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 largely informal, 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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FIVE BEST OF THE WEEK

This week was all about Scottish death metal crew [#1] COFFIN MULCH‘s debut LP ‘Spectral Intercession‘ for my own taste and it’d been a fairly easy choice among what heavy music had to offer this week. The surprise release of [#2] SEKTARISM‘s ‘Et Facta Est Lux‘ was not far behind but I still need a bit more time with the French funeral doom metal band’s latest, a review will follow next week. Otherwise [#3] STATIC ABYSS‘ second album mystified and creeped me out, the ninth [#4] GRAFVITNIR album ‘Into the Outer Wilderness’ captivated for its guitar work, and I figured I’d give special mention of Japanese brutal death metal band [#5] SUBSCONSCIOUS TERROR‘s latest album ‘Chaotic Diffusion‘ since I’ve been pulling back into the brutal space more often lately.

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BY THE GOLDEN THREAD

Slashed wrists! dead foxes!? erect horsemen (666), ominous hags!

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“NEWS”

Edged Circle Productions have announced September 1st as the release date for the third LP from Chilean sophisticate blackened thrash metal band DEMONIAC. ‘Nube Negra‘ will be released on CD and vinyl LP formats. Their second album ‘So It Goes‘ was one of my favorites of 2020. “Featuring a more palatable/approach eight songs in 42 minutes, Demoniac’s third full-length nevertheless carries on the craziness of its predecessor and makes the steel even more gleaming and the hooks even more mesmerizing and melodic. And yet, as suggested by its title, Nube Negra is undeniably the band’s most blackened record in many a year.” All of that sounds amazing and so does this new track “Granada”. Too early to truly say but I have no qualms with saying this is one of my biggest Album of the Year contenders so far.

Personal Records have announced August 25th as the release date for Barcelona, Spain-based experimental funeral doom band OF DARKNESS‘ second album. ‘Missa Tridentia‘ will release on CD and digitally. They’ve described the album as one large composition where they are “taking far more cues from classical than funeral doom, one could view these separate movements as suites of a larger orchestral work,“. Check out the preview track “Requiem Aeternam”:

End All Life Productions announced earlier this week that June 30th is the release date for French funeral doom metal band SEKTARISM‘s fourth album. ‘Et Facta Est Lux‘ marks some significant lineup changes and a new era envisioned. “Just like our previous works, a dynamic of improvisation remains at the core of our creative endeavors. The process has been enriched by numerous additions of instruments and sounds, brought by the fresh blood that has joined our congregation as well as this unique place that is the Kerwax studio. The sound palette of Sektarism has thus evolved, heaviness being still at the heart of the orchestration. Et Facta Est Lux continues our work with a sense of greater maturity and mastery while retaining that element of insecurity and urgency that is inseparable from the context of improvised live recordings.” I’ll review this album next week but you can listen to it now:

Svart Records and Rapid Eye Records have announced ‘Hunger‘ as the latest full-length album from MAGGOT HEART will be released on LP, CD and digital on September 29th this year. They’ve also shared a music video for the first single, “Looking Back At You.” Maggot Heart is a Berlin based metallic post-punk trio fronted by vocalist/guitarist Linnéa Olsson (ex-The Oath). The singer/guitarist describes the single: “One of the more aggressive songs on the album and definitely some of the angriest lyrics I’ve ever written; Looking Back at You is about reclaiming power. The video plays on the concept of being observed, something like ’Schrödinger’s Woman’! One of my faves on the album.” and for me probably the most memorable song I’d heard all week:

Atmospheric/post-black metal group AGRICULTURE‘s self-titled debut will be available on physical and digital formats this coming July 21st from The Flenser. The feeling of ecstasy is the major point of messaging here as they introduce their intent: “…where ‘The Circle Chant’ is like a finger pointing at the moon, the self-titled LP is like a whole body screaming at it with reverence.” They also suggest a sort of improvisational aspect which interests me. For now check out album closer “Relier”:

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based melodic death metal band INHUMED will release a new EP titled ‘Feasted Upon Like Carrion‘ on July 14th. It’ll be available on CD, cassette, and digital formats. If you’re not familiar with the band their style mainly draws from 90’s death metal and you can check out the first single here to figure out what exactly that means:

Death metal band SADISTIC VISION have made the distinction between “traditional” death metal and the bastardized “old school” mindset as they introduce their upcoming EP. ‘Destroyer of all Dreams‘ will be released on CD and vinyl formats this coming July 28 through Boris Records. The band elaborates: “We feel that with today’s death metal consisting of so many bands that are quick to be trendy and stake a claim on the phrase “old-school” death metal that we would like to set ourselves apart from that. In saying that we are ‘traditional’ death metal, we are from the originating times of the style, and are still influenced and inspired by it both as individual and collective musicians.” And of course they smoke skulls here on their first single “Unremorsed Killing”, a thrashing death metal piece that has me stoked for the full thing:

“Eastern Death Magick” crew TRIVAX will release their second full-length album, ‘Eloah Burns Out‘, on September 29th via Cult Never Dies. The album will be available on CD, 12” vinyl, cassette and digitally. Apparently it is a “concept album which tells the story of Death, as observed and experienced through various different accounts. “Azrael” is an exaltation of the Angel of Death within Middle-eastern theology/religions, while “Alpha Predator” tells the perspective of a murderer. “Twilight of Death” shows the view of the dying self/individual and the ecstasy of such, and the final track, “در آخر دنیا”, which translates to “At the End of the World”, is essentially the Death of the Creator – Leading to the end of the cosmos. The final climax of the album paints the picture of the death of God, which is in metaphysical alignment with the sun imploding on itself and thus causing the end of all life in our solar system.” Looks great in terms of the album cover and description but I’ve no preview track to share just yet.

cultneverdies.myshopify.com

Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records have announced August 31st as the release date for REVERENCE TO PAROXYSM‘s debut album. ‘Lux Morte‘ will release on 12″ vinyl, CD and digitally. Formed in 2020 this group includes frontman Antimo Buonnano [ex-Disgorge (Mex)] alongside other members of Hacavitz and Demonized. Classicist atmospheric death metal, huge sound, looking forward to this one:

Agonia Records have announced they’ve signed Norwegian black death metal legends AETERNUS. The band are finishing up their ninth album which is set for release later this year. Maestro Ares comments: “For those of you who have been following us on our social media channels, it is no secret that we have been recording a new album. We’re happy to announce that we’ve signed to Agonia Records to release this beast. Agonia’s hard work and dedication to their artists has been very well noticed and we believe they will be a great match for us to take the next step.” Go follow the band on Instagram to keep up.

https://www.instagram.com/aeternusofficial/

Time To Kill Records have announced the signing of Brazilian death-thrash metal band TORTURE SQUAD for the release of their new album ‘Devilish‘ in 2023. They’ve announced Andreas Kisser will guest on the track “Buried Alive” and their sound has evolved yet again with “maturity, incorporating progressive metal, influences from Brazilian music and symphonic elements.” So far we just have the album art, tracklist and some notes on the new line-up, preview songs will undoubtedly follow soon: For now follow Time to Kill Records on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/timetokillrecords

Stoner, doom, sludge and heavy rock behemoth HIGH ON FIRE are celebrating twenty five years in 2023 with a reissue of their long-out-of-print debut, ‘The Art of Self Defense‘, as well as the release of its as-yet-untitled new album, set to release in early 2024. We get a bit of info on the new album: Recorded in Salem, Massachusetts with longtime producer Kurt Ballou, the [yet untitled] album is the first to feature drummer Willis, who joined High on Fire in 2021. There are a bunch of demo track sna d extras on the reissue and hey, here’s some behinds the scenes for the new album sessions:

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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 each week for the most part. You can click on the link provided to read the review/article, 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 generalized notes. The written review and the video review are complimentary -not- interchangeable. Subscribe, share, leave a comment, etc. if you feel like it.

Short Reviews | June 29th, 2023

DIPYGUS – Wet Market (2023) | REVIEW

SACRENOIR – Comme des Revenants Parmi les Ruines (2023) | REVIEW

SOUL GRINDER – Filth Encrusted (2023) | REVIEW

STATIC ABYSS – Aborted From Reality (2023) | REVIEW

NEMESIS – Nemesis (2023) | REVIEW

SERPENT OF OLD – Ensemble Under the Dark Sun (2023) | REVIEW

GRAFVITNIR – Into the Outer Wilderness (2023) | REVIEW

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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. These choices are subject to change as the final drafts evolve and other releases might potentially take priority:

LONGFORM REVIEWS + VIDEO:

SEKTARISM – Et Facta Est Lux [June 30th, End All Life Productions]
SOMNIATE – We Have Proved Death [July 14th, Lavadome Productions]
AURALAYER – Thousand Petals [July 14th, King Volume Records]
ASCENDENCY – A Manifest of Imperious Destiny [July 14th, Me Saco Un Ojo/Dark Descent]
THE PIT – Of Madness and Evil Whispers [July 14th, Personal Records]
DESEKRYPTOR – Vortex Oblivion [July 14th, Blood Harvest]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

NUCLEAR REMAINS – Dawn of Eternal Suffering [July 14th, Maggot Stomp]
ENCEPHALIC – Wrapped in Suffering [July 14th, Base Record Promotion]
RADIANT KNIFE – Pressure [July 14th, Self-Released]
IZROD – Sarajevski Odisej [July 14th, Signal Rex]
SUTEKH HEXEN & FUNERARY CALL – P:R:I:S:M [July 14th, Sentient Ruin]
WITCHSNAKE – Witchsnake [July 14th, Helter Skelter/Regain]
SLUDGE KEEPER – Slough of Despair [July 14th, Selfmadegod Records]
VØLUS – Oathsworn Vengeance [July 15th, Vargheist Records]
CALLIGRAM – Position | Momentum [July 14th, Prosthetic Records]

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