Ancst - Ghosts of the Timeless Void

By Hera Vidal. With seventeen releases under their belt, Ancst is one of the more prolific bands I have encountered. With their blend of crust, black metal, and political lyricism, this band have been making a statement about

By Hera Vidal.


With seventeen releases under their belt, Ancst is one of the more prolific bands I have encountered. With their blend of crust, black metal, and political lyricism, this band have been making a statement about who they are since their inception. Ghosts of the Timeless Void is no exception to their DIY aesthetic and fast pace, but what caught my attention about this release is how melodic it is. Underneath the layers of hardcore, crust, black metal, and other influences that fully flesh out the album, there is also a stark melody that cannot be missed.

Ghost of the Timeless Void starts off with reverbing guitars and backing synth-like tones that give the listener a moment to brace themselves before the music launches into blast beats and harsh vocals. The music is relentless, but it is very clear that there is a melody line that makes the music not as harsh as it should sound. It allows the album to be seamless, missing no beats as the songs transition. It also gives them room to experiment, whether it is with the spoken vocals at the beginning of “Republic of Hatred” or the atmospheric yet slow pacing of “Dysthymia”. The music is varied, a testament to the expert musicianship the band has. There are also hints of dissonance that seem to blur together – for example, in “Sanctity”, the vocals mesh with the music, allowing the listener to get disconnected for a bit. However, just as quickly, the track is able to pull the listener back into their headspace, and it goes without a hitch.

Another thing about Ghosts that caught my attention was its production value. While my experience with hardcore has been limited, I have not enjoyed what I’ve listened to. However, because of the influences the album has, Ghosts makes the crust and hardcore digestible and accessible. Everything about Ghosts is clean, masterful, and dynamic, conveying layers of experimentation that sound incredibly polished. It’s also an earworm, allowing the music to get stuck in your head as you listen to it again and again. This is definitely an album that can be enjoyed multiple times in one sitting, and it never gets old.

All in all, Ghosts of the Timeless Void is an album filled with hard-hitting music, clean production, and relentless energy. Their experimentation may be something new for old fans of the band, but new listeners will appreciate how focused this album is. The band is truly committed to their sound and aesthetic, reminding us that even the more inexperienced of us can enjoy music as it comes.

Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology

By Calen Henry. Having already cornered the market for space slug themed melodic blackened progressive death metal, Slugdge unleash their fourth full-length, Esoteric Malacology (Malacology being the branch of zoology that deals with mollusks).

By Calen Henry.


Having already cornered the market for space slug themed melodic blackened progressive death metal, Slugdge unleash their fourth full-length, Esoteric Malacology (Malacology being the branch of zoology that deals with mollusks).

Through their first three records (available as the compendium, The Cosmic Cornucopia for $1), Slugdge developed their unique subject matter and sound. They take common Lovecraftian tropes and make them (more) ridiculous while preserving the self-serious presentation so common in metal. Mollusca, the intergalactic space slug god has come to cleanse humanity and save it from itself. Praise Mollusca!

The silly lyrics and parody song titles give away the tongue in cheek subject matter, but the music is no joke. On top of the death / black metal sound they layer extended range riffs, flowing Mastodon style leads, and clean harmony vocals all effortlessly pulled together to create a unique sound.

Esoterica Malacology doesn't change the formula, but it shows the band employing it with more focus and finesse. Rather than sounding like their influences excellently arranged and combined, they've transcended them to create their own signature sound. They've trimmed the fat and really doubled down on the best aspects of previous records.

Right out of the gate, with "War Squids", the album rips. There's no ambient build like on Dim and Slimeridden Kingdoms. Throughout the album the drums and riffs are faster and more complex with lots of strange rhythms. More of the riffs utilize the extended range of the guitars and there is more tapping and sweep picking as well as more use of melodic vocals. It sounds tighter than before and makes for a more cohesive record.

Production has also been radically improved, especially the dynamic range. Up to Gastronomicon the dynamic range was completely brickwalled. Esoteric Malacology is DR 8, giving the music much more room to breathe than any of the previous albums. It does wonders for the band's sound which is rarely simple and benefits hugely from being able to hear all the different parts.

Ultimately Slugdge are still Slugdge, which is fantastic. The band tapped into a unique sound and aren't afraid to lift the veil of metal seriousness. Esoterica Malacology is the purest distillation of that, and their best record yet.

Clawing - Spectral Estate

By Craig Hayes. Fair warning, Spectral Estate, the full-length debut from dark noise trio Clawing, is a hard listen. Psychologically, Spectral Estate is akin to a walking nightmare, where bad dreams are mangled and then magnified

By Craig Hayes.

Artwork by Stephen Wilson.

Fair warning, Spectral Estate, the full-length debut from dark noise trio Clawing, is a hard listen. Psychologically, Spectral Estate is akin to a walking nightmare, where bad dreams are mangled and then magnified to become truly tormenting visions. Spectral Estate tells a haunting story, backed by tenebrous sonics, but what the soul-scouring album speaks of most is just how painful and debilitating the burdensome memories that plague us all can be.

Spectral Estate is a catastrophic horrorshow. It’s a story of abuse, emotional devastation, and a malevolent ghost; and it’s terrifying in parts. But none of that is surprising given the creative history of Clawing’s band members. The Montgomery, Alabama-based band features spoken word poet Matt Finney, and Finney's been unearthing demons and battling monsters of the id in a number of collaborative endeavours over the years. (Most notably with Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Oleg Shpudeiko, who’s shaped stunning atmospheric drones around Finney's world-weary words via their much-acclaimed Heinali and Finney project.)

Also in Clawing is musician Austin Gaines. Last year, Gaines’ industrial/noise band Calques released the Civilizing album, which was unquestionably one of 2017’s most sadistic blasts of mind-wrecking anti-music. Civilizing fused raw punk, rawer black metal and disfiguring audio mayhem, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend the album if you’re a fan of ultra-abrasive underground music.

The third member of Clawing is artist, writer, and audio improviser Jeff McLeod. I'd never heard a note of McLeod's instinctual music before encountering Clawing. But the latest release on his Bandcamp page, The Universe, The Devil, The Hermit, is a lengthy synthesiser sojourn inspired by Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. Clearly, McLeod's interest in channelling darkness fits right in with Finney and Gaines' grim creative objectives.

Essentially, the three members of Clawing explore unnerving emotional undercurrents via macabre music-making. What’s unspoken but nonetheless evoked on Spectral Estate is just as important as what’s stated outright. And the album works brilliantly (and deeply unsettlingly) on both subliminal and conscious levels.

Tracks like "Mythology" and "Gourds" see Finney telling the bones of a wretched tale. And those songs find Gaines and McLeod blending ambient and strident noise through minimalist/maximalist processes to support Finney’s narrative tone. But Gaines and McLeod also build a far larger backdrop of sound throughout Spectral Estate. One that not only distorts sounds but also twists perceptions.

In fact, a giant, nerve-shredding canvas shrouds the entirety of Spectral Estate. The album deals with topics many of us are too afraid to confront, and Spectral Estate subsequently grows ever more discomfiting and distressing. Songs like "Coma", "A Clearing" and "Plastic Glowing Stars" are overflowing with stomach-churning dread. And where Finney's voice is absent for long periods on Spectral Estate, the unsettling music still tells a vivid tale while conjuring shocking scenes.

Everything you need to know about Spectral Estate is right is there in its stunning cover art, courtesy of Stephen Wilson (aka Unknown Relic). Wilson’s incredible sketch of a haunted house wrapped in the tendrils of trauma and torture –– fertilised, no doubt, by agony and grief –– perfectly encapsulates Spectral Estate’s tenor. Finney's harrowing story constructs the foundation and framework here. But it’s the music that enriches the fear, both real and imagined, encouraging those tendrils of horror to burst into bloom.

Like all of Finney's work so far, Spectral Estate ultimately deals in the gruesome reality of humanity. Fictional or not, his words often tell the ugliest truths. You don't need to believe in malevolent phantoms or supernatural beings to appreciate Clawing’s work either. Because they also remind us that we are a sickening enough species all on our own. We hate and we harm. We hurt and destroy. We are everything that Spectral Estate tells us, and more.

Spectral Estate is cathartic. But it isn’t an album for everyone. Clawing deliver waves of pitch-black, sinister noise –– as well more subtle soundscapes –– but the world they inhabit will just be too dark and too traumatic for some. Spectral Estate is a rite of passage. But therein lies its purpose. Because no genuine exorcism is ever painless. Least of all when we're casting out the deepest agonies that have been inflicted upon us.