Wolvhammer - The Monuments of Ash & Bone

By Matt Hinch. It feels like it's been longer than four years since the last Wolvhammer release. I didn't forget about them though. New album, and first for Blood Music, The Monuments of Ash & Bone definitely made the wait worthwhile. I admit I haven't gone back and reminded myself

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Brian Sheehan.

It feels like it's been longer than four years since the last Wolvhammer release. I didn't forget about them though. New album, and first for Blood Music, The Monuments of Ash & Bone definitely made the wait worthwhile. I admit I haven't gone back and reminded myself what their previous records sounded like but sometimes context just isn't in the cards. Besides, this album hasn't left my phone in a solid year.

In my humble opinion, or rather, as pertaining to my personal tastes, Wolvhammer are upper tier USBM. Never mind your basements and bullshit necro recording techniques. Monuments sounds great. Sounds huge. Sounds nasty. There's no doubt to the black metal base here but it's not all blasting and arctic wind riffing. Atmosphere plays a part, as well as varied tempos and pacing. It's not “black 'n' roll” though.

As you may or may not know vocalist Adam Clemans also sings for Skeletonwitch. When he was announced as Chance Garnette's replacement my initial reaction was basically “COOL!! That guy kicks ass!” Kick ass he does. Most of the time he rips ears with his signature snarly rasp. Clean vocals aren't out of the question but his chilling delivery mates perfectly with the bulldozing riffs and energetic percussion. Guitarists Jeff Wilson and John Porada, bassist Andrew Gerrity, and drummer Garry Naples round out the new lineup in case you were wondering.

Most of the album is fast enough. Militant, biting, gnashing and fierce. Physical and bruising. Wolvhammer drag the listener through the darkness on the back of their infectious riffs and feral energy. Stand out track “The Failure King” is so powerful. It came on the PA between sets at a Goatwhore show and I was just as excited for that as anyone actually on stage. Closer “Solace Eclipsed” though slows it down, bringing in plenty of atmosphere and those clean vocals. The tone of this track feels more morose and cold, a change not met with listener resistance for the album's waning sounds. It still has some pounding moments to inject a sense of determination the listener can take with them. As well as a desire to start it all over again!

The Monuments of Ash & Bone is fantastic. Wolvhammer's sense of motion and conviction doesn't go unnoticed. There's nothing to complain about. Its aggression and dynamics hit the sweet spot and give me the sense that their live show is something to witness. USBM doesn't get much better for me. I'm already yearning for their next offering but this one provides plenty to chew on (and burn through) until that day comes.

The Lion's Daughter - Future Cult

By Justin C. I called The Lion's Daughter's last album. Existence Is Horror, "full-bore blackened sludge." Their newest, Future Cult, is built on the same foundation, but with a new twist: synths! I will admit upfront that, because I am an old

By Justin C.


I called The Lion's Daughter's last album, Existence Is Horror, "full-bore blackened sludge." Their newest, Future Cult, is built on the same foundation, but with a new twist: synths!

I will admit upfront that, because I am an old, I often equate heavy synths automatically with 80s music. Fair is fair, a lot of interesting things have been done since that time in terms of electronic music, but that tends to be my basic starting point. With that admission out of the way, I think The Lion's Daughter is definitely borrowing on a bit of 80s nostalgia here. A lot's been said about the slightly-modern-yet-still-retro soundtrack of the hit show Stranger Things. If you've seen that show, I dare you to listen to "Call the Midnight Animal" and NOT think of Eleven traveling to the upside-down to fight monsters. In fact, I think "Call the Midnight Animal" would make a better soundtrack to that show's boss battles, given the ferocity of the hardcore-blackened-prog-sludge that underlies the mean-sounding arcade game synth riff the song is built on.

The Lion's Daughter 2016. Photos © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

For fans of the band's previous work, I think Future Cult could be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of album. I've seen a few grumblings about it being a "mix of synthwave and plodding hardcore." But even if this new layer to the band's sound isn't to everyone's taste, I think comments like that are overly dismissive. The band hasn't just slapped synths on top of the template from their last album. Basic sonic similarities aside, they've let some of these songs breathe a bit. "The Gown" mixes in a heavy dose of eerie atmosphere with a slower-burning doom feel. I'll admit that this doesn't always work--I think a couple of tracks, including "Grease Infant," fail to build up the necessary momentum for what the band's going for here.

A few missteps aside, though, this is still a tight album at 37 minutes, and if you dug the band's last album, you owe it to yourself to give this one a fair spin. If the band had just redone Existence Is Horror with the chords in a different order, we'd all be bored, but they've taken a somewhat-risky step out into potentially more interesting waters. I'll be curious to see if, down the road, we look back on this as a bit of a transitional album on the band's part, moving into a sonic area that they may not have fully under their control yet. But even so, I think this album still stands on its own as another solid entry in their discography.

Dynamic Metal Roundup

By Calen Henry. Metal is loud and abrasive, but metal fans like it that way. Over the past 25 years, there has risen a pernicious side to the loudness of metal (and music in general). Dynamic range compression has

By Calen Henry.

Metal is loud and abrasive, but metal fans like it that way. Over the past 25 years, there has risen a pernicious side to the loudness of metal (and music in general). Dynamic range compression has drastically increased in a phenomenon called the Loudness War.

Simply put, during mastering much contemporary music is altered to raise the volume of all parts to the same level as the loudest part, often the drums. The resulting loss of dynamics decreases the overall impact of the music; when you turn it up everything gets super loud, instead of some parts being accented.

A loud master doesn't necessarily ruin an album, and poorly produced dynamic albums can still sound terrible, but there are essentially no examples of more dynamic masters sounding worse than the louder version, provided other factors are not also drastically altered.

Thankfully, since I started paying attention a few years ago the trend has been toward more dynamic masters for metal, though it's far from standard. That being said, a few artists really stand out in both their commitment to dynamics and their excellent music.


I'm a sucker for concept albums and Vainaja take it even further; they're a concept band. Comprised of The Preacher, The Cantor, and the Gravedigger they play absolutely crushing death doom, in Finnish. The concept revolves around Wilhelm, a mysterious (and fictional) cult leader believed to have risen from the dead to corrupt the townsfolk with his blasphemous sermons. The albums are based upon unearthed excerpts of his writings.

Musically, their first album Kadotetut is pretty straightforward death doom while the second Verenvalaja expands the sound with more interesting arrangements and some guest guitar work by Hooded Menace's Lasse Pyykko. On music alone Vainaja have made a name for themselves, but going above and beyond, they've released digital versions of the vinyl mixes for both Kadotetut and Verenvalaja and they sound incredible. Vainaja was the catalyst to write this roundup.

Death doom is far from the first genre one thinks of in relation to dynamics, but the dynamic mixes sound incredible. The drums in Verenvalaja are absolutely thunderous and every filthy guitar note is clearly audible. Plus the dynamic master makes it positively easy to blow through the whole album in one sitting. It will make you yearn for a vinyl mix of every album

Bordering on a household name, at least in the metal community, Horrendous inject just the right level of "progressive" into Old School Death Metal to make super interesting albums without leaving the bounds of "OSDM". In contrast to full on progressive death metal Horrendous stick to the OSDM sound but shake things up with truly interesting melodic compositions. Their two most recent albums, Anareta and Ecdysis were some of the earlier of the "New Wave of Dynamic Metal" and they sound fantastic. Everything from the buzzsaw guitars to the powerful drums and lush acoustic passages sounds phenomenal.

Like Vainaja, Be'lakor made a name for themselves based on their music, then released vinyl masters of older albums. Widely praised for injecting new life into the somewhat stale Melodic Death Metal scene, the vinyl masters of Stone's Reach and Of Breath and Bone sound stellar. Each individual part of the music, right down to the individual drum and cymbal hits comes through with amazing clarity adding another level to already fantastic albums.

Kuaun's latest album, Sorni Nai, sees the Finnish singing Russian band craft a concept album about the Dyatlov Pass incident. In 1959 a group of 9 skiers in Russia disappeared then were found dead with bizarre injuries and the whole story is still unknown. Sorni Nai is a cinematic album flowing through doom, black metal, post rock and even sections broaching on classical. It's all delivered with a huge dynamic mix and is Pay What You Want on Blood Music's Bandcamp (like all their releases).

Auric are another fantastic anomaly on this list. The Arkansas based band play blackened sludge with echoes of early Mastodon (they use the same tuning) and Pallbearer. Their most recent full length, Empty Seas, is absolutely jaw dropping and criminally underrated. They employ an Elder-like ability to incorporate aspects of Stoner metal, sludge, black metal, and post-rock into a cohesive whole, and bless it with a hugely dynamic mix. The drums, though have an oddly compressed character which stands out strangely during slower passages, but helps preserve clarity during the some of the lightning fast sections. Of particular note is the track "Backlit", where they take a filthy sludge riff and build all sorts of levels of melody over top of it. So good.

If this list piques your interest in dynamic metal it's worth noting that Earache records has a large back catalog of classics ranging from the death metal triangle (US, Sweden, Britain), to grindcore available as Full Dynamic Range versions; digital versions of the vinyl mixes. It's worth revisiting classics like Carcass' Heartwork and Entombed's Left Hand Path to hear the dynamic mixes.

From The Metal Archives Vol. 3 - Migration Fest 2016

[I had the time of my life at the recent Migration Fest, held in Olympia, Washington. Musically the festival was a stunning success, I mean just check the lineup. It was superbly organized and run. Also Migration Fest simply oozed good atmosphere

By the reviewers from The Metal Archives.

[I had the time of my life at the recent Migration Fest, held in Olympia, Washington. Musically the festival was a stunning success, I mean just check the lineup. It was superbly organized and run. Also Migration Fest simply oozed good atmosphere, more than any festival I can remember; three days of friendship and metal.

For a good full roundup of Migration Fest check out this three-parter by our friends at No, Clean, Singing. What you have here is simply Metal Archives reviews on two of my takeaways from the fest: Dead to a Dying World, who I reconnected with, and Yautja, who I had not heard before. Both played fantastic sets; go check them out live if you get the chance.]

Artwork by Sera Timms

Considering "atmospheric" has been essentially reduced to another genre tag, it doesn't capture what Dead to a Dying World have achieved here. Litany feels carefully crafted in a way extreme metal rarely does, and perfect balance every song strikes between doom and classical elements captures the mournful spirit that bands that label themselves "atmospheric" wish they could emulate. Dead to a Dying World call their music "apocalyptic," and the musical nihilism that implies perhaps comes closest to conveying the terrible beauty of Litany's six movements. [read ThuribleOfDarkness's full review here.]

Artwork by Caleb Gregory

Sure, there's grind here but there's a lot of other stuff like mathcore, death metal, experimental and a big dose of sludge. It's almost like a southern appropriation of the US East Coast's hipsterism. In some ways, they're Tennessee's chaotic answer to Krallice or to early Mastodon, they have those odd rhythms while keeping the heaviness as an integral part of their identity. While there's an interesting variety of tempos, all of supreme quality, you never get lost with Yautja. They're taking you places that you wasn't quite sure were real. From the grind might of "Blinders" to the weird epic sludge of "Faith Resigned" (a song that sounds like Crowbar who suddenly became a forward thinking band), it's as a varied as you'll get for a grindcore band. [read Metantoine's full review here.]

Inter Arma - Paradise Gallows

By Karen A. Mann. One Thanksgiving years ago, a friend of mine and I decided to get out of the house and go see the Russell Crowe Napoleonic naval epic Master and Commander.

By Karen A. Mann

Artwork by Orion Landau

One Thanksgiving years ago, a friend of mine and I decided to get out of the house and go see the Russell Crowe Napoleonic naval epic Master and Commander. Unfortunately, everyone else in town had the same idea, and the only two seats available in the theatre were at the very front and off to the side. We spent the next two hours feeling like we were strapped to the bow of that ship as it heaved through a stormy sea at the bottom of the world. Crew members lost their minds and were cast overboard as the captain desperately chased a bigger and faster enemy. We left the theater feeling overwhelmed and slightly seasick, but ended up talking about that movie all weekend.

That’s the same feeling I got from Inter Arma’s astounding new album, Paradise Gallows, their first full-length since their groundbreaking 2013 release Sky Burial. Lurching through nine songs, Paradise Gallows is a harrowing epic with lyrical peaks and valleys that tosses in everything from blackened discordant guitars to elegiac piano melodies. The cover artwork even includes a sinking ship -- complete with a corpse dangling from the mast -- crashing against a garishly colored sky.

Trey Dalton. Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

The album’s opener, "Nomini," is a fairly short instrumental number that begins with a somber and lulling acoustic guitar, then segues into a melody that recalls Sky Burial’s Pink Floydian "The Long Road Home." But lest you get too comfortable, the next song, "An Archer in the Emptiness," stomps in like a giant, propelled by T.J. Childers’ frenetic drumming, and Joe Kerkes’ steady low end. The song crashes and soars, buoyed by Mike Paparo’s trademark angry bellow.

One of the album’s finest moments happens on “Transfiguration,” the album’s frenetic third song, which begins with another discordant crash, with Childers and Kerkes propelling the song as guitarists Steven Russell and Trey Dalton play a repetitive, hypnotic riff, and Paparo shrieks through the chaos.

Mike Paparo, T.J. Childers, Steven Russell. Photos © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Lyrically, Paradise Gallows is equally intense and unexpected, channeling Existential and Romantic themes of despair, spiritual upheaval, and the relentlessness of nature. On the title song, Paparo sounds like a ghost mournfully echoing from a watery grave:

When I was young, I inflicted a heartless sin. I mocked my fate and ran wild until chance led me here, Where I grew drunk on the trace of a fermenting sun, And buried my failures beneath the ebb and flow of the tides.

Time, have you forgotten my sullied name? Time, have you forgotten the shameful wounds? Time, have you forgotten the boundless grief, I so callously wrought?

Joe Kerkes. Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Much has been made -- with good reason -- of the fact that Paparo branches out into clean vocals on this album. Comparisons to Nick Cave are pretty spot-on, particularly on "The Summer Drones," a languid, shimmering song in which the singer alternately intones and bellows the lyrics to masterful effect. Paparo also shines on the final song, "Where the Earth Meets the Sky," where he’s accompanied by haunting backing vocals and a gentle, regretful melody.

With each successive album, Inter Arma has defied genres and gotten away with boundary acrobatics that other bands couldn’t, simply because their ideas are so fearlessly radical and confidently executed. They’ve set a new standard with Paradise Gallows, leaving the listener feeling ravaged, doomed and strangely hopeful.

The Lion's Daughter - Existence is Horror

By Justin C. I first learned about The Lion's Daughter from their collaboration with a folk band called Indian Blanket. That album, a folk/sludge mash up called A Black Sea, is remarkable, and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in hearing

By Justin C.

Artwork by Paolo Girardi

I first learned about The Lion's Daughter from their collaboration with a folk band called Indian Blanket. That album, a folk/sludge mash up called A Black Sea, is remarkable, and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in hearing just how well modern, dark folk can be mixed with a heavier sound. But now, just a little over two years later, we have a new full-length from The Lion's Daughter, Existence is Horror, and it's an undiluted rager.

This album is full-bore blackened sludge, running at about 40 minutes with no filler whatsoever. Even the intro track, which could easily just become a minute and a half of throwaway material from most bands, has a pulsing heartbeat of distorted bass and a an atmosphere of slow menace. But once the second track kicks in full force with stomping drums and vocal-cord-shredding roars, there's no turning back. The weird thing, though? For an album called Existence is Horror, with song titles like, "Nothing Lies Ahead" and "A Cursed Black End," it's a hell of an energizing listen. Sure, you might want to burn off that energy mostly by breaking stuff, but it's hard not to get fired up listening to it.

The musical pleasures are many. Neurosis is a strong influence, but the songs don't tire me out in the way that Neurosis often does. (Sorry, Neurosis fans. They're really good, but they wear me out.) The songs churn, changing tempos often but in a surprisingly non-jarring way. Tremolo riffs echo and ring before diving down into low, ripping gunfire. I love the bass in particular. Sometimes it bounces, sometimes it doubles the guitar riff like in "A Cursed Black End," and sometimes, like in "Midnight Glass," it takes on a melodic role under a droning guitar part. I love it when a good bassist doubles between rhythm and melody.

All told, there's a hell of a lot of racket here being made by just three guys, but it twists and turns, letting you enjoy it with close attention or as the soundtrack to a rage freakout. Existence is horror is a sentiment that's probably shared by a lot of metal bands and their fans, but albums like this make it a bit more palatable.

Snakefeast - The Pythoness

Written by Ulla Roschat.

Artwork by Michael Sturrock

The unusual line up of instruments for this album alone arouses my curiosity… vocals, bass, drums, cello, sax… and unusual is the listening experience that the quartet from Baltimore/MD called Snakefeast offers us with its debut The Pythoness. It could roughly be called progressive blackened sludgy jazz, but it combines so many different stylistic elements, that it forcibly resists to be pigeonholed

There’s a huge amount of progressiveness and technicality with a quite clear sound, yet with a thick and heavy atmosphere to it, the latter almost solely created by the incredible abrasive vocals (oh yes I'm prone to falling in love with vocals). They use a raspy black metal style, and dark extensive roars that lend a droney sludge/doom metal feel and a beautiful contrast to the clean bouncy, percussive, funky sounds of the bass and the drums.

The vocals here are really used as an additional instrument doing a job equal to the other instruments. And the jobs are somehow divvied up, like bass, drums and sax throw in the progressive, jazzy elements, the vocals the sludge/doom metal, and the cello (plus sax) the melancholic melodies. Combined they create an atmospheric tension between a distant coolness and an oppressive heat, occasionally relieved by moments of quiet ambience.

It’s hard to keep track of what’s going on within this frame of atmospheres. Everything is constantly and erratically changing, be it the poly-rhythmic drum and bass work, the tempo or the various styles that include jazz, balck/sludge/doom metal punk’n’roll and what not (I think I even hear some ska and humppa beats). My diagnosis of this 42 minutes long musical insanity would be manic-depression with occasional episodes of melancholia.

So it’s not just the unusual choice of instruments that is intriguing, it’s the way Snakefeast use them - especially those stunning vocals - to create something extraordinary that makes The Pythoness really exciting and compelling. It may take several listenings (and still may not be for everyone), but it’s well worth the effort.

The Song "Wither" is featured on The Wicked Lady Show 79

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Note: For physical copies of The Pythoness go to the Grimoire Records Bandcamp.

Inter Arma - The Cavern

By Celtic Frosty. Inter Arma’s The Cavern tells the tale of a lost and dying soul in the desert. Our hero eventually comes upon a cave where he awaits his final fate

By Celtic Frosty.


Inter Arma’s The Cavern tells the tale of a lost and dying soul in the desert. Our hero eventually comes upon a cave where he awaits his final fate, and in the end is consoled by a death-like figure who welcomes him into the black. It seems a fitting and somewhat inevitable tale for the likes of Inter Arma. After all, the band’s last album was called Sky Burial, a reference to a Tibetan tradition of laying the dead to rest on a mountaintop to be eaten by birds of prey.

But it’s not the story that makes The Cavern remarkable. From pounding, doom-laden riffs and throaty screams to proggy instrumental passages to clean vocals and violins, Inter Arma is intent on taking the listener through a musical odyssey that captures the imagination and surprises with its ballsy twists and turns. The degree of difficulty here is immense, and the cohesiveness with which Inter Arma pulls it all off is an impressive feat for even the most seasoned of bands.

Photos by Carmelo Española

On a granular level, the musicianship on The Cavern is sublime. The drumming throughout the song’s 45 minutes is expressive on an almost primal level, pounding out the long arc of a solid and massive backbone. The clean instrumental passages that roam the mid-section of the track build patiently toward those exhilarating peaks of masterful, extended guitar solos. Chunky, slow-burning riffs round out the composition, digging the deepest valleys and delivering hooks all the way down that claw their way in and settle for days.

In a way The Cavern seemed inevitable, and it may yet turn out to be Inter Arma’s greatest musical achievement. It’s a statement of refusal to be categorized. The edges of a half dozen genres bleed together in a dark and beautiful tapestry that covers a wide swath of the musical landscape. With this statement, Inter Arma thrust themselves onto metal’s center stage and demand our attention. Nothing left to do except shut up and listen.

Wolvhammer / Krieg - Split

Written by Matt Hinch.


The inevitable matchup between US Black Metal stalwarts Wolvhammer and Krieg has arrived. A couple months ago to be correct. I'm a little behind. On this split from Broken Limbs each band contributes a single track making for a quick and dirty little 7".

Wolvhammer takes the A Side with sludgeoning black metal on a track titled "Slaves to the Grime". Based on a groovy pulse and a simple yet effective riff it mixes more tempos in before returning to the original headbangin' throb. Epic, doomy passages open up the snarling tone and skittering guitars bring paranoia to the sludgy plod. Blackened rhythms up the ante to match the disgusted rasp admonishing the mindless hordes driving themselves toward extinction in service to "The Man". It's nothing unexpected from Wolvhammer but that's not a complaint. It's yet another example of how they are able to fuse the spirit of black metal to engaging riffs and grim but grinning groove.

The ever-prolific Krieg take a more frigid path on their side. "Eternal Victim" may only be 3:30 long but there's no lack of icy venom. It too comes full circle, starting and ending on a cold, dark, gritty note. The overriding feel is one of bleak desperation as the impassioned screams reek of hate and menace. But stuck in the middle is a super catchy riff that makes you want to grab someone by the throat and scream "This is what it's all about!" full on in their face. Following a brief blitz the track returns to the anguished darkness and fades into nothing.

Both bands have a busy 2014 with Wolvhammer releasing Clawing into Black Sun on Profound Lore in July and Krieg set to unleash Transient next month as well as live dates for both. So when this came out back in June it served as a sort of teaser for both band's new albums.

The pairing is natural to be sure. Both songs give the listener something to grab on to as they grapple for purchase amongst the icy tone of these USBM mainstays. And hey, it's cheap!

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Wolvhammer - Clawing into Black Sun

Written by Justin C.


For whatever reason, it always takes me a little while to get into Wolvhammer albums. When I first heard 2012's The Obsidian Plains, I thought it was fine, but it didn't stick with me. A few months later, after being reintroduced to it by Metal Bandcamp's own Andy Osborn, it quickly became one of my favorites.

The same happened when I first got my hands on their new one, Clawing into Black Sun. I was a little let down on first listen, but after three or four playthroughs, I can't get enough. My best guess is that my brain says, "Oh good, new USBM," but Wolvhammer doesn't quit fit next to my go-to USBM bands. They might share geography with Woe and Deafheaven, but they're better suited to a Sex Pistols kind of mood than a Wolves in the Throne Room kind of mood.

Like their last album, Clawing into Black Sun still delivers their sludgy, doomy, punky version of black metal, but if anything, they've turned the snarling punk up a few notches. They largely eschew blast beats and waves of tremolo-picked guitars for doomier sounding riffs, like in "Slaves to the Grind," but when Adam Clemans snarls, "True redemption is out of reach / When you're living your life as a fucking leech!" there's more than a little Johnny Rotten in there. This is less frosty, Norwegian bleakness than it is fighting in an alley or spitting on pictures of the royal family. (Yeah, that doesn't make a lot of sense for a USBM band, but work with me here. I'm writing this on Independence Day here in the U.S., so a ridiculously out-of-date anti-royalty vibe seems appropriate.)

Vocalist Adam Clemans pulls the neat trick of having his growling and snarling vocals still be largely understandable without printed lyrics. And they're just so damn fun. Try not chanting along with "BLACK! BLACK! BLACK!" in the title track. There are also some more great gang vocals in the closing track, "A Light That Doesn't Yield." I know from the band's Facebook page that they're pretty proud of this track, and that pride is well deserved. It's a nearly nine-minute, slow burner of a song, but it's worth every second.

I don’t know if Clawing into Black Sun will ultimately become my favorite Wolvhammer album or not, but maybe that’s the wrong way of looking at it. Maybe The Obsidian Plains scratches an itch for something a little more complex, whereas Clawing into Black Sun is a more immediate, more visceral thrill. Either way, give this whole album the multiple spins it deserves and make up your own mind.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Lord Mantis - Death Mask

Written by Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Jef Whitehead

A devastating pedigree breeds devastating progeny. So it follows that the resultant third spawn of the musical breeding of the four entities known as Lord Mantis is more uncompromisingly scathing than you could possibly imagine.

From its opening moments, Death Mask sets the nerves on edge. Pain, anguish and negativity then drown the listener in a pool of their own congealing blood until its merciless end. Death by a thousand cuts, each more painful than the last. Metals of the black, doom and death varieties are forged together into seven tracks of unbending and razor-edged hatred.

"Body Choke" sets the portentous mood with lumbering doom plodding through the darkness, each step pulverizing the desiccated husks of the dead beneath their leaden feet. The wall of malicious noise is cut with buried melodies and abrupt outbursts of antagonism.

Andrew Markuszewski. Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

That blackened death terror flows through the album. Its effect is overwhelming to the point of servitude. Not through excessive administrations of directionless noise however, but with fearsome savagery and unrepentant tone both aural and mental. Sanity is severed by the shards of broken glass used to slit wrists in an attempt to snuff out a life not worth living; its failure leaving a scarred ruin desperate for peace.

Ken Sorceron (Abigail Williams) and Andrew Markuszewski (Avichi) wrestle from their guitars an embarrassment of bile soaked riffs. Along with drummer Bill Bumgardner (Indian) and bassist/vocalist Charlie Fell they channel lugubrious doom and putrescent death into a swirling vortex of corrosive black metal. The psyche is stripped away and sucked into a spiraling wormhole of regret and powerlessness, emerging unrelieved under a sky of unyielding scorn.

Charlie Fell (top) and Ken Sorceron. Photos © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Fell's sinful screams drip with loathing. They sound like a long dead victim crawling back from the catacombs shrieking vengeance upon their torturer, only to realize they themselves are responsible. Shackled by fate to endless suffering, cries of angered despair issue forth from the pit of that tormented soul with unnerving and vile acidity.

A measure of catharsis, however incomplete, is to be found on closing hymn "Three Crosses". A building doom pounds as layers of sound wrap around vocals just as harrowing and ruinous as ever. An open section strips away the detritus as the track segues into a dark and narrow, Withered/WITTR-like black metal chasm. On the other side lies a militant discord and penetrating cacophony. Its conclusion coils paralyzing tendrils around a spent heart, finishing the cardiac arrest with pulsating hate.

Bill Bumgardner. Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Death Mask is cruelty and bitterness molded into agonizing sound and forced upon the world without remorse. It's raw yet refined in its intention to bury the listener under mountains of ill will, contempt and disgust. It is a culmination of all that is wrong with humanity and the human spirit. No human soul can remain unaffected in the face of such dedication to unflinching and unsettling passion for inflicting terror.

Lord Mantis have turned abhorrence inside out for this rancorous and hostile release. Death Mask is not only their best work to date, but one of the the best in all of metaldom so far this year.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Coffinworm - IV.I.VIII

Written by Justin C.


I've probably seen Coffinworm most often described as blackened doom. It's probably as good as any, although it's still pretty reductive. Hearing the blasting, grind-like energy that opens their new album, IV.I.VIII, might make you wonder if you're listening to the same album everybody else described. Blackened-doom-grind-death-sludge might be more apt, if somewhat unwieldy, but it captures the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink formula that Coffinworm makes work for them.

Photos © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Opening track "Sympathectomy" (one of many dark, tongue-in-cheek song titles) settles down from its explosive beginning into doomier territory, but the band has a virtuosic way with tempo. It slows, speeds up, slows down again, pushing and pulling under guitar and bass riffs so thick and meaty that you'll want to bite into them. Vocals come in the forms of black metal shrieks and low, death growls, all distorted beyond reason. The drums range between unhinged blast beats and caveman bashing.

Almost every song is a mini-album in and of itself. The riffs start up, disappear for a while, and come back in mutated forms. Restating a theme and variations is a classic compositional technique, but Coffinworm pushes that idea to its outer limits. The songs on IV.I.VIII shouldn't work--there are too many tempos, too many changes, but somehow they hang together on even the thinnest of threads. It's difficult to put into words, but as disparate as the parts of each song are, they all make sense together.

Photos © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Is it weird to say I'm charmed by an album that's so vicious and unrelenting? Because that's the best way I can think to describe it. On every listen I pick up something new: Is that an acoustic guitar adding extra texture in "Instant Death Syndrome"? And how about the brief guitar squeals in the same song that act as a command to DESTROY, setting off vicious drum blasts underneath creeping guitar lines? And that slap bass in "Lust vs. Vengeance"! Why does it work so well?

After hearing early samples of the album, I expected a sanity-challenging experience like I had with Indian's new album. In theory, Coffinworm's album should be no less difficult and demanding, but somehow they've made an album just as punishing, but strangely compelling at the same time.

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Inter Arma - Sky Burial

By Andy Osborn. Fitting a mold somewhere in the vast landscape between Baroness and Ash Borer, Inter Arma exist as a hulking monolith of cross-genre experimentation.

By Andy Osborn.


Fitting a mold somewhere in the vast landscape between Baroness and Ash Borer, Inter Arma exist as a hulking monolith of cross-genre experimentation. Sky Burial is the sophomore full-length and Relapse debut for the Virginians who, like their music, have been slowly but steadily pounding away at the metallic psyche. The press release for the record mentions a full five genres that the band spreads its wings across, daunting and daring to be sure. But unlike so many hybrid acts seeking to carve their own unique niche in the world of heavy music, Inter Arma do so effortlessly without straying too far from their own established identity.

Sky Burial is a risky and monstrous effort, maxing out a CD at 70 minutes and pushing the limits of a single release. The meat of the album is feasted upon in the form of five double-digit tracks that weave their way through doomy sludge but never fully give themselves away. Skip to any given moment and you don’t know if you’re going to be confronted with a blackened barrage, an eerie acoustic diversion or a slow-fuse of Deep South-inspired drudgery. Breathers come in the form of Americana passages that take a break from the doom and gloom and give you a chance to relax in the eye of the storm before the cyclonic winds pick up again.

Photos by Karen A. Mann

Upon my first listen, the diversity and dynamic approach of the tracks left me unsure of what was fully taking place. There’s just so much to digest. The continually rising and falling tension spellbinds you as you wait for the moments when chaos unfolds in a most satisfying manner. It's rare to find slow music that can increase your heart rate and keep you on edge; at times I was left physically nervous. But providing such an emotional and engaging ride is precisely what makes an artist great.

The highlight of the album is the last quarter hour. “Love Absolute” works in partnership with the beginning of the final, titular track to prepare you for the absolute onslaught of the album’s end. Caution is thrown to the wind as Inter Arma end Sky Burial with frenetic, interplaying riffs that build off one another until exploding into a cacophony of never-ending fills and catchy melodic flourishes. You’re left in an eerily calm state, unsure of the madness that was unleashed… and you can’t wait to experience it again.

Splits by Coffinworm / Fistula - Kowloon Walled City / Thou

Art by Kuba Sokólski

Hell Comes Home is a pretty specialized label. Their entire output consists of a series of 7" split singles released on vinyl and on Bandcamp. Featuring new and unreleased song by established, and up and coming acts from around the globe. Like Dephosphorus, Pyramido, Fight Amp, The Fucking Wrath, and Coffinworm, Fistula, Kowloon Walled City, Thou. The latter four bands share duties on two of my favorites in the series.

The Coffinworm / Fistula split is basically some of the heaviest shit you'll ever hear. Pummeling doomy sludge from Coffinworm; an incredible menacing track. And Fistula, a track that twists and turns giving it an progressive feel, while still delivering the sublimely crushing sludge they are known for.

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The Kowloon Walled City / Thou split features two cover songs. Kowloon Walled City performs June, a song by slowcore act Low. The combination of airy clean vocals from indie artist Lisa Papineau on top of sludgy riffs is frankly, quite lovely. Thou does an excellent version of Soundgarden's 4th Of July. Heavier than the original, sludgier off course, and with creepy blackened vocals in additional to very Chris Cornell sounding cleans (I have embedded both songs below, because 4th Of July is set to be the featured track on the Bandcamp).

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

The stylish artwork to the series is by Polish artist Kuba Sokólski. You can view all the covers here. Lisa Papineau is also on Bandcamp. Her music is quirky, pleasant and entirely non-metal.

Planks - Funeral Mouth

Review by Aaron Sullivan.


After the release of The Darkest Greys/Solicit To Fail album I was hooked as a Planks fan. Their take on Sludge was exactly what I love. So when I heard of the release of the new album Funeral Mouth, I was anxious to see where they would take it next.

Atmosphere is what they are going for on this one. Allowing song to breathe and feel open. The trademarks one loves about the band are still there. Grinding guitars, throbbing bass lines and pounding drums. Vocals are still barked and the aggression is still there. They have just found a new way of delivering it, and done what Neurosis found out long ago: Putting something soft next to the heavy makes it much heavier.

Planks has seen a lot of progression in it’s short time as a band. Starting as a Hardcore influenced Sludge band, they began adding Black Metal and Doom elements to later albums. This one adds the element of Atmosphere with great effect. Who knows what future albums will bring in terms of style. It’s just good to see a band want to expand their sound with each release

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Dead to a Dying World - Dead to a Dying World

By Aaron Sullivan.. Blackened Sludge is sub-genre that has seen some growth in the last year. Bands like Wolvhammer, Coffinworm, Lord Mantis, and handful of others leading the way.

By Aaron Sullivan.

Artwork by Bryan K. Ward

Blackened Sludge is sub-genre that has seen some growth in the last year. Bands like Wolvhammer, Coffinworm, Lord Mantis, and handful of others leading the way. Hailing from Texas Dead to a Dying World have thrown their hat in the ring, and like so many things that come from Texas, it is a big one.

EPIC! That word alone is what keeps coming up when describing this band to people. With only three song totaling over 40 minutes there is a lot to take in. Not satisfied with the usual instruments to create such music, they add an upright bass and cello into the mix making this a seven person band. Again, everything about this is big. With so many instruments you would think it could be chaotic, but in fact it is anything but. Songs are streamlined. The production (by Kylesa’s Phillip Cope) is done in a way that no one instrument dominate over the others. Each instrument is able to add layers to make the songs fuller. The cello is utilized at times as though it were the lead guitar. Songs sound and feel so triumphant and epic they at times give off the vibe of Symphonic Black Metal. This band does more in three songs than some bands do in entire albums, but there is not a wasted note on this album.

Blackened Sludge is still in its infancy as a growing sub-genre. But with bands thinking outside the box the way these guys do and expanding what is possible in the genre, the future looks very bright.

Wolvhammer - The Obsidian Plains

Review by Andy Osborn.


Wolvhammer was another great 2011 addition to Profound Lore's roster. Unfortunately, with this release sandwiched between The Atlas Moth's critically acclaimed psychedelic stoner anthems and Leviathan's controversial album, The Obsidian Plains seemed to get lost in the ether and fall short of the praise it deserved.

Photo by Carmelo Española

This is urban black metal. It's a lifeless, concrete-grey, devoid of life and filthy beyond hope. The Minneapolis quartet aren't "post" or "gaze" anything, throwing down slabs of blackened sludge riffs that crush your skull and warp your mind. Adam Clemans' horse screams form a blistering inferno over the punk-ish verses and brilliantly placed guitar solos. The songs generally follow the same pattern of medium-paced fist pounding that become increasingly infections before suddenly turning to upbeat jams that kick your teeth in. Second track "Writhe" is mid-tempo madness that's angry in the best possible way; it makes you want to bang your head against the rotting corpse of an abandoned warehouse, raging against the bleak emptiness around you. Only the closer "The Sentinals" breaks this mold by turning it down a couple bpms and suddenly ending the album by pounding away at your psyche, leaving you lost and confused.

If you ever wonder if there's any great USBM you've missed in the past couple years and notice this gem isn't in your collection, do yourself a favor and add it.

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Lord Mantis - Pervertor

Artwork by Justin Bartlett

Pervertor, the new album by Lord Mantis has been released on the Candlelight Records Bandcamp. The is blackened sludge, but it also more than that. The use of noise, the way some of the vocals are processed. The mechanical riffing on some of the songs, with the drums playing against the rhythm. The keyboard noise/flash on Levia, combined with the desperate screaming. Industrial blackened sludge makes no sense, bu there are black machinations at play here. Read the review from Last Rites and check it out.

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Lord Mantis debut full-length Spawning The Nephilim is available on the Seventh Rule Recordings Bandcamp.