SYNCHRONY: Music News, Week in Review & Upcoming Releases (8/28/20)

SYNCHRONY is a weekly feature focusing on relevant heavy music news, new releases, upcoming releases, as well as a week in review to help folks keep up with all of the content on Grizzly Butts. This’ll also include a list of upcoming releases and some preliminary notes on upcoming reviews or coverage. If I can’t hear it, I won’t cover it! If you have New Releases, show announcements, or important heavy music news that’ll be relevant or interesting to folks contact me at: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com


THIS WEEK IN NEWS (8/22/20 – 8/28/20)

  • Fairly new US-based label Rubeus Obex are spreading the word of their latest release from Uppsala, Sweden-based avant-garde (Roman Catholic?) elektro-abstracted black metal typhoon REVERORUM IB MALACHT and their album ‘Vad Är Inte Sju Huvud?‘. The double vinyl LP release comes as a limited (300 copies) white variant with the numbers split between Le Narthécophore label (for European folks) Rubeus Obex and come copies through The Ajna Offensive. This is more of a signal boost prior to finishing a review for this incredibly complex and fearsome devotional record from the unique project. [MORE INFO]
  • Polish deathgrind act HOSTIA have announced the upcoming release of their second full-length album ‘Carnivore Carnival‘ — Due out September 18th on CD and limited vinyl via Deformeathing Productions. This record is an absolute cannon blast of roaring noise and a really satisfying drum sound anchors the ~1 minute grinder they’ve teased the released with “Slaves”, check it out over on Bandcamp: [MORE INFO]
  • Death worship, lust, psychotic terror, and more forward-thinking surrealistic music from German death metal band ARROGANZ who continue to thrill the mind with anticipation as their latest album ‘Morsus‘ creeps forth. This week they’ve premiered a video for “Sleepless Forever”, a dramatic ringing piece that has the aftertaste of a murderer’s remorse. A chilling piece for a highly anticipated album which arrives October 2nd 2020 via Supreme Chaos Records. Check out the video for “Sleepless Forever” over on YouTube: [MORE INFO]
  • Hail! Hail to any band pushing the limits of true heavy metal with ground-breaking art, and yes I am specifically referring to the two pairs of tits that grace the cover art for ETERNAL CHAMPION‘s highly anticipated second album ‘Ravening Iron‘ which has been announced for release via No Remorse Records/Sword Worship this November 20th. CD and LP editions are planned along with a special box set option. Of course I kid about the boobs on the glorious Ken Kelly cover art but I’m serious about the anticipation for this record and damn, does this catchy synth-tingling epic first single/title track “Ravening Iron” satisfy. Check out the lyric video on YouTube: [MORE INFO]
  • Stamp ’em out, neck first! Invictus Productions slaps the coffin lid open and throttles a fist of their latest ooze via OCCULT BURIAL‘s Satanic speed metal panic this October 30th when ‘Burning Eerie Lore’ arrives! This long awaited howling mass of arrives on four labels depending on territory and format: Invictus has Europe covered for CD and vinyl LP formats. Electric Assault Records / Stygian Black Hand are covering the vinyl in the United States, and Temple of Mystery Records will put out the CD and cassettes for Canada. The band’s previous album ‘Hideous Obscure’ was pretty unholy stuff so, get ready for the obsidian shatter of the Bathory-meets-Exciter first single “Highway Through Borderland”. Keen as Hell on this one, check it out on Bandcamp: [MORE INFO]
  • Svart Records have announced the latest album from former Ghost/In Solitude guitarist HENRIK PALM entitled ‘Poverty Metal’ due out October 16th this year. The first single from the album “Nihilist” is up for preview today. Chill rock, a bit of gloom, easy moving post-punk n’ roll beat with some stunning hooks that develop into a frenzy by the mid point of the song. Excessive design, flamboyant expression, and yet all in really fine form. Looking forward to the full album. [MORE INFO]
  • Testimony Records have announced the signing of Turkish melodic death metal band CIDESPHERE for their second album ‘Dawn Of A New Epoch‘ due out this November 13th. The band recently reformed in 2018 after a fourteen year split so, you might not remember their debut album ‘Interment…’ from 2002 but the style here is somewhat different either way, more fluid and modern in most respects. No song preview just yet but for now we’re granted a teaser for new music over on YouTube: [MORE INFO]
  • Hell’s Headbangers Records have debuted the first single, “The New Barbarians”, from CHILDREN OF TECHNOLOGY‘s third album ‘Written Destiny‘ in the form of a music video over on YouTube. The infamous Italian metalpunk band have been fairly quiet these last six or so years so this comes highly anticipated. So far we’ve got a month of release, this November, on all formats. The song has a nice kick to it and you can tell they had fun with the video, simple as it is. The melodic lead and catchy ’85 scratch of the song sound like a pretty sure thing considering the quality these guys have brought in the past. Check out the video for “The New Barbarians” over on YouTube: [MORE INFO]
  • Carnal Records have announced they will release ‘Requiem‘, the latest album from Swedish black metal artist SVARTSYN due out this coming October 30th. Active in the Stockholm-area since 1991 the legacy of this project is indomitable yet approachable now spanning ten albums. Cover art from fine artist Chadwick St. John has been revealed alongside a preview track, “Inner Demonic Rise”, which is available over on YouTube: [MORE INFO]
  • NOTABLE ALBUMS AT PRESS THIS WEEK FROM: Malicious, Wombripper, Funeral Harvest, Cynabare Urne, Svartsyn, Occult Burial, Svabhavat, Marche Funebre, Plague Organ, Juodvarnis, Journey into Darkness, Thanatopsis, Big Blood, Prana Crafter, Anna Von Hausswolff, Furnace, Hagathorn, Spectrum of Delusion, Blood Red Fog, Kimono Drag Queens, Son of Boar, Entorx, Hostia, Subterraen, and several more. Look for coverage in the near future. Don’t see your album listed? Send it to me: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

GRIZZLY BUTTS‘ WEEK IN REVIEW (8/22/20 – 8/28/20)

FEATURES:

  • …From the Tomb 8/24/20: “…and yet the illusion continues to exist.”
    • This year Ten From the Tomb changes to …From the Tomb and is no longer limited to ten releases. It will post every Monday with a list of at least ten new releases coming out during that current week and a short review will be included for each one.
    • This week I chose to cover 15 New Releases from August 21st-August 29th. Apologies if some of the reviews are short, I only covered about a third of the albums of note releasing this week — It is a bit crowded with fantastic black metal!
    • Favorites: Panzerfaust, Poema Arcanvs, Over the Voids…, Hadron.
  • An early stream of GUTVOID’s ‘Astral Bestiary’ + Interview (2020) | PREMIERE
    • Grateful for the opportunity to start to get to know Canadian death metal band Gutvoid and introduce more folks to this exciting brand of death metal, which has a bit of Demigod’s cosmic soul and some sharp death/doom atmosphere.
    • Support the band if you can and grab a CD or cassette of ‘Astral Bestiary’, which releases on physical media for the first time today (August 28th) They’ll hopefully have a full-length this year or next.
  • Death, perception, dreams and ambition. A conversation with BEDSORE (2020) | INTERVIEW
    • I’ve huge enthusiasm for Bedsore’s debut album ‘Hypnagogic Hallucinations’, it is one of the most important death metal releases of the year and worthy of a 10/10 rating on my part. If any record can give Sweven’s debut a bit of a fight for Album of the Year, it is this one. So, I’d decided to interview the band and learn a bit more about them since they’re fairly new and the album’s themes are truly compelling.
    • Thanks to the band for putting up with my process and giving thoughtful answers. I know e-mail interviews are time consuming “homework” for most young men.

REVIEWS

Big releases this week from Necrot, Radiant Knife, Töxik Death, Frostvore, Svederna, Ominous Resurrection, Soulcaster, Panzerfaust, Plague Organ, Bastard Priest and I’ve just cracked into Blood Red Fog‘s latest, which is also very good. Otherwise this week: Metalheads should stop talking about Ulver as if they’d been metal beyond 1997, Venomous Concept‘s album is killer but they’ll never top the violence of ‘Retroactive Abortion’ in my mind, and Intoxicated‘s ‘Walled’ EP is pretty righteous as a mix of death-thrashing punk but I haven’t given it full attention just yet. And finally make sure you don’t miss the latest Macabre Omen EP, ‘Anamneses’, which collects some B-sides which were all from the same sessions in 2019 but made it on several smaller split releases as well as some re-recordings from the 1996 ‘Olympus’ demo. Alexandros’ work is vital, especially if you are a fan of Greek black metal and all things it has touched over the last three decades. I’ve also reviewed a video game (Nioh 2) for the first time in many, many months so bear with me, I tried to be less cynical this time around… Note: Reviews for Svederna, Ages, and Frostvore coming this weekend or early next week. Have to tend to August’s Top 20 List first.

VOID ROT – Descending Pillars (2020) | REVIEW
ATRAMENTUS – Stygian (2020) | REVIEW
RADIANT KNIFE – The Body (2020) | REVIEW
OBSECRATION – Onwards the Mystic Paths of the Dead (2020) | REVIEW
SADISTIC DRIVE – Anthropophagy (2020) | REVIEW
CYTOTOXIN – Nuklearth (2020) | REVIEW
Nioh 2 (2020) | REVIEW

SOULCASTER – Maelstrom of Death and Steel (Dying Victims Productions)

RELEASED/RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK (8/22/20 – 8/31/20)

NOTE: This small sample includes overlooked releases that are either not yet reviewed or covered but nonetheless recommended. Some of these will still be featured in other coverage. An asterisk (*) indicates that a review is drafted or in preparation. A plus (+) indicates that the album has already been reviewed. Click/Tap on RECORD LABEL name for preview, stream, or store.


DESOLATOR – Sermon of Apathy (Black Lion Records)

UPCOMING RELEASES (9/01/20 – 9/04/20)

NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list, some titles are already reviewed and/or covered and some have yet to enter the final queue for consideration and processing. An asterisk (*) indicates that a review is drafted or in preparation. A plus (+) indicates that the album has already been reviewed. Click/Tap on RECORD LABEL name for preview, stream, or store.


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