ENDTYMER is the semi-weekly recap, occasional 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, 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] ONIROPHAGUS (‘Revelations from the Void‘, Personal Records)
[#2] HÄXKAPELL (‘Om jordens blod och urgravens grepp‘, Nordvis)
[#3] COFFINFEEDER (‘Dominion of Torment‘, Sewer Rot)
[#4] NECRODEATH (‘Arimortis‘, Time to Kill)
[#5] DRIPPED (‘Utopia of Euphoric Envisionment‘, Self-Released)

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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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One of my most anticipated records in years will drop this February 14th, as announced by Lavadome Productions the third full-length album from Huntsville, Alabama-based death metal band CHAOS INCEPTION, ‘Vengeance Evangel‘, will be their third spawn point. Impeccably struck stuff, these folks are well-known riff machines and they’ve suggested the leads on the album, some of which are inspired by the jazz guitarists of the ‘60s and ‘70s, are an intentional feature. Huge hype for this release on my end, easy Best of the Year material based on previews. They’ll premiere a track in a week or so, for now follow Lavadome on Facebook to keep up with their announcements:

https://www.facebook.com/lavadome

Signal Rex has announced February 14th as the release date the latest EP from Bosnian black metal band IZROD. ‘Ulica, trnje i kamenje‘ will release on on CD and 12″ vinyl. If you don’t remember these folks’ 2023 debut LP you missed out on a bizarrely atmospheric record with particularly fine guitar work. You can head into this EP expecting even more emphasis on melody and dissonant/avant-garde movements. The title track here is an experience which speaks for itself, check out “Ulica, trnje i kamenje”:

Fantoom and Dying Sun have announced they will release the debut full-length album from VEILED METAMORPHOSIS a funeral doom metal project this coming February 2nd. ‘Tentacled Void of Infinity‘ will release on CD, cassette tape, and digitally. Hailing from the Netherlands via Vitriol (ex-Nihil) and Grave Desecrator (Necronomicon) these folks have created an incredible wall of noise here and a strong blackened funeral death/doom metal record. The whole thing is already on streaming:

Darkness Shall Rise Productions have announced March 13th as the release date for ‘Demos 1993 – 1994‘ a compilation of ABIGOR‘s five demos on double-CD and double-vinyl LP. This will be the first time all of these demos: ‘Ash Nazg…‘, ‘Lux Devicta Est‘, ‘Promo tape 2/94‘, ‘Moonrise‘, and ‘In Hate & Sin‘ have been documented in such an elaborate way and grouped together with photos from the era, an in-depth interview covering “the period from the formative 1980s, over the conditions leading to the establishment of the band, up to the days when a deal for their debut Verwüstung / Invoke The Dark Age was signed.” which makes it the definite archive of this legendary band. The first couple demos aren’t great from what I remember but there are some incredible pieces on the recordings leading up to their first LP.

Iron Bonehead Productions have announced April 11th as the release date for the debut album of Finnish duo MOONFALL. ‘Odes to the Ritual Hills‘ will release on CD and vinyl LP formats. The recently revived primitivist and arcane black metal band reactivated in 2020 and they’ve been building up to this release since by way of various demos and split records. If you are a fan of the ragged, doomed side of Necromantia and Barathrum you’ll probably like “Countess Carody”:

Hells Headbangers have announced March 14th as the release date for bestial war machine GENOCIDAL RITES‘ debut album. ‘Genocidal Upheaval of Subservient Abrahamic Law‘ will release on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape. Expect a bloody grinding black/death metal record, no holds barred and from the sound of this song they’ve got riffs. Check out “IX Gods / IX Graves”:

Transcending Obscurity Records have announced March 7th as the release date for the latest album from Turkish black/death metal band SHRINE OF DENIAL. ‘I, Moloch‘ will release on all relevant formats and with many options/packages. This album is not only striking in its overall curation, fine cover art especially, but it is also heavily nuanced. Stoked to talk about this one closer to its release but definitely take that as a recommendation up front. Check out a couple songs over on Bandcamp:

From what I’ve gathered BRONCO is the continuation of the band Toke and “Damnation” is the latest single from their upcoming debut for Magnetic Eye Records. ‘Bronco‘ will release this coming February 28th. A fine blend of stoner/doom metal and sludge-rocking muse. Check out “Damnation”:

This March 7th Antiq will release instrumental dark folk project Wÿntër Ärvn‘s third album, ‘Sous L’Orage Noir – L’Astre et la Chute‘. At it since 2017 or so this solo project comes via Wÿntër Ärvn (Hardiesse, Vintergeist, ex-Aorlhac, ex-Belore) and runs the gamut of intimate recordings and bigger, soul searching pieces. See if this might be your thing, check out “Ad Versperam”:

Northern English moderne doom metal project DARKHER have had one of their songs licensed by Polish video game developer/publisher 11 bit studios (This War of Mine and Frostpunk 1 & 2) for the trailer of their upcoming new game, a soulslike deck builder adventure/thriller title Death Howl. They’ve used the song “Lowly Weep” for the trailer which I’ve linked below. Darkher comments: “When it was requested that ‘Lowly Weep’ be used for a game soundtrack, I was intrigued by the story line and its theme. I very much like the idea that both, game and music, can transport people into other realms.” The game looks awesome and the song is well-chosen for its cinematic effect:

German blackened sludge-punk duo MANTAR return with a new full-length, ‘Post Apocalyptic Depression‘, on February 14th by way of Metal Blade Records. Guitarist/vocalist Hanno Klänhardt comments: “We wanted to do everything different from the last album. The last album was very produced. A huge sounding record with clean production. Display of power. That was what we wanted and felt at that time. Now we are trying to destroy what we’ve built up with the last album. There is a certain beauty in disappointing people’s expectations.” as it seems their focus was creating something authentic and off the cuff. Shirts off and riffs out, here’s “Halsgericht”:

Melodic/progressive death metal project DESSIDERIUM have signed to Willowtip Records for the March 17th release of their upcoming album ‘Keys to the Palace’ which will be released on CD, double-vinyl gatefold LP, and digital formats. Sole member Alex Haddad comments: “This album was ten plus years in the making. A lot of the material here actually precedes that of the two previous releases. Completing this record means giving closure to this era of Dessiderium that has spanned across my twenties, and I see it as a well suited final chapter to this period. The two previous albums, Shadow Burn and Aria, provided no happy ending. They were both about defeat in their own way. Keys to the Palace reaches for triumph. This is an album about time travel that explores the polarity between past and future, innocence and disillusion, faith and despair, and adolescence and adulthood.” The only thing I know about this band is that Wintersun fans tend to recommend them, check out “Dover Hendrix”:

Tangerang, Indonesia-based death metal infused punk trio FERAL WOUND have just released two new songs “Agony” and “Aftermath” as a double single on January 13th, 2025. These two relatively short hardcore punk/crust built pieces showcase a fine grasp of how to introduce extreme metal pathos into real hardcore punk aggression. Check it out if you’re into death metal/punk hybridization.

Iron Bonehead Productions have announced April 11th as the release date for an expanded version of GROTESQUE BLISS‘ debut demo. ‘Grotesque Bliss‘ will release on CD and vinyl LP formats. This Australian crew features vocalist/bassist Bjorn (Temple Nightside, Grave Upheaval), guitarist Chris Burton (Paramæcium, Cryptal Darkness, The Eternal) and veteran drummer Matthew Southcombe (Internecine Excoriation). Their 2024 demo sees international release in this expanded form, incl. a cover of My Dying Bride‘s “I Am the Bloody Earth.” Expect elite and lumbering death/doom metal with a romanticist bent, classic stuff. Check out “Old Earth”:

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THIS WEEK’S VIDEOS

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.

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NEXT WEEK:

Here are the six longform reviews I have been working on for next week, these are subject to change or rescheduling to a later date.

CENTURY – Sign of the Storm [January 24th, Dying Victims]
HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY – Scorched Earth [January 24th, AOP Records]
BALEFIRE – Balefire [January 31st, Iron Bonehead]
COSMOPHAGE – Sidereal Malignancy [January 31st, Blood Harvest/Me Saco Un Ojo]
RELICS OF HUMANITY – Absolute Dismal Domain [January 31st, Willowtip Records]
PYRE – Where Obscurity Sways [January 31st, Osmose Productions]

Short reviews planned for next week, subject to change:

PUTRED – Megalit al Putrefacției [January 20th, Memento Mori]
ANCIENT TOME – The Implications of Ascendency [January 20th, Chaos Records]
UNREQVITED – Pathway to the Moon [January 24th, Prophecy Productions]
SELVANS – Saturnalia [January 31st, Avantgarde Music]
TORMENTOR TYRANT – Ecessive Escalation of Cruelty [January 24th, Everlasting Spew]
SHRIEKING DEMONS – Festering Dwellers [January 31st, Transcending Obscurity]
MACERATION – Serpent Devourment [January 31st, Emanzipation Productions]
CONSUMPTION – Catharsis [January 31st, Dusktone]

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