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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TWO BEST OF THE WEEK

[#1] QUINTA ESSENTIA (‘Evolution of the Ethereal Wisdom‘, Self-Released)
[#2] EMBRYONIC DEVOURMENT (‘Prime Specimens‘, Desidarius Recordings)

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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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INQUISITION have announced their latest full-length album ‘Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence‘ will release this coming January 26th, 2024 and they’ve posted a preview song, “A Hidden Ceremony of Blood and Flesh”. These have been dropped basically without comment and this smartly leaves the song to speak for itself, reprising some of the cold and droning qualities of their pre-Season of Mist material. Much as I did end up liking their previous album so far this seems much more in line with their best, or, the records I’d like from them most in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. Highly anticipated.

Another one of my favorite all-time bands Switzerland’s MESSIAH have announced they will once again release their latest LP with High Roller Records. The title is set as ‘Christus Hypercubus‘ and they’ve set a March 1st, 2024 release date for all formats. Since 2020’s comeback record their longtime vocalist unfortunately passed away and now they’ve added new vocalist Marcus Seebach and a second guitarist who has [played with the band live for sometime. They’ve promised something heavier and faster, so I’m already stoked, guitarist and maestro R. Brögi comments: “The combination of faith (CHRISTUS as a pseudonym) and Tesseract (HYPERCUBUS) is a theoretical idea-thought construct that may possibly lead to an analogy, both musically, literarily and visually, to how the world is continually becoming more and more condensed. Invisible (multidimensional tesseract), in which only man lives, due to his actions and a possible matrix error in the human evolutionary sequence. In the end, there is no space left, only emptiness, infinitely condensed mass and time is displaced. This makes the question of ‘where from’, ‘why’ and ‘wherefore’ superfluous.” This is easily my most anticipated release of 2024.

New Jersey-based dissonant death metal trio REPLICANT have announced a new full length which will once again be released by way of Transcending Obscurity Records on April 12th, 2024. They’ve promised ‘Infinite Mortality‘ will be a more intricate and heavier record with evolved performances, including a session drummer. They’ve got two songs streaming over on Bandcamp.

Official versions of Chilean ‘old school’ black metal band HELLAVENGER‘s debut album ‘The Primordial Fire‘ have been announced. It was technically self-released in Chile in 2023 at just 150 cassettes as far as I know. All of the issues announced will have new mastering and an additional interlude by way of a CD version by Holycaust Records (USA) available during the first quarter of 2024, Cassette versions by Destruktion Records (Germany) available during the first quarter of 2024 a vinyl version and cassette by Morbid Metal Records and Utterly Somber Records (USA) available in June 2024 and a gatefold vinyl version by Death Division Rituals Records (Chile) will be available in September 2024. Check it out if you liked his work in bands like Deathwards and such.

Swedish technical/progressive death metal band CARNOSUS have signed to Willowtip Records. The band will soon get to work on their third LP. The Orebro-based band’s statement concerning the signing: “As the year ends we are buckling up and getting ready to record our third album. We are happy to announce that this time we are working with Willowtip Records and joining their roster of amazing bands! Expect more ‘Visions’ as we venture into our third installment, with tales of the vicious majesty and the world it lives in. This project comes with some of our finest riffs to date and is a bit more progressive than our last album. We will, once again, team up with the trustworthy and excellent producer Robert Kukla at Obsidian Recording Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. We are beyond stoked to let this material come to life, and we hit the studio early 2024! Giddy up!” Check out their latest LP to see what the fuss is all about:

Ambient black metal project AUREOLE have released the second single from their upcoming third LP ‘Alunarian Bellmaster‘ which is scheduled for release on February 9, 2024 through Lupus Lounge. The multi-talented Markov Soroka explains the single (“Orbiting Among Alunarian Ruins”) “The initial shock of the invading force’s missiles left only crumbling ruins around the Citadel Alunar, yet the Bellmaster’s spine that had been turned into brass and was firmly secured to a floating piece of debris endured. In this song, we hear the desperate yet cathartic movements created by the attempt to unfreeze from the rock, which would allow for a sacrificial teleport in order to send Citadel Alunar to a different dimension in the persisting hope of finding new inhabitants there. To be continued…” Very compelling lore and a great sound.

Death metal band MORTA SKULD have announced their latest album will release this coming February 23rd, 2024 by way of Peaceville Records. Instead of rehearsing completed songs this time around they’ve written these pieces in the rehearsal room, one after another, aiming for something more authentic in its old school feeling. The band comments on the first single: “We Rise We Fall” is the debut single to be released from our forthcoming record entitled “Creation Undone”. Fresh but rooted in the vein of old school death metal, it is sure to have something for everyone. We worked harder than ever on this record and took a different approach writing and recording it. We look forward to seeing all of you on the road next year when this album drops.” I’m not sure why they’ve gone with a AI album art but it wasn’t the best choice considering their aim for “old school” feeling.

To celebrate ARTILLERY’s upcoming live album, ‘Raw Live (At Copenhell)‘, the band have released a digital single and lyric video for the song “The Challenge”. This song dates back to their ‘Terror Squad’ demos circa ’86 and was meant to get a rise out of the crowd. The live album which will be released on CD, LP and digital formats via Mighty Music on February 2nd, 2024.

Blood Harvest Records have announced February 9th, 2024 as the release date for the second full-length album from Australia’s CONTAMINATED. ‘Celebratory Beheading‘ will release on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats. They’ve got one preview track up thus far, “An Unnatural End”:

Boston, Massachusetts-based stoner metal/sludge-rock quintet LEATHER LUNG have released the first video single, “Spit in the Casket”, the opening track of their upcoming debut album ‘Graveside Grin‘ which releases by way of Magnetic Eye Records this coming March 15th, 2024. I recall enjoying the gruffness of their earlier singles and EP so I’m looking forward to checking the full album out.

Chaos Records have announced March 1st, 2024 as the release date for extreme crust duo NEGATIVE PRAYER‘s debut album. ‘Self // Wound‘ will release on CD format with the vinyl version following later in 2024. Their sound has been compared to brutal D-beat/crust a la Driller Killer and Wolfpack and features Kyle House (Decrepisy, ex-Acephalix) on vocals, guitar, and bass plus Charlie Koryn on drums. Check out the first preview song “Violence”:

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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

These are the first five video features for the “The Top 75 Albums of the Year | 2023” list:

#75-66

#65-56

#55-46

#45-36

#35-26

#25-16

#15-01

Also “The Top 10 Video Games of the Year | 2023“

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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:

A/ORATOS – Ecclesia Gnostica [January 19th, LADLO]
BOUNDLESS CHAOS – Sinister Upheaval [January 19th, Dying Victims Productions]
LORD DYING – Clandestine Transcendence [January 19th, MNRK Heavy]
DIPYGUS – Dipygus [January 22nd, Memento Mori/Crypt of the Wizard]
MEPHITIC GRAVE – Dreadful Seizures [January 22nd, Memento Mori]
COMMAND – Resver [January 26th, Jawbreaker Records]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

Short Reviews arrive every TWO weeks this year. These are some of the albums being considered for the week of January 8th-15th. All selections are tentative and not final.

MASTER – Saints Dispelled [January 19th, Hammerheart Records]
ABHORIA – Depths [January 19th, Prosthetic Records]
BLOOD RED THRONE – Nonagon [January 26th, Soulseller Records]
KALT VINDUR – Magna Mater [January 26th, The Circle Music]
ANCIENT VVISDOM – Master of the Stone [January 26th, Argonauta Records]
UNSOULING – Vampiric Spiritual Drain [January 26th, I, Voidhanger]
LOTUS THIEF / FORLESEN – Lotus Thief / Forlesen [January 26th, I, Voidhanger]
STUPOROUS – Asylum’s Lament [January 25th, Void Wanderer/War Productions]
MANTICORA – Mycelium [January 26th, Mighty Music]

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