video review/features and written reviews here. New videos post Thursday/Friday of each week for the most part. You can click on the link provided to read the review, each review has the related video embedded in the original post as well. Videos are fairly casual and meant to accompany the written review with some extra context and generalized notes.

An Early Stream of PUTRID YELL ‘Consuming Aberration’ LP (2023) | PREMIERE

An Early Stream of ATHANATHEOS ‘Cross. Deny. Glorify.’ LP (2023) | PREMIERE

MESMUR – Chthonic (2023) | REVIEW

PUTRID YELL – Consuming Aberration (2023) | REVIEW

FAERIE RING – Weary Traveler (2023) | REVIEW

VOIDCEREMONY – Threads of Unknowing (2023) | REVIEW

UNHOLY FUNERAL – The Ancient God of Fire (2023) | REVIEW

BLAZON RITE – Wild Rites and Ancient Songs (2023) | REVIEW

DØDHEIMSGARD – Black Medium Current (2023) | REVIEW

Short Reviews | April 13th, 2023

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COMING UP NEXT WEEK:

Here is a tentative list of what is coming up next week in terms of reviews. The following records have been listened to extensively, a preliminary review has been drafted (or completed), and I’ve locked them in for coverage. In terms of the “Short Written Reviews + Video” column, these are more tentative, some of them may be cut if I do not have enough time to get around to everything. This week some of these might swap around since a lot of April’s releases are bottlenecked mid-month on the 14th and 21st.

LONGFORM WRITTEN REVIEWS / VIDEO REVIEWS:

DECIPHER – Arcane Paths to Resurrection [April 21st, Transcending Obscurity Records]
ASTRAL SLEEP – We Are Already Living in the End of Times [April 21st, Saarni Records]
MAVORIM – Ab Amitia Pulsae [April 22nd, Purity Through Fire]
DOZER – Drifting in the Endless Void [April 21st, Blues Funeral Recordings]
VALGRIND – Millennium of Night Bliss [April 24th, Memento Mori]
PUSTILENCE – Beliefs of Dead Stargazers and Soothsayers [April 24th, Memento Mori/Rotted Life]
RUNEMAGICK – Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind [April 28th, Hammerheart Records]
AUSTERE – Corrosion of Hearts [April 28th, Prophecy Productions/Lupus Lounge]

SHORT WRITTEN REVIEWS + VIDEO:

TANITH – Voyage [April 21st, Metal Blade Records]
NECRONOMICON – Constant to Death [April 28th, El Puerto Records]
EMISSARY – Emissary [April 28th, Dying Victims Productions]
FIMBULVET – Portale [April 28th, Trollzorn/Einheit Produktionen]
BLACK MASS PERVERTOR – Dionysian Rite [April 28th, Self-Released]
KING POTENAZ – Goat Rider [April 28th, Argonauta Records]
GIÖBIA “Acid Disorder” [April 28th, Heavy Psych Sounds]
ELEPHANT RIFLE – Broken Water [April 28th, Learning Curve Records]
TUNIC – Wrong Dream [April 28th, Artoffact Records]
THESE BEASTS – Cares. Wills Wants. [April 21st, Magnetic Eye Records]

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