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] PHOBOCOSM (‘Foreordained‘, Dark Descent Records)
[#2] INCULTER (‘Morbid Origin‘, Edged Circle Productions)
[#3] TROLL (‘Trolldom‘, Polybus Records)
[#4] AVRÆ LVNÆ (‘Ntdd Strl‘, Signal Rex)
[#5] BLOOD SERPENT (‘Bestial Extermination‘, House of Ygra)

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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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Colorado-based death/doom metal quartet SPECTRAL VOICE have finally announced their return with the impending release of second full-length album. ‘Sparagmos‘ will mercifully hit at ~45 minutes and four songs and stick with their rotted out death/doom metal sound and they will once again work with Dark Descent Records on the release. Expect CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital to hit on February 9, 2024. Drummer vocalist E. Wendler states: “The content of the album oscillates between lamentation and exaltation. An immersive, morbid atmosphere of funereality longs for the liberation of death and mourns the agony of life. Coupled with moments of frenetic madness, grandeur, terror, and ecstasy, the point we are trying to get to is the moment in which – through sacrifice – atavistic wildness is unleashed, and the ultimate exaltation of life through death is realized,” In this sense expect an organic, classicist result with its own rusted edges. They’ve got a video up for the first preview song “Red Feasts Condensed into One”, a piece that kicks off with this frightening ‘Blod Draum‘ sort of feeling to start, check it out now:

Dying Victims Productions have announced February 16th, 2024 as the release date for Spanish heavy metal band IRON CURTAIN‘s fifth full-length album. ‘Savage Dawn‘ will see release on CD and vinyl LP formats. Just as their previous EP suggested this album is a new start, a different turn for their sound which has opted for heavy rock and Motör-kickin’ songcraft upon new introductions but they’ve kept the production values spicy, fidelity with the grit left largely to their performances. If you’re up for a rousing three minute heavy metal song catch “Gypsy Rocker” now:

Transcending Obscurity Records have announced sci-fi themed German melodic black metal band VORGA will return with their second full-length album ‘Beyond the Palest Star‘ this coming March 29th, 2024 . If you’d like the wide open spaces, intense speed and charming melodies of ‘Striving Toward Oblivion‘ a few years back expect a serious follow-up to that record and that same high quality upheld. Check out of couple of the songs up front:

Portland, Oregon-based death metal quartet PETRIFICATION are finally back after almost five years and ready with their sophomore full-length album, ‘Sever Sacred Light‘. The album will be released by the good folks over at Svart Records on February 9th, 2024. They’ve not lost their OSDM touch by the sound of things which you can hear the cadence and aggression of the first single, “Twisted Visions of Creation”:

Memento Mori have announced that they will release the second full-length album from Hungarian cosmic horrified ‘old school’ death metal trio MEPHITIC GRAVE. ‘Dreadful Seizures‘ will arrive on CD this coming January 22nd, 2024. Deranged, morbid and wrathful in their rhythms this classics-minded band have refined their sound for this album but haven’t forgotten the ugly art of death metal and the riff, expect a more readable sound but no less of the grotesque style. Check out “Tremadora Ritual” now:

Jawbreaker Records have announced the debut full-length release from Swedish black/heavy metal project COMMAND (ex-Commando). ‘Resver‘ will release on all relevant formats this coming January 26th, 2024. Now four years removed from their last recordings the band have changed their name (slightly) and their sound as well now touching upon black/thrash qualities for a distinct black/heavy metal sound. I’m thrilled for this one, check out the first preview of the album “Hauntings”:

Indie Recordings have announced the upcoming full-length from IN VAIN, ‘Solemn‘ will release in 2024. The first single from the album “Season of Unrest” arrives today. If you aren’t familiar with their sound consider it an evolution of modern progressive metal, extreme in some sense but aiming quite big with each piece. Lead vocalist Sindre gives us some insight into the song: “With all the songs we’ve done through the years, this is the one that holds the most meaning to me. It contains extremely personal lyrics written at a low point of my life. The lyrics combined with fantastic riffs and top tier songwriting makes this piece really special.” Not entirely to my taste but I found there was some conviction and interest in this song:

Chaos Records have announced February 9th, 2024 as the release date for German black metal band SELTSAME ERDEN‘s debut album. ‘Gedankentempeln‘ will arrive on CD format. The Marburg based band were founded in 2019 by members of Nekus, Into Coffin, and Putridarium so you can expect deeply atmospheric, deathly sounds thundering about within this thoughtfully arcane black metal album, very immersive right off the bat. You can listen to the whole thing right now and decide for yourself:

On February 16th, 2024 Dying Victims Productions will release the debut full-length album from London-based heavy metal/hard rock band COLTRE. ‘To Watch With Hands To Touch With Eyes‘ will arrive on CD and vinyl LP formats. Their Thin Lizzy and NWOBHM touched sound is not only fully of fine guitar work at every turn but does well to keep things tuneful on this new song “Feast of the Outcast”:

Prosthetic Records have announced their first release for 2024 will be the second LP from Australian death metal duo DOMINATION CAMPAIGN. ‘A Storm of Steel‘ will release this coming January 12th. This group features Psycroptic members Jason Peppiatt and Joe Haley, sounding fairly brutal right off the bat. The themes of the band center around “tales of the real world tragedy of warfare and conflict, rejecting sensationalist narratives and focusing on the devastating human cost involved.” Worth checking out based on this first preview song, “The Iron Beast”:

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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

Short Reviews | December 8th, 2023

The Top 20 Albums of November | 2023

SYLVAN AWE – Pilgrimage (2023) | REVIEW

INFAMOVS – Stench of the Unholy Graves (2023) | REVIEW

VARATHRON – The Crimson Temple (2023) | REVIEW

DEMONCY – Black Star Gnosis (2023) | REVIEW

DUSK – Dissolve Into Ash (2023) | REVIEW

PHOBOCOSM – Foreordained (2023) | REVIEW

INCULTER – Morbid Origin (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:

These are final longform + video reviews which will arrive this weekend/next week. After that it is list season, and time to create a Best of 2023 list and several videos for the occasion. If Abigor‘s album becomes digitally available I will review it.

HINSIDES – Hinsides hörs djävulsklockans urklang [December 15th, Shadow Records]
CRYPTWORM – Oozing Radioactive Vomition [December 15th, MSuO, Puverised, ERP]
MORTUAL – Evil Incarnation [December 30th, Nuclear Winter Records]
VARGRAV – The Nighthold [December 15th, Werewolf Records]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

The following lists (some with video accompaniment) will arrive before the end of 2023.

Noise Rock | 2023 (year retrospective)
10 Death Metal Albums You Missed | 2023
10 Black Metal Albums You Missed | 2023
10 Heavy/Doom Metal Albums You Missed | 2023
10 Thrash Metal Albums You Missed | 2023
The Top Ten Video Games of the Year | 2023
The Top 75 Albums of the Year | 2023 [In five parts]

Also, 2024 will start with “Most Anticipated Albums of Q1 | 2024” which will cover all of the releases I’m most interested in up through the end of March.

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