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] FANGE (‘Purulences‘, Throatruiner)
[#2] WOMBBATH (‘Beyond the Abyss‘, Pulverised Records)
[#3] NITE (‘Cult of the Serpent Sun‘, Season of Mist)
[#4] DEPRAVER (‘Necrocryptic Obliteration‘, Iron Fortress)
[#5] GENOCIDAL RITES (‘Genocidal Upheaval of…‘, Hells Headbangers)

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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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Pulverised Records have announced they will release the sophomore full-length album from Spanish atmospheric death metal band JADE this coming May 9th. ‘Mysteries Of A Flowery Dream‘ will release on CD, LP and in digital versions with a cassette tape release from Iron Fortress Records to follow. From the sound of things they’ve aimed at reinvention for this one. Bassist/vocalist J. describes the album as: “a journey into the dialogue between conscious and subconscious dreaming states and the mysteries around. The music is a tribute to the timeless obscure metal language, from early death/doom manifestations to later atmospheric black acts, in a really heavy, intense and epic form which transcends ages, as the greenstone cult has endured.” It is great to see this band thriving in their own creative blur, finding fresh passages through old halls. Check out the music video for the first single “Shores Of Otherness”:

This coming March 28th Norma Evangelium Diaboli will release the fourth full-length album from TEITANBLOOD. ‘From the Visceral Abyss‘ will release on all relevant formats and reclaim their title as one of black/death metals most destructive forces. They are promising unhinged, grandiose, and maybe even more refined ideation for this album as well as continued dedication to proper aesthetic curation and design. They’ve made a point to mention the artwork from the late Timo Ketola will grace this record as well as work from thee indomitable Dávid Glomba showcasing where music and intentioned illustration can take a piece. This time around you can’t hear any of it yet. The full stream will release on March 28th.

https://teitanblood.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-visceral-abyss

Italian “scarlet” doom metal band MESSA have announced they will release their fourth full-length album, ‘The Spin‘, on this coming April 11th through Metal Blade Records. Now entering their decade mark and having matured into an incredible fusion of experimental and luxuriously built muse (jazz and blues, punk and prog, black metal and dark ambient) I have to admit I wasn’t prepared for the previews of this album despite having loved the band’s previous album to death. This time around they’ve suggested that 80’s gothic rock will be a bit part of what this album brings to the table. The band comments: “We don’t like to repeat ourselves and we constantly try to find a new language to express while keeping our identity. This time we delved into a territory we had never explored before, which is the decade of the 1980s. We are aware that many bands before us took inspiration from that era, but we decided to be careless and run away with it mainly because we get involved and question what we do. We are not part of the ‘dark scene’ in any way. The influence for this record looks back to the early goth rock/dark wave rather than the later emanations of the genre.” Of course one listen to “The Dress” and I was sold:

20 Buck Spin have announced the sophomore full-length album from Canadian gothic/doom metal act TRIBUNAL who have expanded into a quintet and their sound has followed. ‘In Penitence and Ruin‘ will release on April 18th this year on CD, vinyl, cassette and digitally. I’d enjoyed the band’s 2023 debut a fair deal and they’ve suggested this album “has a wider lens of cohesion and maturity weaving together the widow’s wail of doleful strings, chilling keys and percussion that tolls like the iron bell of fate. These elements ornament the monolithic foundation of crushing dirge and funereal melodies hewn from the marrow of sorrow itself. A conceptual piece, the songs form a cycle that ruminates on justice and punishment, centering on a guilty Penitent who cannot escape what they have done.” and you can get into this narrative via the the first single “Armoured in Shadow”:

AUSTERE are back again with a third album beyond their revival, bringing a stunning first single and a video for “Time Awry”. The suggestion for this album is that ‘The Stillness of Dissolution‘ (releasing June 6th via Prophecy Productions) brings a shade more black metal into the Australian duo’s fumes but also a more approachable dark metal side which is evidenced by this excellent song. The band comment: “The first single, ‘Time Awry’ was the second song written for ‘The Stillness of Dissolution’, our forthcoming new album. The first few songs written for the album tend to have a slightly more stripped back ‘rock’ sound than those written later, and that is on display here. Lyrically, it is presented from the viewpoint of a betrayed and solemn soul – a man with a heightened awareness of the inescapable running of time and seeking to accelerate that process.” We are all doomed. Check out the video for “Time Awry”:

Portland, Oregon-based blackened death metal band DROUTH will release their third full-length album, ‘The Teeth of Time‘, this coming May 16th by way of Eternal Warfare Records. It has been about five years since their last album and suggested as a well of doom, torment and turbulence. The band comment: “We are proud to present The Teeth of Time, a culmination of several years of blood, sweat and pain. It is a nightmare made manifest, and we are both eager to share our creative work and grateful to the many people who helped make it possible.” Not the most compelling statement but this “False Grail” song is cool and I’m interested to see where they take this album beyond the last:

Ft. Collins, Colorado-based technical/progressive death metal band ALLEGAEON will release their seventh full-length album, ‘The Ossuary Lens‘, on this coming April 4th by way of Metal Blade Records. This will be their first album with original vocalist Ezra Haynes since 2015 and that means their prior three LPs with primarily clean vocals now return to death metal adjacent growls. So, if you are a fan of the bands “technical melodic death” era guitarist Greg Burgess suggests: “I think in the beginning we were a little more stripped down, very guitar-forward, focused melodeath. Over time, I think more technical, symphonic, and progressive elements creeped in. Finally, where we are today is all of that combined, added with more ambient elements.” and I liked their earlier stuff so I’m compelled to give this one a try. The guitarist also comments on the first single “Driftwood”: “This song holds a special place in ALLEGAEON history, honestly. This piece was written for Apoptosis by our then-brand new bassist Booboo. In its original form, it was so tech death, I don’t think we knew how to incorporate it into the ALLEGAEON sound when he submitted it. Fast forward six years and, as we were kicking around ideas for this album, I remembered the piece, and asked Booboo if he wouldn’t mind if I took a crack at possibly rearranging its format a little smoother into the ALLEGAEON sound. I just wanted there to be a little bit more repetition of some parts. The song turned out amazing. Always goes to show – never throw out anything as you never know when it’ll come back.” check it out for yourself:

Art As Catharsis and Copper Feast Records have announced TURTLE SKULL‘s latest full-length record ‘Being Here‘ will release this coming May 23rd. The band explore neo-psychedelic rock textures and catchier pieces on this record marking a notable change beyond their 2020 debut LP. The band comment: “Being Here was much more about good songs that we had freshly written being captured live in the moment. No click, no excessive layering, no studio trickery. The only thing that wasn’t captured live was the vocals. Choosing to self-produce and mix the album gave us the chance to preserve our initial vision, even if it nearly did kill me.” I found this song kind of memorable so I’ll at least give this one a few extra passes through:

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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.

URN – Demon Steel [March 28th, Osmose Productions]
DAEVAR – Sub Rosa [March 28th, The Lasting Dose Records]
DECREPISY – Deific Mourning [March 28th, Carbonized Records]
DOOMSDAY – Never Known Peace [March 28th, Creator-Destructor]
LUCIFER’S CHILD – The Illuminant [March 28th, Agonia Records]
SARMAT – Upgrade [March 28th, I, Voidhanger Records]

SHORT REVIEWS:

EMBRIONAL – Inherited Tendencies for Self-Destruction [March 21st, Agonia Records]
NYKTMYST – Nyktmyst [March 21st, Iron Bonehead]
THRONE – That Who Sat Upon Him, Was Death [March 21st, Redefining Darkness]
CLAN DOS MORTOS CICATRIZ – Técnicas de Morte [March 21st, Sentient Ruin]
MARBLE ORCHARD – Ruminations of Ruin [March 21st, Morbid and Miserable]
VERBIAN – Casarder [March 21st, Lost Future Records]
OSGRAEF – Reveries of the Arcane Eye [March 21st, Amor Fati]
NO HAND PATH – Mysticism of Coming of Age [March 21st, Floga Records]

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