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 last week featured the kick-off for black metal season, Samhain, and that means the news I’ve gathered up today is largely black metal. The end of September still had a few hits left in its cannon: We start with the return from [#1] WELLS VALLEY with the eerie, creeping and doomed dissonant allure of ‘Achamoth‘. [#2] PRIMORDIAL‘s tenth album ‘How it Ends‘ unsurprisingly epic, conceptual but varied and had an interested rock spectre behind it. Australian doom metal band [#3] ROCKY’S PRIDE AND JOY‘s debut LP ‘All the Colours of Darkness‘ brought curses and nightmares into a fuzz-soaked heavy riffing cauldron of creep. Of course the mid-week release of Finnish death metal band [#4] DESECRESY‘s eighth LP ‘Deserted Realms‘ arrives echoing its mid-paced horrors. And finally fans of Wovenhand should appreciate [#5] DAVID EUGENE EDWARDS‘ solo debut LP, ‘Hyacinth‘ as their new lord and savior.

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C://SEPT2023/MISC/

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“NEWS”

Seattle, Washington-based technical death/black-thrash metal maestros XOTH have reveals the details of their upcoming third album ‘Exogalactic‘, which is due out this upcoming November 3rd by way of Dawnbreed Records with the vinyl version coming later. The band comments: “Through four years of trials and tribulations, we are thrilled to finally unleash an album that has demanded immense dedication, fortitude and sacrifice from us. The results of our experiment have surpassed our wildest imagination! Prepare yourselves!” And I think we can take them seriously based on how incredible their last record was. Just an announcement and album art, no clips yet.

https://www.facebook.com/DawnbreedRecords/

20 Buck Spin have announced the long-awaited fifth album from one of their pillar acts Bay Area death metal band VASTUM. ‘Inward To Gethsemane‘ will be released on all formats November 10th. I’d really enjoyed their last record so I’m curious to see if they’ve leaned in that twisted direction. Album art kinda reminds me of their earlier stuff. Check out the first single ‘Indwelling Archon’.

Switzerland-based alchemystics KVELGEYST return with a sophomore full-length, ‘Blut, Milch und Thränen‘ this year. The album is scheduled for release this coming November 24th via Eisenwald. Kvelgeyst‘s work “recounts the tale of an alchemist, beset by visions that leads him to search for an adept who in turn shall serve as the victim in a sinister ritual, hoping to achieve unio mystica. Initially, he is pleased, as he discovers an adept soon enough in the gutters. Regrettably for him, however, he is finally confronted with the realization that he has fatally misinterpreted his visions, and it is not he who sacrifices the adept in his pursuit of revelation, but rather he must serve as the sacrificial lamb in ritual slaughter, thus enabling the adept to achieve unio mystica. This, in turn, drives the adept into utter madness, rendering him free of all his senses and forcing him to the gutters from whence he emerged.” I love that they’ve put that much lore behind the record, check out the first preview track:

Nuclear Winter Records have announced November 24th as the release date for Danish black/death metal band SORT SIND‘s debut album. ‘I Skyggen af Livet‘ will release on CD format with the vinyl LP version co-released with Desiccated Productions. Formed in 2020 with the members from Ascendency, Had, Sulphurous, and Taphos the duo their focus is a dramatic and venomous form of death-tinged black metal. Check out the first preview track “Tomhed”:

Blood Harvest Records have announced November 24th as the release date for black metal lore n’ sorcery quartet VALDRIN‘s fourth album. ‘Throne of the Lunar Soul‘ will release on CD, double-LP vinyl, and cassette tape. The album continues the band’s ongoing Ausadjur Mythos, which began with their debut album and which forms the lyrical basis of their work since. Touted as their “most epic record yet” this is a true double LP at ~74 minutes in length. Stoked for it. Check out this first preview:

Amor Fati Productions have announced November 24th as the release date for the debut album from Belgium-based black metal duo HERZOG. ‘Furnace‘ will release on ​CD and vinyl LP formats. The first song taken from the album is “Melted Tesseract” a piece which gives a decent impression of the vibrant aggression and tact of the band’s work:

Australian heavy black/death metallers KING have signed with Soulseller Records for their upcoming new full-length album, entitled ‘Fury and Death‘ which is scheduled for release on November 17th this year. Melancholic blackened and thrashing metal with nods to Scandinavian classics, one might hear Immortal and some Swedish black/death in their roots though the band comes from members of Fuck… I’m Dead, Abramelin, and Hadal Maw. The band states: “We’re excited to have signed a deal with the mighty Soulseller Records to release a musical work that we’re extremely proud of. The time has come to descend from the frozen peaks and let our new music see the light of day ‘Fury and Death’ is a tumultuous battle through epic blasting melodies, uplifting soaring choruses and intense and driving hooks. Prepare for the pilgrimage.” I’ve already previewed the record and I would say expect something surprising, epic, and brilliantly considered.

Stockholm, Sweden based black metal act CIRKELN have announced their second LP ‘The Primitive Covenant‘. They’ve suggested that the album will “pay homage to the forefathers of black-metal.” The record is set for release on November 3rd via True Cult Records and promises it’ll incorporate more elements of old-school thrash-metal, primeval death-metal and even punk. About the first single: ““Garden of Thorns” was the first track that I wrote and recorded for the album. So, it became sort of a north star for me to follow during the process of writing and recording this third Cirkeln LP. I knew I had captured a sound that I was very keen on exploring further. My goal with The Primitive Covenant was from the word go to indulge in different expressions than I had done previously. I wanted to strip my sound of all the bells and whistles (quite literally) and find a more, well, primitive sound where the base components of heavy metal were front and center. I wanted to lead with the riff rather than with the atmosphere. So, it became important to me to write and record in a way where I wasn´t hiding behind a washed-out production or a storm of reverb. I wanted it to be direct – to go straight for the jugular as it were. So, this song is in a way my mission statement and a promise of things to come on the record; a return to the raw materials from which all steel is refined.” I liked but didn’t love their first record beyond the first impression so I am hoping there is more depth to this one:

Eternal Death have announced November 17th as the release date for RITUAL CLEARING‘s debut album. ‘Penitence‘ will release on vinyl LP format. Building off of their 2020 demo they’ve promised something spic, dark and brooding in its black metal mirth with influences from early Swedish black metal as the main focus. Check out the first preview track:

Shadow Kingdom Records have announced November 24th as the release date for the fifth album from underground Ohio heavy metal staple DESTRUCTOR. ‘Blood, Bone, and Fire‘ will release on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape. These Cleveland area fellowes have been around since 1984 having first called it quits in the early 90’s but coming back officially around 1999 and creating havoc every since. Check out that album art and the first preview track “Heroic Age”:

Eisenwald have announced another Helvetic Underground Committee release, this time from OPHANIM. Their latest album ‘Tämpelskläng‘ will be released on November 24th. The core ideal centers around immersive nox and a concept which “explores concepts of ancient Judeo-Christian mythology“. I definitely trust the work of these folks so I am looking foward to delving into this one. Check out the first preview track “Was kei Auge gsehnd”.

Ukrainian/Polish black metal band THREE EYES OF THE VOID have unveiled the details of their debut LP for Folter Records. ‘The Atheist‘ will release this coming October 27th on all relevant formats. The first single/music video comes from the title track (“The Atheist”) which “explores the themes of “Death of God and Mortality” – a well-known maxim of Friedrich Nietzsche. The lyrics focus on the human conflict between belief in God and enlightenment, rejecting the concept of a conscious creator. The songs reflect the helplessness and confusion of a man, who, realizing the absence of God, begins to feel like another artifact of an entropy.” and I am looking forward to what is suggested as a deeper thinking atmospheric black metal experience.

Eternal Death have announced November 24th as the release date for ONE MASTER‘s fifth album. ‘The Names of Power‘ will release on CD, cassette tape, and limited-to-100 double-vinyl boxset. This is the bands first double LP and first full-length with their “Mark IV” lineup, but their sound still deals in traditional black metal style. Check out the first preview track over on Bandcamp:

Eyyy! that friggin’ brain is givin’ me attitude bruh. Astoria, NY-based technical death metal trio NEURECTOMY are showing up with a brilliant grinding-hot debut album here with ‘Overwrought‘, a self released record set to come out November 17th. Half hour death-grinding spin from a tech band with session work the almighty John Longstreth. Hit it quick:

Italian psychedelic/doom trio UFOMAMMUT have announced a new EP, ‘Crookhead‘, which they’ve confirmed for release on October 31st through their own Supernatural Cat Records. This record is part of the walk-up to celebrating their their 25th anniversary in the new year. The artwork features handprinted and numbered silkscreened cover. ‘Crookhead‘ is suggested as foreshadowing for the band’s upcoming tenth album, which will be released when the band celebrates their 25th anniversary in 2024. Facebook for more info

https://www.facebook.com/ufomammutband/

Purity Through Fire announces October 27th as the release date for IKU-TURSO‘s new mini-album, ‘Ikuinen Kirous‘, on CD and A5 digipak. The 12″ vinyl LP version will follow later in 2023. These folks have fostered their own style within the increasingly unique Finnish black metal arena and this album seems more raw, wintry, I didn’t like the last one but this seems more my speed per track “Adinkra”:

Folken and epic heavy metal band RECEIVER hail from the island of Cyprus and make a stunning first impression with their debut album, ‘Whispers of Lore‘, which releases on CD, vinyl, and digitally via Gates of Hell Records this coming November 10th. Think of their sound somewhere between the oak of nowadays epic heavy metal and the storytelling of Pagan Altar. They’ve done a cover of a song from the Golden Axe (Sega Arcade/Genesis game) on the album, so you know this album is great. Album opener, “Unite”, is the first single:

Norwegian dark/black metal legendry AETERNUS have announced their ninth studio album ‘Philosopher‘. The album will be released on November 17th by way of the good folks over at Agonia Records. Lead by founder, guitarist and vocalist Ares the line-up of the band includes current and former members of Gorgoroth and Gaahls Wyrd. The album was recorded, produced & mixed by the band & Herbrand Larsen at Conclave & Earshot Studios (Immortal, Enslaved) and mastered by Lawrence Mackrory at Rorysound Studio. The cover artwork, illustrations and layout come from Mar.A. (Cultes Des Ghoules, Deus Mortem). The album’s first single and opening track, “Existentialist Hunter”, will be released alongside a music video in the coming weeks. Stoked for this one, pre-orders and a tour teaser follow: https://aeternus-philosopher.com/

On November 24th Consouling Sounds will release GNAW THEIR TONGUES tenth album, ‘The Cessation of Suffering‘, on CD and vinyl LP formats. They’ve suggested this album “ strips away anything remotely “enjoyable” or indeed “musical to be left with a hollow shell of sensation, concentrating solely on horrible sounds and frequencies which mirror the horrible state of the world and inner turmoil.” Not sure this’ll be my thing but I’ve liked some of their other work. Check out the first preview track “Salvation Body”:

Icelandic pagan black/folk metal trio FORTÍÐ have revealed the new single ‘Rotinn arfur’ (“A Rotten Legacy”), which is taken from their forthcoming full-length. ‘Narkissos‘ will be released on October 13th this year. The band comment on the single: “This song deals with the so-called, organized Abrahamic religions, please note the plural, as well as their exploiters and followers from a distinctly Pagan perspective. As I like to do quite often, I am playing with words in the lyrics. The word for the colour green, ‘grænn’, can also be used to mean both a lack of experience in life and money or cash. Another example is the Icelandic word ‘fé’, which means ‘sheep’ but also serves as another term for ‘money’. I’m sure that you can put the rest of those pieces from our lyrics together for yourselves.” So far I’m liking everything about this record.

Purity Through Fire have October 27th as the release date for Nôidva‘s second album, ‘Lappish Shatanism‘, on digipack CD format. Formed in 2020 the band features members of labelmates Sacrificium Carmen and Riivaus. The first preview track, “Lappish Shatanism”, impresses right away, big riffs and menacing speed, great album art too.

Norwegian death metal band BLOOD RED THRONE have announced a new album, ‘Nonagon‘, will release by way of Soulseller Records on January 26th, 2024. This will be their eleventh studio album. Founding member Daniel “Død” Olaisen states: “The puzzle is finally complete. Everything is spot on this time. No fillers, just killers. Old-school death metal with a modern touch at is finest.” Check out the new single “Blade Eulogy”:

Chaos Records have announced October 28th as the release date for a new EP from Mexican death metal band SUMMONING DEATH. ‘A Traumatic Night of the Creeps‘ will release on CD and cassette tape formats. The EP will feature covers of Traumatic‘s “The Morbid Act of a Sadistic Rape” and Edge of Sanity‘s “Darkday.” This is a suggestion of where they’re headed with their sound as they begin work on a third full-length album. Check out the new track “Night of the Creeps”:

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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.

The Top 20 Albums of September | 2023

Short Reviews | September 28th, 2023

ISKANDR – Spiritus Sylvestris (2023) | REVIEW

ASET – Astral Rape (2023) | REVIEW

ROCKY’S PRIDE AND JOY – All the Colours of Darkness (2023) | REVIEW

DESECRESY – Deserted Realms (2023) | REVIEW

DISGUISED MALIGNANCE – Entering the Gateways (2023) | REVIEW

PRIMORDIAL – How it Ends (2023) | REVIEW

ALTARAGE – Worst Case Scenario (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:

RESTLESS SPIRIT – Afterimage [October 6th, Magnetic Eye Records]
DECAPITATED CHRIST – Glorious Tyrannizing of Human Rats [October 6th, F.D.A. Records]
THIRD STORM – The Locust Mantra [October 6th, Chaos Records]
BARBARIAN SWORDS – Anti-Dogma Megaforce [October 6th, Eternal Juggernaut Records]
FURIA – Huta Luna [October 10th, Pagan Records]
AIWASS – The Falling [October 13th, King Volume Records]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

MALFET – Dolorous Gard [October 6th, Dungeons Deep Records]
OCTOBER TIDE – The Cancer Pledge [October 6th, Agonia Records]
XORSIST – At the Somber Steps to Serenity [October 6th, Prosthetic Records]
HERETOIR – Nightsphere [October 6th, Northern Silence Productions]
VIRTA – Horros [October 6th, Svart Records]
VID LIV – Vid Liv [October 6th, Breathe Plastic Records]
DISTASTE – Der Ertraeger und das Fleisch [October 6th, F.D.A. Records]

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