ENDTYMER is the semi-weekly recap, blogspace, and new release round-up column. It hits at the end of (most) 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, might contain 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

[#1] VARATHRON (‘The Crimson Temple‘, Agonia Records)
[#2] SYLVAN AWE (‘Pilgrimage‘, Drakkar Productions)
[#3] DEMONCY (‘Black Star Gnosis‘, Dark Descent Records)
[#4] MALICIOUS (‘Merciless Storm‘, Invictus Productions)
[#5] KRALLICE (‘Mass Cathexis 2 – The Kinetic Infinite‘, Self-Released)

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NEW RELEASES

Catch up with the latest new release announcements here. I’ve changed this format to focus on key announcements from releases I am more likely to cover. It will then be followed by detailed list of notable upcoming new releases and songs from already announced releases with links to streams/videos of songs and singles beyond. This will be one of the last Endtymer features for 2023 and the feature will change drastically in 2024.

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Memento Mori and Crypt of the Wizard will conspire to release the third full-length album from weirding death metal crew DIPYGUS on January 22nd, 2024. ‘Dipygus‘ will release on CD by way of Memento Mori and Crypt of the Wizard will handle the 12″ vinyl version. From my point of view these folks remain one of the most interesting underground death metal bands not only for their well curated vision and experimental nature but for a certain unpredictable, forward-weirding approach to a classic sound. Of course if you are a fan of Autopsy, Impetigo and Nuclear Death that’d be a good place to start but catch up with where they’d headed between the last EP and this brand-new track, “Perverse Termination”:

Iron Bonehead Productions have announced February 2nd, 2024 as the release date for UNAUSSPHRECHLICHEN KULTEN‘s highly anticipated sixth album. ‘Häxan Sabaoth‘ will release on CD and vinyl LP formats. Described as a “culmination of their characteristic aesthetic and a whole new, supernatural twist upon it” this album promises its technical angularity and deeper atmosphere, even some melody as the band continue to explore their own brand of dark death metal. Check out brand-new track “Lamia Sucuba” over on SoundCloud:

Norwegian death-thrashers SOVEREIGN have announced their debut full-length, ‘Altered Realities‘, will release early 2024 by way of the good folks over at Dark Descent Records. Guitarist Tommy Jacobsen comments: “Altered Realities is a product of an ever-evolving journey we have taken as a band, from our start in 2018 and culminating in the album’s recording in early 2022. We strive to push ourselves, both in terms of speed and technicality, whilst still keeping a groove and dynamic. Our approach to death/thrash is an interplay between fast-paced aggression and a slower, more groove-oriented feel. The lyrical themes of the album mirror events and unrest that happened during the time of writing and is in itself a journey.” The album is one of my most anticipated for next month and releases January 19th, 2024 on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats. Check out the album’s opening track “Altered Reality”:

Iron Bonehead Productions have announced February 2nd, 2024 as the release date for a new mini-album from HOUSE OF ATREUS on CD and 12″ vinyl formats. ‘Orations‘ is described as a “strategic detour”, a substantial 33-minute mLP where they’ve taken time to further finesse their identity. Plus, hey, If you guitarist is wearing a The Chasm shirt in the press photos, your death metal band probably rules. Check out “Thy Wounded Sovereignty”:

Los Angeles-based epic heavy/doom metal band STYGIAN CROWN will return soon with their sophomore album. ‘Funeral for a King‘ has been built upon the foundation of epic doom and also death Metal, suggesting that their oeuvre has expanded even more on this next step up. Cruz Del Sur Music will release the album this coming February 23, 2024 on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Check out the epic, moody instrumental piece “Funeral For a King” for now:

Swedish horror doom metal band MALSTEN will release their second full-length album on March 15th, 2024. A continuation of their debut album ‘The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill’ (2020) the second chapter in the story is titled ‘The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill – Rites of Passage‘ and once again comes inspired by both contemporary and classic doom metal while finding some of their grounding in the heavier Swedish metal scene, with atonal twists and atmospheric qualities, these folks manage an entertaining form of nowadays dramatist doom. Check out “Larum”:

Polish heavy metal act CRYSTAL VIPER have released a music video for “In The Haunted Chapel” a single which came out digitally earlier this year. Singer/bassist Marta Gabriel comments: “The music video is one thing, but we have some other cool news to share as well. We started to work on a new studio album, which will come out in the Summer of 2024 on Listenable Records. We’re very proud of what we achieved on our latest album, “The Cult”, so from one side you can expect its natural continuation – especially when it comes to lyrics, which once again are inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft – but from the other side, we prepared few surprises and we will explore some new territories. I think all CRYSTAL VIPER fans will be very happy, and I believe the album might be interesting for people who never listened to us.” Fans of classic heavy metal/hard rock should appreciate this more recent change in their sound and the strong dual guitar performances which find a place in their sound more often.

Cruz Del Sur Music have announced the signing of Canadian heavy metal/hard rock group TONNERRE for the release of their debut album. ‘La Nuit Sauvage‘ will release April 5th, 2024 on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. Based in rural Quebec and Ottawa these folks count current and former members of Cauchemar, Durs Cœurs, Bastardator and ‘Scuse among their crew. Their style is heavily inspired by the classics of the late 70’s and some specific underground groups from Canada. The album tells the tale of a night spent with friends in the forest, surrounded by the mysteries of nature, from dusk to dawn: “Entranced by the dance of flames and sacred herbs, our stories become invocations…. until dawn came like a curse. It was a night we would never forget.” Nice. If anyone wants to go smoke weed in the forest at night and write catchy 70’s metal songs, hit me up.

https://www.facebook.com/tonnerre.rockhard

Portland progressive sludge metal band LORD DYING have announced they will release their latest full-length this coming January 19th by way of MNRK Heavy. ‘Clandestine Transcendence‘ features two new members from their enduring scene with Alyssa Mocere (ex-Eight Bells) on bass and Kevin Swartz (Tithe) on drums. On this album they’ve continue some of the story of the prior LP, specifically an immortal Dreamer who only wants to die and in this case he is granted that wish: “This one is about what happens beyond death,” and I think that dark album art and moodier sound both reflect this well at face value.

Memento Mori have announced January 22nd, 2024 as the release date for Romanian death metal band NECROTUM‘s third album. ‘Defleshed Exhumation‘ will release on CD format. This band features a familiar face in Filip Garlonta of Putred (also: Demoted, Vorus) who has released two albums and several other releases in the small span of four years. Expect the dark, abysmal side of traditional death metal on this brand-new track “Warped in Entrails”:

Invictus Productions have announced February 2nd, 2024 as the release date for HASTURIAN VIGIL‘s debut full-length album. ‘Unveiling the Brac’thal‘ will be available on CD and vinyl LP formats. This Irish duo’s approach includes the creation of their own fantasy occult lore and their own heavy metal infused brand of black metal inspired by Mortuary Drape, Absu, Mercyful Fate, Negative Plane, and Zemial and if course you’ve already convinced me to get on board. Expect long and involved pieces spanning this ~33 minute album. Check out one of ’em “Nine Bellowing Hounds” here:

Transcending Obscurity Records have announced the latest LP from Norway-based death metal band DEFECT DESIGNER, a trio featuring Dmitry Sukhinin from Diskord as well as Martin Storm, and drummer Eugene Ryabchenko of Fleshgod Apocalypse. ‘Chitni‘ will release on March 14th, 2024. Expect a weirding, highly technical and sometimes kinda grinding approach, similar to their latest EP from the sound of these new songs:

BLOOD RED THRONE have premiered a second track from their upcoming new album ‘Nonagon‘ which is set for release on January 26th, 2024 via Soulseller Records. This will be the band’s eleventh album Founder/guitarist Daniel “Død” Olaisen comments: “Blood Red Throne has always been a combination of groove and brutality. While keeping true to the BRT sound and feel, ‘Nonagon’ feels fresh and new. The lyrics for the album are loosely based on the nine concentric circles of torment described in ‘Inferno’ by Dante. The album has nine songs and it would be fitting to conceptualize around that. That being said, every lyric is up for interpretation and I encourage people to find their own meaning and themes based on it.” Check out the song “Tempest Sculptor”:

Werewolf Records have announced December 29th as the release date for the second album of Finland’s WHITE DEATH. ‘Iconoclast‘ will initially release on CD and cassette tape formats and the vinyl LP version will follow next year. Vritrahn comments: “Everyone knows the curse of the second album, because the first demo or album is always best. People ask and hope us to do this or do that, and when we put out a few preview songs, there were complaints about sound, for example. So, not to please anybody, we bought the smallest and worst-possible amplifiers from the second-hand store just to ruin fucking great riffs and drown all the best things on this album under muddy noise.” Yet the album sounds great to me and seems to be a strong follow-up to the prior. Check out some early previews:

Dutch black metal duo WRANG have released a brand new song, “Haatspraak”, from their upcoming EP ‘Haatspraak‘, which releases this coming February/March 2024 via Dominance Of Darkness Records. The EP will feature three songs which go “unapologetically into full revolt against the world.” which I am looking forward to. Check the song out over on YouTube:

Avantgarde black metal outfit FARSOT have release a video single, “Nausea” taken from the German band’s upcoming fourth album ‘Life Promised Death‘, which is scheduled for release on February 16th, 2024. The band comment on the song: “The first video single, ‘Nausea’, which is taken from our forthcoming new album ‘Life Promised Death’ deals with the radical realisation of nothingness. Within the absurdity of life we are like numbers without any deeper meaning. We are stuck in our roles and alienated from ourselves, which makes life feel surreal and sickening.” Great meaning and an enthusiastic performance overall, looking forward to this one.

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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. Please subscribe, share, and leave a comment, etc. if you feel like it.

NOTE: Right-click and “Open in New Tab/Window” to view on YouTube or try youtube.com/@terraasymmetry

Nothing But Black Metal November Pt. IV | 2023

Short Reviews | November 24th, 2023

MALICIOUS – Merciless Storm (2023) | REVIEW

CRYPTOSIS – The Silent Call (2023) | REVIEW

The Top 20 Albums of November | 2023

Grizzly Butts will become Mystification Zine in 2024 | EDITORIAL

CRUCIAMENTUM – Obsidian Refractions (2023) | REVIEW

VALDRIN – Throne of the Lunar Soul (2023) | REVIEW

MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY – Biolume Part 3-A Fullmoon Madness (2023) | REVIEW

SADISM – Obscurans (2023) | REVIEW

OSSUARY – Stellar Annihilation (2023) | REVIEW

MÊLÉE DES AURORES – Aube Cannibale (2023) | REVIEW

DESTRUCTOR – Blood, Bone and Fire (2023) | REVIEW

KVELGEYST – Blut, Milch und Thr​ä​nen (2023) | REVIEW

CONVOCATION – No Dawn For the Caliginous Night (2023) | REVIEW

SORT SIND – I Skyggen af Livet (2023) | REVIEW

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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:

PHOBOCOSM – Foreordained [December 8th, Dark Descent Records]
GEISTAZ’IKA – Midnatsb​ø​n ved Dj​æ​velens Port [December 8th, Signal Rex]
SLOW – Abîmes I [December 8th, Code666]
HINSIDES – Hinsides hörs djävulsklockans urklang [December 15th, Shadow Records]
CRYPTWORM – Oozing Radioactive Vomition [December 15th, MSuO, Pulverised, ERP]
VARGRAV – The Nighthold [December 15th, Werewolf Records]
BULL OF APIS BULL OF BRONZE – The Fractal Ouroboros [December 22nd, Fiadh/Vita Detestabilis

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

INTO DARKNESS – Cassini-Huygens [December 1st, Invictus Productions]
ABYSSAL RIFT – Extirpation Dirge [December 1st, Sentient Ruin]
AVRÆ LVNÆ – Ntdd Strl [December 8th, Signal Rex]
REVULSED – Cerebral Contamination [December 15th, Everlasting Spew Records]
WARCOE – A Place for Demons [December 15th, Helter Skelter Productions]
YFEL – Beneath the Mountain’s Vigil [December 22nd, Fiadh Productions]
WHITE DEATH – Iconoclast [December 29th, Werewolf]

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