ENDTYMER is the inevitable weekly “music news blog” series I’ve been working to avoid for some time. It hits at the end of every week with the intent of covering notable new releases, sharing news of new releases, and musing over various personal listening habits. It is a largely informal blog, has opinions, etc. so chill out a bit. I do my best to cover as much of everything I receive in some form regardless of genre or representation, don’t hesitate to send anything and everything my way: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK

The album of the week should be clear enough if you’ve kept up, HÄXANU‘s second album ‘Totenpass‘ is a fine example of melodic black metal influenced craft that has some potential to stick in the mind and stir the invested listener. Otherwise we have some solid records from Deviser and Frozen Dawn, aggro-underground killers from Ad Omega and Terrestrial Hospice, and honestly little else that’d caught my ear. If you’ll recall I wasn’t huge on post-black/atmospheric doom metal band Oak‘s ‘Lone‘ back in 2019 but I’d enjoyed this new album ‘Disintegrate‘ quite a bit on first listen. Post-metal influenced stuff has gotten pretty dry but the funeral death/doom angle is still effective as ever (guarantee a Bell Witch record is on its way this year, though.) Worth checking out of black metal isn’t your thing.

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PRIEST LOVERS IN BIKER STEEZ

Los Angeles-based heavy psych, hard rock and heavy metal institution RidingEasy Records have picked up a second series of crate-digging rarity compilations after fifteen entries in the late 60’s and general 70’s focused Brown Acid series, this time they’re going full fuckin’ heavy metal parking lot with Scrap Metal, a series which thus far focuses on late 70’s and general 80’s rarities. They’re on the second entry thus far, releasing today February 10th on vinyl, but I’ll include a link to Vol. 1 too since both should rile up folks who’re hot on NWOBHM rarities since the good stuff on both is in that early 80’s peak wave. Best songs? A.R.C.‘s punkish “Home Made Wine” may as well have been an early Buzzcocks piece if it weren’t so chill. San Diego’s Prowler take us to prime Metal Blade era mid-80’s metal, not quite thrash but heavy enough for a Metal Church fan back then (1986). Otherwise J.J.’s Powerhouse spoke the loud and clear language of early 80’s heavy metal at a more aggressive juncture, biker tough kinda rhythms. Storm Queen rules for similar reasons. Anyhow, go check both out and see what stands out for your taste.

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VEINS OPEN, PAGES SPLAYED

Czechia-based epic heavy metal group THE BOOK recently sent me a copy of their mid-2022 released debut full-length ‘Forgotten Art of Old‘ and I was impressed enough that I’d wanted to give it a recommendation here. These guys formed after some member’s folk metal band (Žrec) split, the complex compositional approach of folk instrumentation and such for that type of band called for a step in a new, simpler pure heavy metal direction but of course they’ve some of their own pagan metal feeling on this record, even going as far as including a strong Bathory cover (“Man of Iron”) and a sort of Candlemass but also heavy rock influence seeping in. Strong guitar tone and I like the very distinct accent on the vocalist’s work (even more pronounced on the rehearsal track) and this gives it some real character in addition to their dark and striding pace. Check them out of you are a fan of bands like Doomsword and Atlantean Kodex.

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“NEWS”

Relapse Records have announced they will release the debut full-length album from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based punk group POISON RUÏN this coming April 14th. ‘Härvest‘ will release alongside a reissue of the 2021 compilation which collected the band’s first couple of EP releases (but it doesn’t include ‘Not Today, Not Tomorrow‘). I’ve written about this band a bit in the past, having included them on my best of 2022 list for their most recent 7″. Though their imagery will appeal to black metal/punk fans their sound has thus far reflected a ’79 post-punk and street punk influenced style which is highly melodic with a cold early ‘Warsaw’-era Joy Division feeling to it, my take anyhow. The band explain some of their themes/imagery: “I’ve always found fantasy tropes to be incredibly evocative, that said, even though they are a set of symbols that seem to speak to most people of our generation, they are often either apolitical or co-opted for incredibly backwards politics. Instead of knights in shining armor and dragons, it’s a peasant revolt, I’m all for protest songs, but with this band I’ve found that sometimes your message can reach a greater audience if you imbue it with a certain interactive, almost magical realist element.” I’ve already pre-ordered as a fan, but give the first single “Härvest” a listen and see if this might be your gig:

Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Rotted Life Records have announced March 15th as the release date for Canadian death metal quartet DÉCRYPTAL‘s debut demo ‘Sabazios Culte‘ on cassette tape. These guys have been around the block in other projects so, their sound is pretty imposing on this first set of songs. It is of a certain quality where you’ll get why they’ve got two labels behind their first tape. Check out the first preview song:

Chaos Records have announced April 7th as the release date for black metal quartet THYSIA‘s debut album. ‘Islands in Cosmic Darkness‘ will arrive on CD, a ritual sacrifice to the old gods from these Italian folks who are better known for their time in groups like Messa and Assumption. Expect hypnotic, violent work from this exceptional group to stay on par with this first look “Psallo”:

Philadelphia-based epic heavy metal band BLAZON RITE are back with a second full-length and once again with the good folks at Gates of Hell Records. ‘Wild Rites and Ancient Songs‘ arrives April 14th on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Their debut was excellent but I think they’ve outdone it with this one based on my preview of it. The band comment: “We are really grateful for everyone who supported Endless Halls Of Golden Totem and hope we made something that people will always go back to,” he says. “The only pressure I think we felt was to deliver something different and fresh from what we’ve already presented to the world. While I think the new album isn’t a huge departure, we did some things creatively with this record that differ from our first full length and push us forward. At times, we simplified things and set out to make songs more hard-hitting and powerful. We really took our time with this album and I think it shows in the quality of the overall product.” Lots of great stuff coming from the label this year and this is a wild start. Check out the album’s first single, “Salvage What You Can Of The Night”:

On April 28th Dying Victims Productions will release the the highly anticipated fifth full-length album from German group LUCIFUGE. ‘Monoliths of Wrath‘ will arrive on CD and vinyl LP and I think black/thrash metal fans will be most excited about their continued upswing. No preview song yet, but you can watch ’em play a song live here:

Long-standing Bordeaux, France-based technical death metal band GOROD have announced they will self-release their long-awaited seventh album, ‘The Orb‘, on March 7th. This one is a bit different, you can tell they’ve set their minds upon something new, something they haven’t heard before. The band comments: “The overall composition of this album stretched out more in time than Æthra, which allowed us to try new things. We wanted to go both a little further in new experiments but also return back to our own sources in order to highlight the contrasts. From the most spontaneous to the most polished, we’ve put together the most accessible and extreme material we could.” They’ve released three songs so far, all of them pretty varied. Should be an interesting record:

Italian death/doom metal band APHOTIC have announced their debut full-length album will release by way of Sentient Ruin and Nuclear Winter Records. ‘Abyssgazer‘ finds the band exploring an atmospheric post-death/doom metal idea and will be released on LP, MC, CD, and digitally on March 24th 2023. Check out the first single:

Sludge metal group WITCH RIPPER have released their latest single “Icarus Equation” to promote their forthcoming sophomore LP, ‘The Flight after the Fall‘ which releases through Magnetic Eye Records this coming March 3rd, 2023. The band explains the theme of the song “The title of the track ‘Icarus Equation’ hints at the ancient Greek mythological character Ikaros, who flew too close to the sun on wings held together by wax during a daring attempted escape. The wings melted and Ikaros fell to his death, and the story is generally used as a metaphorical warning against having unrealistically high ambitions.” Check out the song on YouTube:

Reading, U.K.-based stoner blues rock group MORASS OF MOLASSES have signed to Ripple Music for their third studio album ‘End All We Know‘. The first single/video from the record, “Naysayer” is our preview of their work. The band comments: “The album is the first album we have written without first touring the material, and as a result, all the songs were written ‘remotely’ by sending ideas to each other. This led to a far greater degree of experimentation, and bravery in our songwriting scope. These then coalesced into a dynamic sweeping sonic vista, broader than anything tried before,” Check out “Naysayer” on YouTube:

Greek black metal band DECIPHER are ready with their debut full-length ‘Arcane Paths to Resurrection‘ and it is looking and sounding pretty sharp in preview. The album releases through Transcending Obscurity Records this coming April 21st and you can listen to three songs off the record over on Bandcamp already. Love the album art and sound on this one:

Yet another Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based group is on the new release list this week and this time it is another excellent Gates Of Hell Records record in newly signed blackened thrash metal crew WILD BEYOND. ‘Wild Beyond‘ will release on CD, vinyl, and digitally this coming April 14th. This band notably features guitarist/vocalist Edward Gonet of Daeva, multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Viola, and drummer Evan Madden (ex-Woe/Woods of Ypres). First song up is “In the Footsteps of Mars”:

Polish psychedelic/experimental black metal band ENTROPIA have released a second single from their upcoming album ‘Total‘ which is due to be released this March 17th via Agonia Records. The band describes the goal of the recording as transformative: “Total attempts to capture a glimpse of our ongoing and unending search. It consolidates the experiences and skills we’ve amassed throughout the years, and constitutes a standalone, complete and utter creation; a totality, which reflects of the band’s chaotic spirit.” The new single/closer, “Final” comes with a visualizer on YouTube:

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THIS WEEK’S VIDEOS / REVIEWS

Catch up with the latest YouTube video review/features and written reviews here. New videos post Thursday/Friday of each week for the most part. You can click on the link provided to read the review, each review has the related video embedded in the original post as well. Videos are fairly casual and meant to accompany the written review with some extra context and a few quick notes.

FROZEN DAWN – The Decline of the Enlightened Gods (2023) | REVIEW

HÄXANU – Totenpass (2023) | REVIEW

AD OMEGA – Aphelic Ascent (2023) | REVIEW

DEVISER – Evil Summons Evil (2023) | REVIEW

TITHE – Inverse Rapture (2023) | REVIEW

HELLRIPPER – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags (2023) | REVIEW

Short Reviews | February 9th, 2023

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COMING UP NEXT WEEK:

Here is a tentative list of what is coming up next week in terms of reviews. The following records have been listened to extensively, a preliminary review has been drafted (or completed), and I’ve locked them in for coverage. In terms of the “Short Written Reviews + Video” column, these are more tentative, some of them may be cut if I do not have enough time to get around to everything.

LONGFORM WRITTEN REVIEWS / VIDEO REVIEWS:

TULUS – Fandens Kall [February 17th, Soulseller Records]
STREET TOMBS – Reclusive Decay [February 17th, Carbonized Records]
MEGATON SWORD – Might & Power [February 24th, Dying Victims Productions]
BODYFARM – Ultimate Abomination [February 24th, Edged Circle Productions]
NECROVATION – Storm the Void/Starving Grave [February 24th, Blood Harvest]
WOLVES IN WINTER – The Calling Quest [February 24th, Argonauta Records]

SHORT WRITTEN REVIEWS + VIDEO:

HAIL THE VOID – Memento Mori [February 17th, Ripple Music]
ADVERSOR – Portrait of a Wasteland [February 24th, Time to Kill Records]
BRÆ – Av Vålnader Bortom Allt [February 22nd, Amor Fati]
SARCOPTES – Prayers to Oblivion [February 24th, Transcending Obscurity]
FUNERAL WINDS – Stigmata Mali [February 24th, Osmose Productions]
SATANIKA – Horde of Disgust [February 24th, Osmose Productions]
BIG|BRAVE – nature morte [February 24th, Thrill Jockey]
ISOLANT – Drain [February 24th, Sentient Ruin]
SOLUS GRIEF – With a Last Exhale [February 27th, Purity Through Fire]
POSEIDON – Poseidon [February 28th, Brucia Records]

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