2019

Vile Spirit – Promo 2019 [UK, Punk / Metal] (2019)

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Quality Control HQ | 1-21-19

I do not even know where to put this so Ill just throw it on the counter and let anyone pick it up if they want to. I have to say I love the color red as I feel it works really well for any album covers. The front of this promo is an example as it exemplifies the visceral qualities of music that is caught between hardcore punk and slow death. Perhaps one of the better examples is the longest track on this promo as “Bite Down” revels in the chaos of noise before lurching into a disjointed march across what I feel could be a wasteland strewn with corpses and nuclear waste. There are few genres this neatly fits into but it perfect music for the apocalypse.

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Gwoid – Gwoid V – Oiwei Fuat In d’Nacht [Germany, Raw Black / Noise] (2019)

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Self Released | 1-29-19

This is wild. This is also something I am starting to really enjoy despite all its attempts to repel listeners. Gwoid is one person raw black / power electronics outfit who has released 4 serialized self titled demos in 2018. Gwoid V is the first for 2019 which alludes to a year full of harrowing black noise. Structurally, Gwoid oscillates between distant black metal and the ever growing collapse of music under the pressure of noise and chaos. Gwoid V is more apart of the black metal family tree than power electronics which is important as one who enjoys raw black could potentially find enjoyment in 18 minute long tracks of chaos. If logos are any indication of the music contained within, Gwoid is erratic, confusing, harrowing, and capable of drawing blood.

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Sadomagickal Seducer – Testicular Torture [Canada, Black / Doom / Punk] (2019)

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Hellhammered Media | 01-31-19

Alright to be completely honest, this EP came out in 2018. It was released sometime in March of last year independently. This is a cassette rerelease by Hellhammered Media. By the looks of it, this band had some recognition upon their initial release but that doesn’t matter since I am writing about this again. Why? Because it is gorgeous in its vileness. Black / Punk is one of my weaknesses and Sadomagickal Seducer style of punk is hypnotic in its tone whose guitars sound menacing and slightly drunk. Add to this the liberal use of synth and we have something I can scare loved ones with. Though the cover is goofier than the original black / pink version and it is really a 2018 release, I am still going to rave about it and call it whatever I want.

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Defacement – Deviant [Netherlands, Death / Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 1-19-19

And so this break a nice running streak of black and white covers. It is okay. This is completely worth it. It is nice to get surprised and even knocked down by a sound. Defacement seems to be the new band created by members of a black metal outfit called Deathcrush. While I only listened to a few songs from Deathcrush, I feel the direction of this new outfit is much more appealing to a wider audience. Who is that audience? Well, people who like to hear nightmarish terror in musical form. From song titles, to the abstract cover, Defacement offers inexplicable unease which can not be described or discussed rather just embraced in swirling madness. This is a release which is both simple in its execution and cavernous in its success.

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Heinous – Demo [Belgium, Black] (2019)

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Medieval Prophecy Records | 1-10-18

another day, another black and white demo. Jokes aside, this shit rules and it took me a little bit to crack into the depths in which this Belgian act offers. We are also right at the beginning of a career which seems to offer swirling black metal which far from produced is still easily to discern and surprisingly enough easy to approach. With declarative vocals that are gruff and festering but not repellent, this demo might be one of the easier avenues into the grim world of lesser known black metal demos. I could also be wrong and way off course but Ill have a soundtrack to accompany my madness.

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Porcha – Demo [Russia, Raw Black] (2019)

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Self Released | 1-13-19

I am sometimes hesitant to put the “raw” in from of black metal when describing music as it often comes down to a subjective judgmental what is processed and what is not. I believe we can all agree which side this Porcha demo falls. If someone disagrees with me, I would love to see something else that is less structured, chaotic, and fucked up. Seriously, this isn’t a challenge, it is a request as I love this type of music which borders on the collapse of structure and nears being a concept rather than something to listen to. I do not even know if I enjoy this but it certainly is something to stop and gawk at like a horrific car accident.

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Father Moon – 2 [Canada, Doom] (2019)

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Self Released | 1-13-19

This is not usually the type of music featured on this site. I do not think this type of music is really featured anywhere. I do not know what this is. It is weird and I love it. Father Moon is a Canadian act which seems to take its cues from Nightfall era Candlemass but the drug fueled days of Sabbath. The result is something that more difficult to explain but easy to enjoy. Additionally the near DIY production and presentation is something which makes this EP feel like a flea market discovery of the year since it is difficult to understand what is exactly happening. Come confused, leave delighted.

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Skrawl – Nil [US, Black / Punk] (2019)

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Knife Vision | 1-13-19

Hello again Knife vision. I see you are looking particularly grim and vile today. It was only a week ago I stumbled on the Arnor demo and a whole page of interesting looking things. Now it is time for Skrawl and but the opening crash of black punk, this is something I can sign up for and enlist in whatever army they are forming. The recent influx of new black / punk bands as some nightmarish manifestation of raw torment is something that has never stopped being fun and horrid sounding. Skrawl continues this journey into the groovy madness with a sound that is like kicking televisions and an aesthetic that I want to put on a patch right away. It is only the first month of 2019 and Knife Vision needs to stop being so cool otherwise I am going to look silly when I keep writing about these releases.

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Vomit Spell – Demo [Germany, Death / Grindcore] (2019)

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Self Released | 1-2-19

What a name. I love everything about it. I love the artwork and the fact it is a bandcamp demo that will later have a cassette release. I love the energy and the fact that I was clued into the release by the creator via email. Vomit Spell is a newish act from Germany that combines both the ferocity and irreverence of grindcore and the raw approach of death metal. The result is everything you have wanted combined with an aesthetic that is less innovative than it is tested and true. According to the Discogs page the demo was “recorded in the band’s rehearsal room between September and December of 2018.” We are just going back to all basics with this one. This is the staring point for all things festering. There are hazy boundaries when something is decomposing and giving off an awful stench. Come for death. Come for speed. Come for the decay of offal from an unidentified source.

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Arnor – All Eyes to the Frontline [US, Black] (2019)

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Knife Vision | 1-12-19

I do not really know. I do not know about a lot of things. I do not know why I missed these Knife Vision releases seeing they have been out since 2014. I do not know where Arnor is from but I am going to guess the US. I do not know what the rest of this release sounds like as it comes out in a few days. I do not know a lot of things about Knife Vision but I wish I knew more. All Eyes to the Frontline is the perfect release to focus on as I unlock this grim mystery box.

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