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 THIS WEEK

[#1] MORAX (‘The Amulet‘, High Roller)
[#2] PISSGRAVE (‘Malignant Worthlessness‘, Profound Lore)
[#3] HIRAX (‘Faster Than Death‘, Armageddon/Doomentia)
[#4] CONTINUUM OF XUL (‘Voratore‘, Unholy Domain)
[#5] ARMORY (‘Black Star‘, Dying Victims/Jawbreaker)

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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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Sepulchral Voice Records have announced April 25th as the release date for Basque-German death metal trio SIJJIN‘s second album. ‘Helljjin Combat‘ will release on CD and vinyl LP formats. I’m not sure there is a band doing death/thrash metal better at the moment and their first record completely smoked, best riff album of that year. This time around they’re suggesting a new angle, via “more extensive song structures as practiced by the godfathers of mid-’80s metal insanity, bringing such infamous names as Infernäl Mäjesty, Nasty Savage, Possessed[…]” and I can’t think of a record I’m more hyped over in the coming months. Check out “Five Blades”: 

The fine folks at Memento Mori and Me Saco Un Ojo Records have announced April 21st as the release date for the third full-length album from Finnish death metal mutants MORBIFIC. ‘Bloom of the Abnormal Flesh‘ will release on CD via Memento Mori and Me Saco Un Ojo will release the 12″ vinyl version. Expect their “cleanest” production to date and plenty of riffs, and you can hear for yourself over on YouTube check out “Panspermic Blight”:

Memento Mori and Rotted Life Records have announced the third full-length album from Los Angeles, California death metal band INSINERATEHYMN. ‘Irreverence of the Divine‘ will release on CD via Memento Mori and Rotted Life will handle the vinyl and cassette tape versions, note that the vinyl version is slated for June 20th. If you’re already familiar with the band you can expect traditional UDSM which accounts for the whole east coast phenomenon in their sound, pure 90’s volatility. Check out the title track ahead of release:

Dutch ‘old school’ death metal band ANTROPOMORPHIA have released a video for “Cancerous Bane” the first single taken from their upcoming sixth full-length ‘Devoid of Light‘. The album is scheduled for release on May 16th this year via Testimony Records. The band comment on the single: “The first advance single ‘Cancerous Bane’ represents ‘Devoid of Light’ well, although it is one of many faces that our forthcoming album shows. The track opens with a ruthless maelstrom of riffs accompanied by violent wailing screams to set the tone. ‘Cancerous Bane’ refers to a path of spreading blackness, the waging of war against the betrayal of earthly flesh and its futile struggle against the timeless slumber.” I’ve not been keeping up with their newer stuff so I’ll definitely give this one a closer ear.

Swedish heavy rock band WITCHCRAFT have signed to Heavy Psych Sounds Records for the upcoming release of their seventh album. ‘IDAG‘ releases this coming May 23rd. They are suggesting this album will be a “full accounting of who they are as a band.” as they’ve gone from classic heavy/prog rock to stoner doom and dark folk/singer songwriter gigs over the last twenty years. Guitarist/vocalist Magnus Pelander comments: “This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones.” For now they’ve shared the first single, “Burning Cross”:

Czech death metal band PANDEMIA have announced their latest album ‘Darkened Devotion‘, their sixth full-length album. The album is set for release this coming May 16th via Hammerheart Records. Celebrating their 30th year the album aims to embody “old-school ferocity, sharpened by modern precision.” The band comments: “With “Darkened Devotion”, we’ve created a cohesive concept exploring humanity’s struggle with nocturnal challenges. Each track confronts a different aspect of night-time anxiety – from paralyzing nightmares to suffocating sleep paralysis. Yet within every dark encounter lies the seed of transformation, as each song reveals how these challenges can be conquered through analysis, acceptance and resilience. Musically, we’ve drawn from a decade of creative output, selecting and refining our most powerful material to date. The album moves seamlessly between furious blasting speeds and thundering double-kick assaults to more subdued, emotionally charged moments, representing our strongest and most dynamic work yet.” Great album art, looking forward to hearing the whole thing, for now check out “A Sea to Breathe In”:

German death metal band SCALPTURE have shared “Til Jeret Undergang” as the latest single taken from their upcoming full-length album ‘Landkrieg‘ which releases by way of Testimony Records this coming March 7th. The band comment on the song: “There is always ‘that one song’ on each of our albums that feels a bit out of place at first listen”, guitarist Felix Marbach writes. On ‘Landkrieg’ that track is ‘Til Jeret Undergang’, which has a Danish title, which means ‘to your downfall’. The song’s lyrics revolve around Denmark’s involvement in the Thirty Years’ War. ‘Til Jeret Undergang’ started out as a bunch of loosely connected riffs and ideas that developed into a catchy, atmospheric track with a compelling, driving energy over time. In the final part, it delivers exactly what its title promises. I am proud that we made this song work and I can hardly wait to try it out live on stage!” Everything checks out with this album so far, very consistent band.

Portland, Oregon death metal band DECREPISY will release second full-length album ‘Deific Mourning‘ this coming March 28th by way of Carbonized Records. They’ve described it as “an album written and occupied in a state of horror and uncertainty, every riff agonizingly culled from terror, despair, and disintegration of a dying form.” and that’d sold me on it even if I’d already enjoyed the previous record a shit-ton. This album will apparently feature Daniel Butler of Vastum and Acephalix as the main vocalist, check it out on “Severed Ephemerality”:

AOP Records have announced April 18th as the release date for atmospheric/post-black metal band KARG‘s ninth full-length album. ‘Marodeur‘ will be the first album written as a collective rather than solely by frontman/founder Michael J.J. Kogler. Check out the first single “Findling”:

Thirteen years beyond their last release Arkansas-based sludge metal band RWAKE will return with… ‘The Return Of Magik‘ which is set to release on March 14th via Relapse Records. They’ve suggested they’ve grown and expanded, changed perspective over the years and that this album will directly reflect that. They’ve made a great case for it with this first single, the title track “The Return of Magik”:

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THIS WEEK’S VIDEOS

Recorded a week ago, published today.

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NEXT WEEK’s REVIEWS:

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.

FRIGHTFUL – What Lies Ahead [February 28th, Godz ov War Productions]
EMISSARY – Eldritch [March 1st, Fetzner Death Records]
EXORDIUM MORS – Sworn to Heresy [March 1st, Praetorian Sword]
AVULSED – Phoenix Cryptobiosis [March 4th, Xtreem Music]
CHRISTIAN MISTRESS – Children of the Earth [March 7th, Cruz Del Sur Music]
SADIST – Something to Pierce [March 7th, Agonia Records]

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