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] SEVERE TORTURE (‘Torn From the Jaws of Death‘, Season of Mist)
[#2] INCONCESSUS LUX LUCIS (‘Temples Colliding in Fire‘, I, Voidhanger)
[#3] TORTURERS’ LOBBY (‘Deadened Nerves‘, Caligari Records)
[#4] HOLYCIDE (‘Towards Idiocracy‘, Xtreem Music)
[#5] ABYSSAL (‘Glacial‘, Transylvanian Recordings)

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UPCOMING RELEASES

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

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On July 26th Sepulchral Voice Records will release the debut full-length album from Chilean thrash metal band MAYHEMIC. ‘Toba‘ will be released on CD, Vinyl and digitally. Their brand of rugged, raw witching thrash should immediately stir the brains of fans who love the early work of bands like Merciless, Sepultura, and of course Kreator‘s first three records. I have been a huge fan of their smaller releases and loved the compilation they’d released more recently and now that I have this in my hands I gotta say up front, this has album of the year contender written all over it for my own taste and sure, even when it seems like a massive thrash record hits outta Santiago every week.

Svart Records have announced Danish hard rock/proto-heavy metal anomaly DEMON HEAD‘s fifth full-length album will release this coming September. ‘Through Holes Shine the Stars’ finds the band hitting a milestone of maturity and critical change as they’ve reached for greater paradigm shifts beyond 2018 and suggest a more “extroverted” approach to performance. Bassist Mikkel Fuglsang comments: “Our first four records can be seen as the pillars creating a structure in order to reach the new level that this undoubtedly is for us.” and they’ve worked with revered engineer and producer Flemming Rasmussen to realize this crucial point of definition. I can’t really speak to this more ’til they release a preview song but I’ve been a fan of most all of their previous stuff.

https://www.svartrecords.com/en/product/demon-head-through-holes-shine-the-stars/12573

Spanish death metal band APOSENTO have released the first single and title track from their upcoming fourth album, ‘No Safe Haven‘. The album will be released on July 2nd by way of Xtreem Music on CD and digital with a vinyl release coming later. While these folks have always produced a brutal take on classic ‘old school’ death metal this album takes their production to an even deadlier space. The album art comes from Naroa Etxebarría. Great song, I’ve known about this band since their early days so I’m looking forward to this one.

Invictus Productions have announced an 12″ vinyl mLP from LUCIFERICON titled ‘Sabatraxas‘ which will release this coming June 21st. The band explain this particular work: “Sabatraxas is about heralding the darkness, finding yourself in it and finally becoming it. It is walking the solitary and lonely road – exactly as we have been doing since LUCIFERICON’s inception. It is about the lore and custom of this cunning arte.” and I great appreciate that sentiment. Check out a preview song now:

We’ve gotten an embarrassment of riches from the MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY camp of late, not to mention Dis Pater‘s efforts to tour as well as play on the latest Kawir record, and now we find one of his first post-Biolume trilogy releases in ‘Closer To The Sky‘, a new EP. This is a tour specific item which is also seeing the light of day on July 19th so the whole thing has been available digitally for some time but for those who want it can get it on CD in a couple months. Might review it, as always expect a high standard and expansive scores from the ambitious artist.

Los Angeles atmospheric death metal band TEETH will release their latest full-length album ‘The Will of Hate‘” this coming August 30th by way of the good folks at Translation Loss Records. Their approach only becomes more amorphous on this latest album where black and death metal merge with sludge/post-metal bombast for a very modern metal sounding record. Wild cover art too. Vocalist/guitarist Justin Moore comments: “The Will of Hate is about the overall loathing that comes fastened to the burden of consciousness and its overwhelming awareness. The toilsome obligation of mortality that follows that. The beginning and the end being understood making the meaninglessness in between suffocating.” They’ve noted that this album will be presented on a bigger scale but more concise, noting they’ve not lost their density of attack in the process. Judging by the preview song, it does sound like a step into something even more unique:

Everlasting Spew Records have announced the latest album from death/doom metal band VOID WITCH, ‘Horripilating Presence‘ will release this coming July 26th on all relevant formats, though I assume vinyl will come later. The band comment: “Creating our debut album as a bunch of middle aged dads is an exercise in absurdity. Chained by responsibility, the mechanical habits of life, a lack of time and energy at the end of every long day, we pushed to write and record these songs over the course of a few years. This album exists because we needed it to exist, because our world-worn sanity needed a brief escape. We hope you enjoy this labor of absurdity.” This one caught my eye with the unusual cover art, check out the title track here:

This coming July 23rd The Ajna Offensive will release the debut full-length album from THE OTHER SUN. ‘Daimon, Devil, Dawn,‘ will arrive on on CD and vinyl LP formats, with 12-page booklets with the CD coming first and Invictus Productions handling the release in Europe. Described as dark or occult rock this Gothenburg, Sweden based group formed in 2018 by Fredrik Eytzinger and Árni Bergur Zoëga.

Dying Victims Productions have announced Italian heavy metal quartet DEMON SPELL’s debut mini-album, ‘Evil Nights‘ will release through the label on CD and 12” vinyl this coming July 26th. Traditional heavy metal stuff with its own edge thanks to members of classic speed metal band Schizo and stoner band Haunted. Expect 80’s heavy metal and, I suppose with some extra personality on the vocals:

Agonia Records have announced a July 12th release date for ‘Nightfloating‘ the eleventh studio album from Italian depressive black, doom and sludge metal group FORGOTTEN TOMB. They’ve suggested that they’re taking stock of their early days records while looking beyond the strengths of their most recent record and finding some new vigor in the past and the present. They’re now up to their 25th anniversary here so, this one promises to be both cumulative and intense. I like this idea and this direction as I still have a particular fondness for their earlier stuff.

Memento Mori have announced a July 22nd release date for the sophomore full-length album from Italian death metal group MORBUS GRAVE. ‘Feasting the Macabre‘ will continue their tradition of ancient 80’s death metal from their own point of view. Looking forward to this one as I’d appreciated the style and attack of their debut. For now check out “Funeral Embodiment” and I should have a song to premiere later on in the month as well:

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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

EVOKED – Immoral Arts (2024) | REVIEW

ROTTEN TOMB – The Relief of Death (2024) | REVIEW

MORTAL WOUND – The Anus of the World (2024) | REVIEW

CAVERN WOMB – Stages of Infinity (2024) | REVIEW

REVERSED – Wildly Possessed (2024) | REVIEW

ABREAKTION – Bornhatred (2024) | REVIEW

WHOREDOM RIFE – Den Vrede Makt (2024) | REVIEW

INCONCESSUS LUX LUCIS – Temples Colliding In Fire (2024) | REVIEW

ADVERSARIAL – Solitude With the Eternal… (2024) | REVIEW

NOROTH – Sacrificial Solace (2024) | REVIEW

THANATOTHERION – Alienation Manifesto (2024) | REVIEW

AMEN CORNER – Written by the Devil (2024) | REVIEW

FLAIL – Within the Firths of Futility (2024) | REVIEW

LUCIFER’S HAMMER – Be And Exist (2024) | 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:

SEVERE TORTURE – Torn From the Jaws of Death [June 7th, Season of Mist]
ULCERATE – Cutting the Throat of God [June 14th, Debemur Morti Productions]
HYPERDONTIA – Harvest of Malevolence [June 21st, Dark Descent/Me Saco Un Ojo]
ABYSMAL WINDS – Magna Pestilencia [June 21st, I Hate Records]
PORTRAIT – The Host [June 21st, Metal Blade Records]
LUCIFERICON – Sabatraxas [June 21st, Invictus Productions]

SHORT REVIEWS + VIDEO:

KERASFÓRA – Six Nights Beyond the Serpents Threshold [June 14th, Iron Bonehead]
SQUID PISSER – Dreams of Puke [June 14th, Skin Graft Records]
DESOLAT – Get Sick and Let Me Watch You Die [June 14th, Reptilian Records]
ALARM! – Alarm! [June 14th, Armageddon Label]
GRAVE HERESY – Incineration Victory [June 7th, Godz ov War Productions]
SICULICIDIUM – Az elidegenedés melankóliája [June 10th, Sun & Moon Records]
DARKENED – Defilers of the Light [June 14th, Edged Circle Productions]
ANGEL SWORD – World Fighter [June 14th, Dying Victims Productions]
PERCHTA – D’muata [June 14th, Prophecy Productions]
AIRBAG – The Century of the Self [June 14th, Karisma Records]

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