New Releases:
October 5th, 2018
In addition to the monolithic Beastland from industrial mastermind Author & Punisher, there are at least four noteworthy albums being released today. Let's take a look at what this first weekend in October has in store for our eardrums.
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High on Fire - Electric Messiah
Oakland, CA's legendary legendary sludge/thrash/cannabis enthusiasts are at it again with their eighth record, nine tracks of stoned, face-melting headbangers described by Matt Pike as "one stream of High on Fire consciousness." With a dynamic contrast between faced-paced rippers like "Electric Messiah" or "Spewn from the Earth" and the epic "Steps of the Ziggurat/House of Enlil" which Pike refers to as his very own rock opera, Electric Messiah is some of High on Fire's most energetic work in years, and proves once again that the group is as consistently fantastic as ever.
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The record is out now on Entertainment One Music. You can order it here, or stream it now on Spotify
Windhand - Eternal Return
It's been three years since Richmond, VA stoner/doom favorites Windhand released their last LP, Grief's Infernal Flower; at last they have made their triumphant return with their fourth record, Eternal Return. The band's latest offering provides listeners with the band's trademark crushingly slow haze on massive tracks like "Eyeshine" and album closer "Feather" - clocking in at 11 and 13 minutes, respectively - but also picks up the pace considerably for the first time in Windhand's discography with a mid-tempo stomp on "Red Cloud" and "Diablerie". The group even went as far as to toss in an acoustic interlude with track three, "Pilgrim's Rest." This is undoubtedly the widest range Windhand has displayed within a single record: as the group hoist themselves out of the bog, they present as of yet unseen faces to their compositions, displaying an exciting progression in their sound.
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Eternal Return is out today on Relapse Records. You can order the record via the band's website, or stream it now on Bandcamp.
Behemoth - I Loved You at Your Darkest
Arriving hot on the heels of their most recent live album, Messe Noire, Polish blackened death metal (deathened black metal?) veterans Behemoth have unleashed their latest studio effort, I Loved You at Your Darkest, named for a biblical quote from none other than Jesus Christ himself. Witness frontman and songwriter Nergal indulging in his signature grandiose sense of anti-religious irony, going perhaps a little too far over the top this time around with track titles such as "God = Dog", and "Ecclesia Diobolica Catholica". Despite the album's theatrically evil sense of showmanship, I Loved You at Your Darkest is an undoubtedly fantastic album, true to Behemoth's unique brand of heresy.
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Released via Metal Blade in the US and Nuclear Blast in Europe, you can order the album on Behemoth's website, and stream it in full on Youtube (shhh, it's unofficial).
Mutilated by Zombies - Scripts of Anguish
Today's final release comes from a relatively obscure, yet extremely talented up-and-coming group. Cleveland's Mutilated by Zombies is a meat-and-potatoes death metal band, citing old school Floridian bands such as Deicide and Cryptopsy as major influences. According to Decibel, the band "focuses on meaty riffs, growled vocals and a machine-like rhythm section. Mutilated by Zombies don’t reinvent the wheel, nor do they want to; the gore-obsessed crew do an above-average job at dealing angular riffs, deep vocals and blasting at high speeds." Need I say more?
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Scrips of Anguish can be purchased or streamed in full via Redefining Darkness's Bandcamp page.
Posted October 5th, 2018