United Kingdom

Axis of Light – Axis of Light [UK, Black] (2020)

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Self Released | 6-1-20

I remember first hearing Axis of Light on the Fallen Empire/SVN OKKLT compilation in 2013. Incidentally that was my first exposure to the type of raw black that I still appreciate today. The first three songs on that compilation were a shredding combination of Axis of Light, Witch in Her Tomb, and Death Fortress. Almost ten years old, Fallen Empire and the rest of its roster has moved on to other things with some of them being tremendous. Axis of Light’s newest EP gives me the same type of feeling I had in 2013 even though it is a new decade and we have both seen so much. With only one song shared, the harsh veil of noise is still present though with melodic and almost post black (?) hooks hiding in the back. The band’s page is directing all proceeds to charity and all signs are pointing to a great EP that is going to cast a net of nostalgic noise.

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Runecaster – The Scarlet Kingdom [UK(?), Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Cosmic Ocean | 5-1-20

I think it was listening to the track “Scrying at The Clear Fountain,” that I went from mildly pleased with The Scarlet Kingdom to purchasing the tape and getting really excited over this act. Imagine my surprise to learn that this is the second tape this year for Runecaster as it continues the jaunty synthscapes of the debut but in a more mellow dreamlike kingdom. In fact, Runecaster’s grip on lo-fi lullabies transform The Scarlet Kingdom from a decent idiosyncratic fantasy synth record to one of the better releases of the year. This came out of nowhere and I am trying to stay calm.

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Abduction – Cyclopean Thunderbolt [UK, Black] (2020)

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Goatprayer Recordalbum s | 5-20-20

I remember being absolutely smitten with Abduction’s 2019 All Pain as All Pain as Penance a cathartic dive into noisy black metal. Now, without much preamble comes a blinding demo with perhaps the coolest name all year. Cyclopean Thunderbolt is a mess of ruminating atmosphere and a production that sounds like a witch loosely chained to the walls of a cellar. I say loosely as the bonds which bind her are breaking and the threat is becoming more of a reality. these are the things I think about when enveloped in throaty vocals and towering guitar lines. This is everything I need at the moment.

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The Shakespearean Frog – Handkerchief Soap [UK, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 4-13-20

Comfy Synth was a small micro genre in an already micro genre and consisted of artists embracing a light yet intimate sound for their releases. The aesthetic was pointed to a pastoral/cottage setting and invoked scenes of nurture and and comfort. Most of it was less than average production put out at the same rate as most dungeon synth which was a lot. Dungeon synth has a tendency to embrace and run with titles and comfy synth can certainly act as a style within a genre much like winter synth, forest ambient, dark ambient, chip synth, and dungeon noise. The Shakespearean Frog used the tag comfy synth which made me dump a diatribe but outside of any assumptions, Handkerchief Soap is a wonderful vintage style string album that is just as magical as any other dungeon synth. Handkerchief Soap was released in the same month as its followup Elite Toilet Soap which despite its odd name is just as warm and inviting as the first. Come get a blanket and sit by the fire.

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Sunken Grove – Precious Solitude [Wales, Dungeon Synth] (2020)

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Self Released | 4-10-20

I feel if we are going to take away anything from dungeon synth, it is the resurgence of hand drawn covers. Precious Solitude is the first offering from a Welsh (?) composer who is using this time to make a very quiet introduction. The cover is indicative of a release that is teeming with intimate moments a wash with dreamy lo fi synth. The tags for this release range from “forest ambient” to “winter synth” to “minimalist” and for once, I feel all of these descriptions are accurate for a record that is introspective and escapist for the artist and their audience.

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Hexivoid – Disdain From A Burning Cosmos [UK, Black] (2019)

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AHPN Records | 2-19-19

Alright, lets get fucking weird. It takes a special album to break my visual obsession with black and white JCard covers that feature rotting corpses. It also takes a special album that is going to rip my attention away from rotting death metal that sounds like it shoveled from the floor of an abattoir. This is it. One of the weirdest things I have heard all month and it is not just noise or left field black rather something that just pulses oddities from the cover to the bedroom style laboratory which makes up the bulk of its music. Disdain From A Burning Cosmos is a journey and one that can be enjoyed by a majority of people if they leave a few things at the floor. In here, production is meaningless, band members play everything, and all pageantry when it comes to visual design melts in a peyote vision quest. Fuck it all, lets get fucking weird.

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Torso – Demonic Vomiting [UK, Death / Black] (2019)

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Me Saco Un Ojo Records | 2-21-19

This is so fucking gross. I do not even know where this band is from or if they are from 2019 or if there is any black metal in this tornado of filth that is devastating everything in front of it. Demonic Vomiting may only interest the few who can stomach gross imagery but what separates Torso from the other depraved brutal death metal bands is a knack for filling their atmosphere with killer riffs and having a general attitude which is cool rather than twisted and edgy. It maybe a line that is not necessary for others but those who want that vile downpour but can stand the sound of brutal death, maybe interested more in this demo.

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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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Cryptworm – Verminosis [UK, Death] (2018)

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Self Released | 4-30-18

All hail Bulldozer Death! This is my personal tag for music that sounds like an unmanageable amount of gravesoil pushed onto a listener at once which slowly becomes their demise. This is what Cryptworm sounds like and it is as fun as it is intimidating. Following their well received 2017 demo, released on Goatpryaer, Cryptworm sets out by themselves to deliver ten tons of gravesoil on hapless victims.

From the beginning of this 11 minute EP to the very end, Cryptworm rarely takes time to rest. No intros, no ambiance, no space to breathe, Verminosis could be the definition of “straight and to the fucking point.” While this EP lacks the atmosphere of other rotting death bands of recent years, Cryptworm makes up for it with some wild and ascertaining riffs combined with the smack to the face with a tombstone attitude. Also the pick slide on “Cadaveric Flesh Engorgement” was one of the most fun experiences I had all day. All hail the sundering of life.

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Cist – The Frozen Casket [Russia, Death / Thrash] (2018)

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Camo Pants Records | 3-16-18

I do not think I have so thoroughly entertained with music while being baffled by the name of the record label. Camo Pants Records is either a goofy name with no meaning or some hidden tongue and cheek reference to death metal fashion. I think I spend so much time discussing this aspect as Cist’ Frozen Casket is the inaugural release for the UK label and if subsequent records are going to be as good, then we need to get this name thing worked out.

Cist is a Russian outfit with an unabashed infatuation with 90’s US death metal and 80’s European thrash. I know this because their Bandcamp page states they are “high speed, manic, death thrash, forged through an uncompromising meld of eighties era Tampa death metal and aggressive European style thrash.” Cool, we know where to start. Pestilence, Death, Solstice, and Obituary are all ghosts which hang around this newcomer and by the sounds of their first EP, this band nails everything about the sound. Though I usually applaud bands for not becoming too absorbed in costume, my love for old school death eclipses everything else and songs like “Antisceptic” are sugary and sewery in its enjoyment.

I still have no idea what the record label name means but I am willing to waive them through as long as things like The Frozen Casket keep getting produced. Camo Pants and Cist make a strong declaration for the beginning of the year and provides a wonderful soundtrack for Valentines Day. This holiday, spend it in the arms of 90’s era death / thrash and die a thousand times.

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