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 (LAST) WEEK

This week was all about Danish black/death metal crew [#1] TONGUES‘ sophomore LP ‘Formløse stjerner‘ for my own taste but it was really a toss up with the release of [#2] WYRGHER‘s ‘Panspermic Warlords‘ which was not far behind and ultimatly is my choice for Album of the Month for July. Otherwise [#3] ASHTAR‘s sophomore album immersed and impressed with a more droning black metal focus, [#4] ASTRALBORNE‘s sophomore album ‘Across the Aeons‘ captivated for its throwback-but-updated melodic death metal style and finally [#5] TARGET‘s demo compilation via Stormspell Records ‘Demo Anthology [198-1988]‘ was just a cool way to return to the Belgium based classic thrash metal band’s early days.

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“NEWS”

Swedish black metal legendry MARDUK have announced their return with the much anticipated ‘Memento Mori‘, their fifteenth studio LP, due out September 1st by way of Century Media Records. Commenting on the album, frontman Daniel Rostén shares: “Memento Mori is, all at once, a bold leap forward, a calculated sidestep, and a wistful backward glance. Meaning, we have broken new ground without forgetting our legacy or the journey that brought us to this point.” This is one of my more anticipated releases for the year as I’ve been curious where things would go aesthetically and musically beyond ‘Viktoria‘. Check out the first single “Blood of the Funeral”:

Funeral death/doom metal band SUFFER YOURSELF will release their fourth full-length album ‘Axis of Tortures‘ this coming September 22nd by way of cult label Aesthetic Death. The album is based around an interesting concept of suffering over time: “a representation of any perceived tortures as a 4-dimensional geometrical graph, where there are three real coordinate axis (Insanity, Despair and Pain) and one assumed – Time (a 4th dimension, as we know it). Thinking about it from pure geometrical, and metaphysical point – any point in the 3D space can be anywhere in the coordinates and have any values, for example, (0,0,0) – is a very centre of all planes whilst, moving away from the central fulcrum, brings any combination of the three aforementioned variables and subsequently different amounts of each torture within the axis. We all exist somewhere in within the spectrum of tortures.” I’d enjoyed their last record and I’m looking forward to seeing what is next.

Amor Fati Productions announced September 1st as the release date for a new mini-album from DIKASTERION. ‘Chaos as a New World‘ will be available on CD and 12″ vinyl formats. The band states: “This new release is our return after few years finding our way. It represents our will to open people’s mind about the world and also a tale about our personal life. […] Dikasterion want to remain as underground as possible – well, as much as we can be nowadays. That’s why we don’t have any social media page like Facebook or Instagram and it’s difficult to find information online. We’re attached to the ‘rules’ and spirit metal was supposed to fight for, 20-30 years ago, and want to keep the ‘original’ flame burning. We don’t want to pretend to something we were too young to be part of, but show people it’s still possible, that it still exists. We believe! We worship intensity, chaos; we are a straight punch in the face of those who think metal is cool and funny. So, join us to have a sip of whisky, a good kicking line, fuck the modern world, fuck all those bands losing their way, fuck the trends, the politically correct, and see you in Hell!” They’ve always curated each release with a lot of care and this record is no less of an elite statement:

Danish death metal gore lords UNDERGANG have a substantial new mLP on the way by way of Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records. ‘De syv stadier af fordærv‘ is set for release on September 1st. Dark Descent Records will release the album on CD, digital and cassette formats, with vinyl by Me Saco Un Ojo Records. At this point you should already know this band head to toe but they’ve still got plenty of reek left in ’em based of this first single “Livløs i en pøl af egne udskillelser”:

One of my most anticipated psychedelic doom metal records of the year comes by way of Warsaw, Poland-based quartet DOPELORD who have announced the release of their fifth studio album ‘Songs for Satan‘ will be released on October 6th as part of Blues Funeral Recordings‘ deluxe PostWax series. The theme speaks for itself and in defiance of a monotheism wracked world. Check out the debut single “Night Of The Witch”:

Finnish death metal band SEPULCHRAL CURSE have announced their latest full-length ‘Abhorrent Dimensions‘ will release via Transcending Obscurity Records this coming October 12th. Aiming for broadened horizons, varietal influences and a bigger scope in their narrative they’ve described the album as even more conscious of melodicism and aggression. Check out the two songs they’ve put up on Bandcamp:

Celeb rated Norwegian rock duo ÅRABROT have announced their tenth full-length album ‘Of Darkness and Light. The album will be released this coming October 13th on Pelagic Records. Described as “theatrical, bombastic, dancing on the line between the macabre and the comical” the band have been both beloved and contentious for my taste over the years but I am always surprised by what comes next. Check out the second single “You Cast Long Shadows”:

MALEFIC THRONE have announced they’ve begun recording their yet unnamed debut studio album at Menegroth The Thousand Caves studio with Colin Marston (Gorguts, Origin, et al.) with one of my favorite death metal drummers over the years John Longstreth suggesting the album is going to smoke: “We are recording this album at Menegroth The Thousand Caves with Colin Marston engineering and mastering, so you can be rest assured that this album is in the best hands and ears possible. It’s all the extremely brutal and infernal nuclear death that you can expect from the 3 of us, but add that we have all traveled and honed our skills for the past 20 plus years since we initially met in 1997. On a personal note, this is the original type of death metal i cut my teeth on when i first started. Evil, fast, a touch euro thrashy, and belligerently pissed off. This is a return to roots, and I have a lot to say in this language. The drums are left wide open, raw, and live. You will hear a real band here. You will hear aggression, hellish self indulgence, you will hear a mistake or two. My promise is that you will hear total death metal with all of it’s festering boyles and lesions left intact.” The album will be released by way of Polish label Agonia Records at a yet unannounced date.

Longstreth goes on to say “I am truly ecstatic to announce to you all that the recording for the up and coming debut by Malefic Throne on Agonia Records has begun, and the drum tracks are complete! If you’re reading this then you are aware of our recent mini album release from 2022 and have an idea of what we intend to release upon the public. Upon listening back to the basic tracks, i am proud to say it’s so much more than what the mini album hinted at. Every song here is a twisting maze that will provide for a truly challenging listen.” He will be joined by two other legends Gene Palubicki (Perdition Temple, ex-Angelcorpse) and Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel) to expand upon what they’d achieved on their first mLP. Keep tabs on the band on social media, and follow Agonia Records for more updates.

Renowned German label AOP Records have announced September 8th as the release date for a mLP from FINSTERFORST. ‘Jenseits‘ will release on digipack CD and 12″ vinyl formats. During the Covid pandemic, Finsterforst had their fans fund this single ~40 minute song which arrives split into four parts. Check out the first excerpt with “Kapitel I: Freiheit”:

UADA continue to impress as they premiere the second single from their upcoming fourth album ‘Crepuscule Natura‘ which releases on September 8th this year via CD/Tape/Digital & Shirt, with Vinyl editions to follow in November. “The Dark (Winter)” is almost mazelike, a thrill to sit with and hopefully indicative of where this second album will shine most in its fiery action. Hugely anticipated:

HEADS FOR THE DEAD have announced their latest EP ‘In The Absence Of Faith‘ will release by way of Pulverised Records. I can’t tell if the cover art for ‘In The Absence Of Faith‘ was created by AI but if it is, I probably won’t have much to say about it. The album will release on September 1st this year on LP, CD and digital formats. A tape version is also planned for release by way of the good folks over at War Anthem Records.

FORTÍÐ have released a video for “Uppskera” a single taken from their forthcoming new album ‘Narkissos‘. The Icelandic trio will team up with Prophecy Productions for this record which is slated for an October 13th release. The band commend on the song: “This song opens up with the final verses in Gestaþáttur* from Hávamál. The poem translates something like this: ‘Cattle die, kindred die / You yourself die / But reputation never dies / Of one who has earned it. / Cattle die, kindred die / You yourself die / But I know one thing that never dies / And that’s a dead person’s deeds’. The song continues by journeying into the mind of a man with a ruined reputation from his past deeds. And as the title ‘Uppskera’ (‘Harvest’) suggests, this man is reaping as he sowed, but he blames all his misfortunes on others. His name will not be honoured after he is gone from this world.” Important themes taken from the Havamal delineating wise Scandinavian pre-Christian values.

Caligari Records are working with Raise the Dead Records to spread the brilliant debut full-length from Chilean death metal band BLOOD OATH, announcing September 15th as the release date for ‘Lost in Eternal Silence‘. Caligari will handle the CD and cassette tape versions while Raise the Dead will handle the vinyl version. Now a quartet and delayed by pandemia I am beyond excited to crack into this record. Huge bonus for the cover artwork from Daniel Hermosilla / Nox Fragor Artwork.

Malmö, Sweden-based psychedelic doom quartet MOON COVEN have presented a new single from their fourth studio album ‘Sun King‘, due out August 25th on Ripple Music. The band explain the song (“Behold The Serpent”): “Convinced he is protected from darkness, a holy man ventures deep into unexplored lands in search of wealth and prosperity. But in his arrogance he soon finds himself face to face with evil itself. Behold the Serpent is a pure doom song that stands out from the rest of the songs on the album. It’s the heaviest song on the album and might even be the heaviest song we’ve written so far.” Looking forward to this one and might review it since I’ve enjoyed the singles thus far: 

This September 1st The Sinister Flame will release the second full-length album from black metal offenders BAXAXAXA. ‘De Vermis Mysteriis‘ delivers its crypt-bound wares via CD, 12″ vinyl and cassette tape. Ancient magickal possession from the dark radiation of the stars, old evil from the cobweb and dust buried bones beneath their feet, “Above the Stellar Gateway” suggest this is something to look forward to:

Second-wave black metal classicists WINTER ETERNAL have revealed the details of their fourth LP ‘Echoes of Primordial Gnosis‘ which will be released “later this year” by way of Hell’s Headbangers Records. The first single from the album is “Two Heavens as One”, sounds great so far:

Swedish melodic death metal band SODOMISERY have revealed the second single, “Delusion”, taken from their forthcoming sophomore album ‘Mazzaroth‘. The album is scheduled for release on September 8th this year by way of Testimony Records. The band comments: “The track ‘Delusion’ was one of the first that we tried to put some orchestration on. After we heard the result, we knew for sure that we definitely had to have this sound on the rest of the album too!” Check it out over on YouTube:

This release was a bit of a surprise by way of Sleaszy Rider and Adirondack Black Mass: Lithuanian progressive post-metal band CUNABULA announced the release of ‘The Weight of Sleep‘ on August 11th. The CD will be released by Sleaszy Rider, the album will also be released on vinyl via Adirondack Black Mass. Though it runs on a bit long I’d really enjoyed this first single “Silent Somber Suns”:

On September 22nd this year Monumental Rex will release LACRAU’s debut full-length album, ‘Axioma‘, on CD digipack format. The Portuguese band arrive upon a conceptual work that combines depressive, black and doom metal influences to tell a story “inspired by the legendary Scandinavian senicide ritual.” Well worth checking out the unique atmosphere these folks have put together for this album.

Jawbreaker Records have announced the upcoming release of ACID BLADE‘s latest EP on vinyl, cassette, CD, and digital formats. ‘Shooting Star‘ will be released on October 13th this year. The Dresden, Germany-based group return with with Jonny Astus, the original drummer for their incarnation as Angel Blade. They’ve suggested that their NWOBHM-inspired roots have kicked up a notch as a result and I’m stoked to hear it since I’d loved their prior release.

Atmospheric black metal band WALDGEFLÜSTER have announced they’ll once again work with AOP Records for the September 29th release of a special mini-album. ‘Unter bronzenen Kronen‘ will release on CD and 12″ vinyl. The band comment on the release: “We are thrilled to unveil our latest endeavor, a heartfelt compilation of songs to accompany the embrace of autumn. This collection, although not a full-length album, tries to capture the essence of the season when the leaves turn into shimmering hues of bronze, gold, and red – a sonic reflection of the bittersweet melancholy that seeps into our bones and hearts during this time. We reimagine three existing songs—one of our own, and two masterpieces from extraordinary artists— and looked at them from a different angle, casting a new light upon their inherent beauty. Additionally, there is a new composition, delving into the realization that our own questions, flaws, and enigmatic uncertainties endlessly circle back to us, leaving an eternal imprint upon our hearts.” Sounds lovely thus far in preview:

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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.

ASTRAL TOMB – Total Spiritual Death (2023) | REVIEW

VOIVOD – Morgöth Tales (2023) | REVIEW

TONGUES – Forml​ø​se Stjerner (2023) | REVIEW

AGELESS SUMMONING – Corrupting the Entempled Plane (2023) | REVIEW

WYRGHER – Panspermic Warlords (2023) | REVIEW

THRA – Forged in Chaotic Spew (2023) | REVIEW

ASTRALBORNE – Across the Aeons (2023) | REVIEW

ASHTAR – Wandering Through Time (2023) | REVIEW

ATONEMENT – Sadistic Invaders (2023) | REVIEW

SADISTIC VISION – Destroyer of All Dreams (2023) | REVIEW

GATEWAY – Galgendood (2023) | REVIEW

Short Reviews | July 19th, 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. These choices are subject to change as the final drafts evolve and other releases might potentially take priority:

LONGFORM REVIEWS + VIDEO:

SORROW – Death of Sorrow [August 8th, Xtreem Music]
RUNESPELL – Shores of Nastrond [August 11th, Iron Bonehead Productions]
DEAD AND DRIPPING – Black Cerebral Rifts [August 11th, Transcending Obscurity Records]
CYSTIC – Palace of Shadows [August 11th, Chaos Records]
FACET – Facet [August 11th, Hex Records]
REZN & VINNUM SABBATHI – Silent Future [August 11th, Blues Funeral Recordings]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

TUMULATION – Haunted Funeral Creations [August 4th, Hammerheart Records]
HIGH ON FIRE – The Art of Self Defense [August 4th, MNRK Heavy]
BLINDSTONE – Scars to Remember [August 11th, Mighty Music]
TRYST ARCANE / EMANUEL PORTELLI – Sun of other Days [August 11th, Self-Released]
NOTT – Hiraeth [August 18th, Silent Pendulum Records]
WARMEN – Here For None [August 18th, Reaper Entertainment]

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