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 THIS WEEK

[#1] MESSIAH (‘Christus Hypercubus‘, High Roller Records)
[#2] MISOTHEIST (‘Vessels by Which The Devil…‘, Terratur Possessions)
[#3] PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS (‘Devil’s Hammer‘, Northern Silence)
[#4] SATURNALIA TEMPLE (‘Paradigm Call‘, Listenable)
[#5] CONVULSING (‘Perdurance‘, Self-Released)

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UPCOMING RELEASES

Catch up with the latest new release announcements for albums I am most likely to cover here.

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Swedish melodic death metal legends SARCASM will return for a fifth full-length album this coming April 12th. Recorded during the last half of 2023, ‘Mourninghoul‘ will be released by way of the good folks over at Hammerheart Records. The big change here this time around is the inclusion of new drummer Jesper Ojala and they are promising their most “dynamic and innovative album to date” and of course I couldn’t be more stoked to dig into it, as I’ve found their return and resurgence some of the more memorable music in this style in years. Check out “Dying Embers of Solitude”:

On May 3rd Personal Records will release OSSILEGIUM‘s debut full-length album. ‘The Gods Below‘ will be released on CD format to start. Inspired by the classic works of Swedish melodic black/death metal (Necrophobic, Sacramentum, Unanimated, Gates of Ishtar, Dawn and Naglfar) of course you know I grabbed this one quick and am already neck deep in it. Lots of hype for this one check out the first preview song “Nightborn”:

On April 19th Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Dark Descent Records will release the second full-length album from Turkish death metal band ENGULFED. ‘Unearthly Litanies of Despair‘ will be released on vinyl by way of Me Saco Un Ojo and Dark Descent will handle the CD and cassette tape versions. Another much anticipated return and it comes with appropriately dark and bloodied album artwork. Check out “In the Abyss of Death’s Obscurity”:

Athens, Greece-based stoner doom metal band ACID MAMMOTH have announced their fourth album ‘Supersonic Megafauna Collision‘ will be released this coming April 5th via venerable Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds. About the first single, “Atomic Shaman”, guitarist/vocalist Chris Babalis Jr. comments: “The surface burns day and night, and dwellers of the deepest caverns have embraced the pitch-black corridors below as their new dominion. No one dares to venture above; it would only mean certain death by the all-consuming hellfire that came from the skies. The dwellers are secluded in the deep, chanting frenziedly and calling upon the spirits from the otherworld for salvation. This is the dismal world of “Atomic Shaman”, the track that opens side B of our upcoming new album. Our goal with this song was to capture all the despair and hopelessness of that horrific turn of events and put it in one song, greatly inspired by the 1986 movie “Dead Man’s Letters”“. I’d wanted to write about their last record so I’m stoked I can wax about their sound when this one arrives.

20 Buck Spin have announced Los Angeles, California-area death/doom metal group CIVEROUS‘ sophomore full-length album ‘Maze Envy‘ will release on LP, CD, MC, and digitally this coming March 22nd. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this record but I think it should surprise a few folks who, like me, wasn’t fully convinced by their debut LP. Check out the first preview track “Shrouded in Crystals”:

Memento Mori have announced an April 22nd, 2024 release date for Malaysian death metal band OBSCURIAL‘s second album, ‘Heretic‘. You might recall their debut LP ‘Funeral, Burial and Rites‘ back in 2021 and it sounds like they’ve been hard at work perfecting their craft since then. Expect atmospheric but unquestionably ‘old school’ style death metal. Looking forward to this one based on previews thus far:

Quebecois heavy rock band TONNERRE have released a lyric video for their latest single, “Les enfants de la nuit”, taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘La Nuit Sauvage‘ which will be released by Cruz Del Sur Music this coming April 12th on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. Check it out if you’re interested in the heavy rock side of folks from bands like Cauchemar. Chill, haunting stuff with a soulful edge to the (French) vocals.

Detroit, Michigan-based blackened doom trio TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH have announced their third full-length album ‘Apotheosis‘ will be released on April 5th via Ripple Music. The band comment on the album as a whole: “The lyrics and concept are more overt and less cryptic than the previous Temple releases. Everything is bigger, heavier, and darker. Rather than making just another doom record, we wanted to do something that stepped outside of the box a little bit. Established fans will still find catchy riffs that are staples of doom but will be surprised with some new twists on the genre, with the introduction of blackened vocals and some more up-tempo tracks. Lyrically, the album is deeply rooted in the esoteric and spiritual. We came with a very introspective mindset, and each of us was able to add a little bit of our soul to it. When people hear the lyrics and music together, they will find something fresh but dark to connect with.” I think the vocals fit pretty well and he did say riffs so check those out:

Chaos Records have announced the debut full-length album from Chilean death metal band ANTAGONYZE will release on CD and cassette tape this coming April 19th. The sound they explore on ‘Interpretations of the Unknown Wilderness‘ is both familiar and a bit out there, a good balance of old school death metal, death/thrash and some off-kilter exploration. Don’t skip out on this one:

Maggot Stomp have announced ‘Amalgamations Of Gore‘ the debut full-length release from Cleveland death metal band MUTILATION BARBECUE will be released on LP, CD, MC, and digitally on March 29th. Basically this Cleveland-area band formed after death/thrash metal band Subtype Zero split into two bands (200 Stab Wounds, and this one) both focused on brutal death. Album cover looks rad, song is kinda bent, should be a ride:

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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

ANGMODNES – Rot of the Soul (2024) | REVIEW

APOGEAN – Cyberstrictive (2024) | REVIEW

FATHOMLESS RITUAL – Hymns for the Lesser Gods (2024) | REVIEW

LUNAR SPELLS – Sacraments of Necromantical Empires (2024) | REVIEW

MESSIAH – Christus Hypercubus (2024) | REVIEW

Short Reviews | February 29th, 2024

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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:

MISOTHEIST – Vessels By Which the Devil is Made Flesh [March 1st, Terratur Possessions]
SPEEDKILLER – Inferno [March 8th, Helldprod]
MOLTEN – Malicide [March 8th, Transylvanian Recordings]
STRESS ANGEL – Punished by Nemesis [March 15th, Dying Victims Productions]
ORNAMENTOS DEL MIEDO – Escapando a Través de la Tierra [March 15th, Meuse Music/Tragedy]
MALSTEN – The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill – Rites of Passage [March 15th, Svart Records]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

Short Reviews will be weekly this March, every Wednesday. Next entry: 3/06/24 (Mar. 6th)

BLAZAR – Fatal Cosmic Wound [March 1st, Carbonized Records]
KOLLAPSE – AR [March 8th, Fysisk Format Records]
HOLDLAJTORJA – Arcana et Tenebrae [March 8th, Sun & Moon Records]
ISENORDAL – Requiem for Eirênê [March 8th, Prophecy Productions]
SVOID – Neptunian [March 9th, Sun & Moon Records]
HADIT – Metaphysical Engines Approaching the Event Horizon [March 15th, I, Voidhanger Records]

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