SHORT REVIEWS Our third and final chunk of March 2022 releases finds us with at least a bit of non-metal stuff to dig through, though the ‘end of the month’ black metal surge is real. I’ve done my best to grab ahold of the most interesting stuff I come across while still presenting some decent variety here. These particular selections will cover stuff released between March 1st and 18th, the next column will feature releases from beyond that time period through the end of the month. If you find something you dig in the lot of ’em, go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase. The arts require your support and/or own contributions. If you’d like your music reviewed send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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Info:
ARTIST:	SAVAGE NECROMANCY
TITLE:	Feathers Fall to Flames
LABEL(S):	20 Buck Spin
RELEASE DATE:	March 18th, 2022

Alright, bestial black/death (war metal) review take #3704, slapping… er, ripping… Eh, trumpetous atomikk carnivoracious fistfukkin’, foe-possessing necromancers subverting Christ’s angelic whorespew one riff at a time Phoenix, Arizona-based trio Savage Necromancy arrive with their debut LP whipping some actual riffs into the fray, not really mucking about with it beyond a bit of a call-to-arms intro. ‘Feathers Fall to Flames‘ technically released last August on CD and a couple of sold out cassette runs so, this is for the sake of the vinyl (plus a new run of Cassettes and CDs) release which comes with a superior Chris Moyen piece for its cover art and, yeah I probably wouldn’t even mention this one if it didn’t have its own riffs-first, blast later angle on the niche. The big ‘reviewer’ statement here is eh, war metal only works when the artist isn’t betraying their instincts for the sake of flash or artistry and instead relies upon a sort of hardcore punk-esque knee-jerk throttle, an ability to plant surprises at every turn of riff-phrase within a very simple medium. It is clear that these folks have some extensive interest in not only bestial black/death, but evil thrash metal and early grindcore as their baseline primitivity. The result is a record that has some serious fire behind the eyes and one which plays a bit closer to the horn-guzzling goat-forward early classics in the sub-genre, stuff that still holds up because their muscle memory is that much more informed by actual primitive destruction.

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Info:
ARTIST:	KONTUSION
TITLE:	Demo/EP
LABEL(S):	Self-Released
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

From the unexpected Giallo synth of “Rotting Sickness” to the feedback scorched hammer of “Charred Remains” more than a few flashes of brilliance highlight this crust-kicked death metal Demo/EP from Iron Reagan guitarist Mark Bronzino and ex-Magrudergrind/Disciples of Christ drummer Chris Moore. Though the blustering vacuum of the full listen is yet a conceptual render in most respects anyone prone to gear up on extremist crust and old school death rides will appreciate the cavernous, noisome and yet still riff-capable realm they’ve achieved within these ~17 minutes. The synth/keyboard featured on a couple of these songs is genius in the sense that it echoes the late 80’s death metal underground obsession with horror, and this is probably the most redeeming angle they’ve applied here on this tape. The only jab I could take here is that the vocals feel like a placeholder, or, the only feature here which adds zero personality to an otherwise compelling sound.

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Info:
ARTIST:	NECROM
TITLE:	All Paths are Left Here…
LABEL(S):	Osmose Productions
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

Of course a band like Kharkiv, Ukraine-based death metal quartet Necrom are well worthy of a longform review but from my point of view the appeal and sound of this debut full-length is entirely straight forward, easily communicated with a quick glance and best benefits from an enthusiastic thumbs up. That said, the obvious talking points shouldn’t be ignored: A somewhat unique take on the well-worn territory of early 90’s Scandinavian death metal featuring members of Nokturnal Mortum, Mutanter, Horror God, and Elderblood all of whom have great understanding of the classic groove of Swedish death metal’s HM-2 chasm and how to best apply their own spin upon it via atmosphere, eerie melody, and a good number of pace change-ups. Though they are giving us a bit of ‘War Master‘-sized tension and release to keep things hitting sharp throughout, the major reference here is of course Dismember as the album rides in — By the time we’ve hit “The City the Old Ones Built” that ’92-’93 death metal tone begins to touch upon their own skin, with subtle use of keyboards and punkish, almost Benediction-esque riffing. I can’t understate how much their attention to detail in terms of sound design adds to the full reveal of the album, avoiding a ‘symphonic’ death metal tag for the first half of the album while nonetheless creeping into that territory just enough on “Walls Have Hands” for the sake of a certain Eldritch grime getting its psychic grip upon the second half of the album. Highly recommended.

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/all-paths-are-left-here?action=buy

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Info:
ARTIST:	MORTUUS INFRADAEMONI
TITLE:	Inmortuos Sum
LABEL(S):	Iron Bonehead Productions
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

Another extreme metal album with classic, mostly straight forward appeal ‘Inmortuos Sum‘ is the third full-length from this duo of former Lunar Aurora members whom have left this project dormant in terms of official releases for roughly thirteen years. A deep cut from the German underground in the mid-to-late 2000’s these fellowes were arguably known for a sort of ‘Transylvanian Hunger‘-era obsessed sound fitting in with the likes of groups like Pest, Verdunkeln, and I suppose the sort of early Ván Records and Cold Dimensions type of crowd. A simplification on my part but you’ll understand the general realm of thought once you’ve keyed into their sound. This material speaks for itself as if it were written and recorded right after their previous album in 2009, presenting just as much of an unhinged and ‘traditional’ black metal ethos as they’d ever deployed before. Caustic, raw, violent yet thoughtful in its miserably droning classicism this is abrasive and ruinous black metal played exactly as it should be. I’d generally gravitated towards the longer pieces here, especially those hitting the ten minute mark (“Madness Rides with the Star-Winds”, “Ossuarium of Black Earth”, and the title track) as they’d had the biggest impact upon me within each full listen.

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Info:
ARTIST:	MAGIC SHOPPE
TITLE:	Mono Lake
LABEL(S):	Cardinal Fuzz, Little Cloud
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

Fuzz-gaze quintet Magic Shoppe marry the comfy alienation of early 90’s art rock guitar shock and easier-swinging, ultra mellowed shoegaze on what is otherwise readable as a noise rock flirtatin’ psychedelic rock record with ‘Mono Lake‘. Their fifth album, and perhaps best so far as they’ve been on a roll beyond 2018’s ‘In Parallel‘, finds its most centered stylistic blissdom carrying around the hots for My Blood Valentine‘s sweetest left-hand swerves and a bit of ‘Evol‘-era Sonic Youth wiliness at the lesser focused edges of that sound, this but delivered with a noisome and fairly honest render which speaks to the natural resonances enjoyed by modern psychedelic rock simplicity (as opposed to minimalism, mind you). Much as this recording depends upon a vibe and some sweet guitar layers it’d been undeniable upon approach, completely deflating and eyeball-rolling from the get-go and a strong experience since. I don’t know how well that simple thrill will last in mind, per my usual habits but it has continued to be a welcome exodus since. Favorite songs: “You Have No Reflection”, “Kingmaker”.

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Info:
ARTIST:	AESTHUS
TITLE:	Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa
LABEL(S):	Purity Through Fire
RELEASE DATE:	March 21st, 2022

Southern Finnish black metal quartet Aesthus make a brilliant first impression with this debut full-length, striking into strong melody and finding several waves of unfurl to exploit from that point on. Melodic in the sense that any properly sophisticated black metal act is, the great rub of this experience is its energetic (if not violent) barrage of lead guitar driven strikes and an incessant need to be carving a progression of some sort at all times. The full listen is so actively engaged and pressing upon the boundaries of mania that it reads as strongly charismatic, inspired to a degree which stands out from the casually anthemic world of post-Sargeist Finnish craft. Consider it one great barrage of heated aggression which eventually cools into an inspired anthemic jog (see: “Ikiyössä”) and ‘Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa‘ quickly becomes one of the more pleasurable black metal listens of the month. Fans of Sielunvihollinen and Sacrificium Carmen should especially take note.

Info:
ARTIST:	SPIRAL SKIES
TITLE:	Death Is But a Door
LABEL(S):	Art of Propaganda Records
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

Though they are still very much guided by a modern occult/doom rock hand at face value this second full-length from Stockholm, Sweden-based sextet Spiral Skies aligns their inner cloister deeper unto a decidedly classic, undeniably tuneful psychedelic rock sound. Perhaps the biggest success of these admittedly subtle changes, beyond the lovely artwork from Jonathan Hultén, is vocalist Frida Eurenius‘ even stronger feature here in guidance of each piece now doing well to hold these pieces together with even more elaborate almost Stevie Nicks levels of arrangement. This’d struck me up front in terms of elaborating beyond a late 60’s Grace Slick-esque vibrato (per ‘Blues for a Dying Planet’) but wouldn’t floor me until the choruses began to hit on “Into the Night”. The allure of the chanteuse’s craft remains central in focus as the album continues but this record doesn’t necessarily shy from riffs, nor the more complex footing required for bigger stompers like lead single “Somewhere in the Dark”. Things never quite calm beneath a road-ready rock kick, even on quasi ballad “Time”, and I think that’ll help keep the heavy psych die-hards engaged. Fans of Heavy Feather and MaidaVale should run to check this one out. Favorite songs: “Mirage”, “While the Devil is Asleep”.

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Info:
ARTIST:	CROWN MAGNETAR
TITLE:	Alone in Death
LABEL(S):	Unique Leader Records
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

Technical deathcore act Crown Magnetar are aiming for full speed and maximum engagement on this latest EP, an approach I can’t necessarily define as a lethal step-up beyond their self-released 2021 debut LP ‘The Codex of Flesh‘ but they’ve definitely filled every second of these ~19 minutes with aggression. Though it reads to me as cold, moshable machine music most of the time I did appreciate the brutal/technical aspect of their sound being appropriately overwhelming for the style. The breakdown around ~2:42 on “Hellsphere” is effectively atmospheric without being entirely clobbered by the bombastic sound design of this record and it is easily one of the best moments on the full listen here. The manic rage of their previous album is admittedly tempered here for something a bit more serious, still completely over the top but pushing out at least a few riffs before they roll into their penchant for breakdowns. A quick rip through “God is My Enemy” compared to any of the tracks on their LP should showcase some kinda maturation clearly enough. Deathcore ain’t my kinda shit but I had a good time with this one for the sake of it being cold and mean enough to hold my attention.

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Info:
ARTIST:	PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE
TITLE:	People of the Black Circle
LABEL(S):	Red Truth Productions
RELEASE DATE:	March 7th, 2022

Psychedelic doom metal buried in the rippling thunder of stoner metal, draped in horror synth and named for a Robert E. Howard novella is one thousand percent my kind of shit and People of the Black Circle had me hooked from the first rumblings of this self-titled debut. Deadpan vocals chill the recording to just the right temperament, striking their most effective chord on “Cimmeria”, a self-contained performance that reads dismal without becoming entirely tragedian, a sort of stern-jawed take on the glowing 70’s psych-‘lude. These sort of pieces certainly depend upon the suspense they build for captivation, leaning into the more inspired earlier eh, Ghost-esque songwriting which that band has long left behind while using their own version of post-Electric Wizard bluesy stoner/doom shapes for dire storytelling. Impatient stoner-doom fellowes will likely find it all a bit slow in reveal but the focus of this band in the space of these five 6-7 minute pieces is yet admirable and always engaging for my own taste as they create scenes rather than the usual mountains to climb. Since this is a relatively new formation I’m stoked to see how these folks develop their sound over time, very fine work thus far.

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Info:
ARTIST:	RAVENOUS DUSK
TITLE:	The Dead of Night
LABEL(S):	Seance Records
RELEASE DATE:	March 31st, 2022

This debut four song EP from Australian vampyric black metal duo Ravenous Dusk comes by way of Naxzul‘s Wraith and features Balam of Pestilential Shadows, two fellowes well suited for this classic Scandinavian black metal influenced sound which draws from the ’94-’96 wellspring of the still marginally subtle keyboard-heated realm of chillingly dramatic black metal. Now if you’ve spat out your fangs and went running due to the ‘vampyric’ qualifier don’t worry, they’re not -that- sort and instead imply the general theme of this release with the tag and by way of a truly fine piece of mayhem from Grealeach, whom I believe also did the cover for ‘Shadows‘. From the daggers raised in the mist of “Tongues of Black Flame” to the reverent skulking of “Poison Shadow” you’ll undoubtedly get the intended waft of peak Satyricon and Emperor from these pieces but I’d personally thought of certain songs from Obtained Enslavement‘s ‘Soulblight‘, the atmospheric balance of Lord Belial and of course some more modern notes of climb and clamor which allow this release’s presentation to breathe a bit more freely. Definitely quality enough that I’d like to see where they’ll take it on a full-length.

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Info:
ARTIST:	SUM OF R
TITLE:	Lahbryce
LABEL(S):	Consouling Sounds
RELEASE DATE:	March 25th, 2022

Entranced post-metallic psychedelic shamanic terror-scaping artists Sum of R have transformed from an instrumental irregularity unto a full-fledged band of outcasts in the space of just a couple of years. Swiss experimental artiste Reto Mäder was, after ~thirteen years of experimentation under this name, tasked with his first glomeration out of Roadburn-spurned necessity with the addition of Atomikylä/Dark Buddha Rising drummer Jukka Rämänen for a live featurette which soon called for vocals from the indomitable Marko Neuman (Convocation, Candy Cane, et al.) and therein spawned an unlikely trio. Having chosen to record their ideas, developed and intended for a one-of-a-kind performance which never happened, after the festival was canceled they’d find the result speaking for itself as a worthy cause. Well, it is a long road to get there but the gist is that Sum of R‘d certainly found some notable chemistry within those sessions as evidenced by charming ‘Lahbryce‘, a gloomiest unnerving set of pieces seemingly tasked with dissolution and reemergence of the self. A bloodied event to start, ever creeping in its tension’d movement but joyful (inebriated, even) when their fog does lift for the sake of electro-psych splashed color, ordered and droning but surreal nonetheless. More a centering experience than it is a discombobulation of spirits, I’d found myself happily directed by the extremes on offer here which are best illustrated by the chilling highs and chill lows of “Hymn For the Formless” and my favorite track “Borderline” where Neuman‘s range shines best. The only notches I’d take out of their husk is perhaps some redundancy felt on “144th” but this might’ve been general fatigue on my part as the album pressed towards its ~55 minute extent, cutting the whole gig about ten minutes too long for my own taste. Easily one of the best records of March nonetheless.

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