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Guitarman's Monthly Music Thread

Should I make this a monthly thing, where I discuss relevant releases at the end of each month?

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 72.7%

  • No

    Votes: 3 27.3%
  • Total voters
    11
October 2023​
The year is almost over but the music isn't.

  • Gravesend- Gowanus Death Stomp (USA) Death/grind- Gravesend's second record is extremely familiar. The guitar/bass tone is near identical to the first record and a lot of the song structures feel familiar. The only major changes that I noticed were that the vocals were mixed differently and there are less of those ambient interludes then their debut, which I prefer. I'm a listener that doesn't want the break that they provide, hit me with the brutality. I really enjoyed the record, Gravesend comes across as a particularly angry band with very little frills or flaws to their formula. Just straight, riff based brutality.

  • Dead Serenity- When Worlds Turn to Grey (Finland) Melodic death/gothic- A surprisingly good record here, I stumbled across these guys on Spotify about a week before this released. Imagine Ascendancy era Trivium mixed with Icon era Paradise Lost, even some Silverstein-y post hardcore vibes at times. These guys do lean a little more on the gothic side then the melodeath side (hell, I'm even tempted to call it metalcore) but it's a nice mix. The growls are stronger then the clean vocals but aren't used as much. This is their first record, it's a solid start and I'm sure they will refine themselves with time.

  • Year of the Knife- No Love Lost (USA) Metallic hardcore- I didn't expect a record from this crew after the horrible accident which left their vocalist, Madi in terrible condition. She's doing better now and all proceeds from the record go towards her recovery. Regardless, it seems like YOTK recorded this before the accident. This is their heaviest record by far and I can't get over how much I love Madi's vocals. A lot of ferocity packed into 20 minutes with some absolutely brutal slam parts/breakdowns. The guests spots from Devin Swank (Sanguisugabogg) and Dylan Walker (Full of Hell) are perfect too. Wishing for the best for these guys.

  • Worm- Starpath (USA) Symphonic black metal/"Floridian Funeral Doom"- This is technically a split with Dream Unending but I honestly skipped their two songs. Worm's portion of the split is excellent once again. The first song is in the symphonic black metal based style they've been exploring since Bluenothing but the last two songs were particularly doomy. There were more black metal parts then what was showcased on their first two records, sure, but I didn't expect them to go back to this doomy style so soon? I wonder if these songs are just abnormalities, leftover from the past, or if Worm is going to continue to play more doom based music. Either way, I love it. They're my favorite modern extreme metal band. Just listen to it.

  • Vertebra Atlantis- A Dialogue With the Eeriest Sublime (Italy) Blackened death/atmospheric black metal- This is the first I've ever heard of this band and I absolutely loved it. Very discordant black metal with strong, furious death metal vibes. The record feels very... Spacious, huge, and gives me a lot of cold vibes (the artwork doesn't hurt this either). Some surprisingly intricate guitarwork here as well. This is one of those records that I actually sat and actively listened to, I feel like listening to this in passing doesn't do it justice. It's a fun trip.
See ya next month, nerds.
 
November 2023​
Music time!

  • Begotten- To The Dreary End (Canada) Depressive/atmospheric black metal- I somehow didn't realize that we had a new Begotten record coming down the pipe and was thrilled to see it in my feed. Begotten is one of, if not my favorite depressive BM projects and this record hits. It feels very familiar within the Begotten style, driving rhythm section, beautiful melodies and fantastic, tortured vocals. A bit faster with more intricate songs and chord changes then your standard depressive band, par for the course with Begotten. I've been liking this for my autumn, cold weather walks.

  • Dying Wish- Symptoms of Survival (USA) Metalcore- I know, I know, a metalcore record. I strongly dislike most of it but this unit is solid. I caught onto them sometime before their first record when they were still just releasing singles. I liked this record more then I thought I would, it's even a potential top ten for me. Very Howard Jones era Killswitch Engage-y metalcore with melodeath inspired riffs, leaning heavier on screams and growls then cleans. I like the vocals in particular here, even on your more ballad like songs. Just a very listenable, engaging record.

  • Faidra- Militant : Penitent : Triumphant (Sweden) Atmospheric black metal- Remember how I mentioned Begotten as one of my favorite depressive bands? Despite having only one real release before this record, Faidra has been an absolute go to for me in the atmospheric BM world. I'm loving this new record. I found the mix a little weird in my first listen but have come to appreciate it. I really like how the vocals sit in particular, sounding like they're reaching out of the void (and definitely have some kind of distortion on them). It's an addictive record with some masterfully written songs and I found myself especially attracted to the melodic lead work.

  • Swamphead- Pine Box Blues (USA) Sludge metal- I didn't expect these guys to be from Massachusetts because this music sounds like it's straight out of the south. A lot of these new sludge bands go for this almost robotic, heartless, sheer brutality over groove I've found, and Swamphead does the exact opposite. This music swings, you want to bob your head along with the riffs. The vocals are in more of that higher, throat-tearing register then I'd expected but they fit the music well. If you're into bands like Buzzoven, Black Market Ministry, Sofa King Killer, Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod... You're gonna like this.

  • Cruciamentum- Obsidian Refractions (UK) Death metal- This is another one of those so called "cavernous" death metal records that owes a lot to the stylings of Incantation. Sure, you have your doomier parts, that's standard for this kind of death metal. But I found it to have some more pace behind it then say a Dead Congregation or a Father Befouled record, bands who play a similar style of death metal. Cruciamentum took a pretty long break between their previous record and this one, and it was worth the wait. A fun listen here.

  • Underdark- Managed Decline (UK) Post black metal- I discovered this band maybe three days ago and literally listened to this record for the first time today. I'm in love. I'll be honest, I'm not sure what makes this post-black? It sounds like more atmospheric BM with a particularly crusty, deathy turn. Varying tempos, love the big chords getting used in the guitar work. Gnarly sewer vocals that my regular readers know I love. I need to dive back into their discography, I've been really vibing with this record.
Shout outs to Racetraitor, Tol Morwen, Suffocation, and Dozethrone for putting out solid releases this month as well. Next time you hear from me, it'll be the best of 2023.
 
The best releases of 2023​
My friends, that time of the year is upon us. 2023 was genuinely a fantastic year and it took me a pretty long time to narrow it down to just ten. The initial list was 36 releases long, which was cut down to 16 with relative ease. Forming a top ten was easy, ordering them was harder. My top two are near inseparable and this choice took me the longest to make. Enough rambling, let's do the thing.
10. Church of Misery- Born Under a Mad Sign (Japan) Doom metal
​
And we kick off our list with one of my favorite doom bands. This is one of my favorite records from them, along their debut and the Early Works Compilation. Tatsu proves once again that he writes a damn good song and is a hell of a bass player. His selection of cohorts for this record was top tier, especially the session work of the masterful Yukito Okazaki (of Eternal Elysium fame). Just a good record about serial killers and mass murderers.

Favorite song: Most Evil (Fritz Harmann)
9. Majesties- Vast Reaches Unclaimed (US) Melodic death metal
​
What a debut. I hadn't heard of this group until the record dropped but knew this would be fantastic, three of the members are in Obsequiae. This record is just plain fun, straight up 90's melodeath worship. I'll go out on a limb and make a bold statement here: this is the best pure melodeath record/band since prime Black Dahlia Murder. Very excited to hear more in the future.

Favorite song: Sidereal Spire
8. Incantation- Unholy Deification (US) Death metal
​
I love Incantation with all of my dark little heart. This record is a true return to form. As much as I like Sect of Vile Divinities it always felt like something was lacking and I never loved the production. This record just sounds good. The mix is fantastic, the guitar tone is dialed in perfectly and I find this to be John McEntee's best vocal performance yet. This is my favorite of the modern Incantation records and I'd rank it up there with classics like Diabolical Conquest and Mortal Throne of Nazarene.
Favorite song: Homunculus (Spirit Made Flesh) IX
7. Flower Language- Thrown Into Air (US) Shoegaze/alternative rock
​
And now for a complete change of pace, we have Flower Language's debut full length. They've got that modern, American, heavier shoegaze/Deftones metal thing down with some noticeable post hardcore/emo leanings. I found the record late, a couple months after it came out but really bonded with it. The whole shoegaze/heavy alt. scene is one I'm still getting into but I can tell these guys are going to be a favorite of mine for a long time.

Favorite song: Consume Your Vision
6. Chrome Waves- The Earth Will Shed Its Skin (US) Atmospheric black metal/blackgaze
​
In an odd way Chrome Waves are actually responsible for my entry into the whole shoegaze/blackgaze thing, being the first band I actually liked that incorporated those elements. TEWSIS is a record I liked right from the start and it grew on me over the year, especially as it began to get cold again. I love, love, love the vocals here, as usual with Chrome Waves. Interesting songs with fun twists and turns, some fantastic climaxes. Easily one of my favorite black metal influenced units.

Favorite song: Under the Weight of a Billion Souls
5. Sanguisugabogg- Homicidal Ecstasy (US) Death metal
​
As the months have went on and I've listened to it more, I've truly realized just how much the Boggy boys grew as a band between their first two records. I like Tortured Whole, don't get me wrong. But Homicidal Ecstasy feels... Different. Like a real, complete record from a real, serious band. The whole Cam Boggs era, looking back, just feels like a memeish haze filled with dick jokes and brutal downtuned riffs. They've gotten so much better after Cam left, I'm sorry to say.

Favorite song: Mortal Admonishment
4. Dying Wish- Symptoms of Survival (US) Metalcore
​
Look at that, another genre that I don't really like! Dying Wish reminds me of what I always wanted metalcore to be as a kid. I find them to be stylistically to Killswitch Engage, especially the Howard era but just... Better. The unclean vocals are stronger then Howard's and the cleans are just as good for me. Melodeath influenced riffing, and my favorite song is actually the slower paced/ballad of the record! Just good, catchy songwriting from solid musicians. These guys will go far.

Favorite song: Paved in Sorrow

3. Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit (Canada) Progressive death metal
​
I feel like a moron for not realizing that Tomb Mold would go in this direction for their latest record. They had their Finnish death record, their doomy, Incantation style record, but their love for more technical, proggy death had never exactly been hidden. I firmly believe that this is a modern classic of the genre. A record that we'll look back on in 20, 30 years the way we look back at classic Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation records. Legit musical virtuosity paired with actual memorable songs and standout riffs? It's to die for.

Favorite song: Will of Whispers
2. None- Inevitable (US) Depressive/atmospheric black metal
​
None's records are just wild to me. A lot of depressive BM bands talk the talk but few walk the walk. You can feel the pain and desperation in their music and Inevitable is a new peak for a band that's already hit some ridiculously high marks. It was really, really hard for me to not make this number one. It's just so visceral. I can't go numb to it, even after repeated listens. It makes me feel something, which is exactly what good depressive BM does.

Favorite song: A Reason to Be
Honorable Mentions​


Underdark- Managed Decline (UK) Post black metal/crust
cursetheknife- There's a Place I Can Rest (US) Shoegaze/alternative rock
Wilt- Huginn (Canada) Atmospheric black metal
Bongzilla- Dab City (US) Stoner metal
Dying Fetus- Make Them Beg for Death (US) Technical/brutal death metal
1. An Autumn for Crippled Children- Closure (Netherlands) Blackgaze/atmospheric black metal
​
And here we are with my personal favorite release of the year. Simply put, it's perfect to my ear. This record is what I hear in my head when someone mentions blackgaze. I like how these guys lean pretty heavy into the black metal side of it. I'm never hungering for more screams, for more of that familiar trem picked BM style riffing. Much like the None record above, it actually makes me feel something, which are some weirdly good vibes from this record. A bit of nostalgia, but like we're closing up the past instead of looking back into it. Closure... I get it.

Favorite song: This Feels Like Dying
There it is! For the first time in my three years of doing this, Worm doesn't get the top spot (but they also didn't put a record out, heeey). Once again, I must thank everyone for reading through my stupid little album reviews and silly rankings. This is just a weird little passion project of mine. I know I don't always write the best little blurbs or give the most technical reviews of things but hey, I enjoy doing this and showing all of you some of my favorite bands, both well known and (mostly) lesser known. I really, really enjoy getting to do this monthly. This is also the first year I've ever received legit feedback from a reader and I have to say, it was really cool to hear from someone who appreciates what I post. So thank you all for reading.

Just like last year, no post for December records. Not much is coming out by the end of the month and I wouldn't have enough time to really rank anything anyway. Would like to shout out Japanese stoner/doom crew Hebi Katana who dropped a solid record today, III. I shall return sometime before the end of January with some kind of post just to tide myself over, keep the thread active.

I will add this at the end, though. If anyone has any questions about... Anything related to the thread, even tangentially? Shoot me a PM. Could be fun to answer any potential questions in our next, between reviews post.
 
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Obviously I'll be putting out my regular post at the end of the month, just wanted to keep things active over here, share a few of the things/bands I'm currently jamming. Less of a formal post.

  • Balmora- With Thorns of Glass and Petals of Grief (US) Metalcore- This is a throwback to real metalcore. Big Prayer for Cleansing/Undying vibes from these guys. Melodic, a touch of black metal, chunky breakdowns, solid unclean vocals. Makes me happy, makes me want to dive back in to some records and bands I haven't listened to in years.

  • Witch- Witch (US) Stoner/doom metal- I seriously envy this guitar tone (I think it's just a Big Muff stacked with some kind of gainy overdrive though). Some of the songs meander on a little too long but overall a very good, catchy stoner record. And J. Mascis is a solid drummer!

  • Dead and Dripping- Blackened Cerebral Rifts (US) Technical/brutal death metal- This is a straight up weird record. A lot of people won't like this one. First of all, it's pretty long for this style of music at 45 minutes. It's very discordant with a lot of moving parts. Tin can snare. Stupid low vocals. Drenched in reverb (some modulation too, I think chorus is on the guitar), it reminds me of wackier technical bands like Demilich and Cryptopsy the most, without really sounding like either of them. And I love the purple artwork.

  • Soundgarden- Badmotorfinger (USA) Grunge/alternative metal- I always thought Superunknown was my favorite record from these guys but I don't know man, this one's been on repeat for a few weeks now. That opening run of the first few songs is bananas. No one talks about how fucking heavy Soundgarden is. They could've been a stoner/doom band if they wanted. Thayil's guitar playing is just... Stupid. So good. Check out this record if you haven't. And the song Fourth of July from Superunknown.

  • Blush- Supercrush (Singapore) Shoegaze/indie rock- I found out about this project after my boy Nick Wong (not that I know him, just like the projects he's in) from the Caulfield Cult, Blood Pact, and Marijanah started drumming for them. Very emotional record. Not every song is as 'heavy' as I like them to be usually, but the whole thing flows really well. They use the quiet/loud dynamic really well too.

  • Narrow Head- Satisfaction (US) Shoegaze/alternative metal- I know it's not a genre but I tend to call this kind of music "Deftones metal". That's not a rip on them at all, Deftones are my favorite band of all time. It kind of does NH a disservice too because they're not mindless Deftones clones. But I'm not sure this exists without songs like Be Quiet and Drive, you know? Love, love, love the big thick guitars and the modulated leads that come in from time to time. One of my most listened to records of the last few months. Near perfect.

  • Heavytrip- Death Dreams (US) Shoegaze/alternative- Another moody bunch of songs here. More morose then Narrow Head. The intro for the opening track hits me in all the right places. Melancholic clean guitar, almost sounds the the intro to a DSBM song.

And that's a little snippet of what I've been listening to lately. See, it's not all death and doom metal for me!
 
January 2024​
I forgot to do this on Friday. Sorry not sorry. I'm a busy guy. We'll have a couple new records and another brief 'what I've been listening to' section.

New
​
  • Resin Tomb- Cerebral Purgatory (Australia) Death metal- This is absolutely wild, discordant, chaotic death metal here with some influences from the noisier, more brutal side of sludge. Dissonant guitars dominate the landscape, held down by an absolutely massive, churning, ever-present wall of bass. This record is super oppressive, suffocating, uncomfortable even. You're plunged directly into a hostile environment with no reprieve until the record ends. It's exactly what I want out of this kind of record, just pure, unadulterated brutality with no forgiveness.​

  • Vitriol- Suffer & Become (US) (Technical) death metal- This record is controlled chaos right here. Kyle and the guys wear their influences on their sleeve here, I get a lot of Nile and Hate Eternal vibes from this record, which is a great thing. The musicality here is nuts, I want to take a moment to talk about Kyle's guitar playing though. Dude's a monster, we learned that on their first record. My guy elevated his playing even further on this record. Some of the solos on this record are absolutely bonkers, amongst the best new ones I've heard in years. Serious props to the Vitriol crew.

What I've been listening to
​
  • Ceremonium- Into the Autumn Shade (US) Death/doom metal- A forgotten gem of one of my favorite genres. Definitely in the vein of deathier My Dying Bride, Mourning Beloveth, even a bit of Mournful Congregation at times? Slow, trudging doomy sections with some blistering death moments. A big focus on melodic guitar lines which I am a complete sucker for. Wish these guys released more music then this, they clearly have some great ideas and execution.​

  • Melvins- Houdini (US) Grunge/sludge metal- I haven't listened to the Melvins in a long time and goddamn, I forgot about how much I liked them. There was a period in my life where Bullhead/Houdini were on constant rotation, guess I had to take a few years break to really appreciate them again. Houdini? It's a damn near perfect record. Buzz's guitar tone is beautiful. Some of the nastiest riffs that've ever been recorded. The Honey Bucket verse riff? Night Goat's main riff? All of Hag Me? Fuck.

  • Acid Bath- Paegan Terrorism Tactics (US) Sludge metal- I'll preface this with the fact that Acid Bath is one of my all time favorite bands. Top four or five easily. And they only have two records! Everyone talks about WTKSP, their first record, and for good reason. It's a legitimate classic. I feel like PTT is super underrated, unappreciated. It's still heavy but they play around with more of an alternative rock, grungy vibe where I feel like WTKSP leans heavier towards the extreme metal (death and doom mainly) vibe. This makes PTT feel a bit more moody, gothy then the straight up anger I get from WTKSP. Bleed Me an Ocean, Graveflower, Diab Soule, Venus Blue are all amongst my favorite Acid Bath songs.
Alright hooligans, see you next month. Hopefully with some more new releases.
 
February 2024​
Somewhat eclectic list, at least for my standards.

  • Hulder- Verses in Oath (Belgium/US) Atmospheric black metal- Maybe the best US based black metal act these days, at least in the top three. Verses owes a lot more to those original second wave of BM bands then Hulder's previous releases and has a really nice sound, definitely a bit more raw then I'd expect of a modern atmospheric black metal record. I love her vocals and I find the synth work here to be really compelling. It doesn't dominate the mix/song like it can in this genre, weaving in and out of the instrumentation pretty deftly. Sometimes its your standout instrument, most of the time it's just sitting beneath, creating a nice foundation to build off of. Hulder hasn't missed yet, I greatly enjoyed her latest record.

  • Dremm- S/T (US) Sludge metal, noise rock, alternative- This is a really hard record to classify for me. Dremm has always had a very sludgy element to them but usually weaves that with a pretty heavy shoegaze influence, but that is more or less dropped on this release. A lot more focus on the sludge, big heavy riffs with vocals that aren't quite screams, but not quite hardcore yells either? They make a lot of noise for a two member band. I think this pairs really well with a band like Whores, especially their earlier work.

  • Contaminated- Celebratory Beheading (Australia) Death metal- Contaminated took a seven year break between their first record, Final Man and this. The changes are apparent right off the bat. No more of the HM-2 chainsaw tone that dominated Final Man but a more standard death metal tone that hearkens back to a tighter Father Befouled or Mortiferum with a bit more high end. This is a pretty fast, unrelenting record with stupid low, sewer vocals. Not a ton of technical flashes, just a lot of speed and brutality. I get some semi-war metal vibes at points. A fun listen.

  • Departure Chandelier- Satan Soldier of Fortune (Canada/US) Black metal- This is another Departure Chandelier record to put it plainly. It sounds exactly how you'd expect it to if you've ever heard them before. Raw, straightfordward, sometimes punky black metal with heavy doses of synth at times, about Napoleon and general revolutionary French history. It sounds like a knock on them but it's not. Very few bands can write music like this that remains interesting, especially after dropping a couple releases in the same style. They just write damn good music and the vibes are fantastic.

  • Job for a Cowboy- Moon Healer (US) Technical/progressive death metal- The complete opposite of Departure Chandelier, JFAC seems to always be changing, adding new twists and turns to their sound. Damn near ten years from their last record, JFAC deals with a much more progressive sound then I first expected, but still enjoyed. I found it pretty cool how the songs are still pretty tight and concise despite their prog leanings, in my experience prog metal tends to meander and wander around for a while. And of course, Jonny Davy's vocals are insane. I hope we don't have to wait another ten years for new music from these guys.
That's it for February, see you in March.
 
March 2024​
Oh boy, here we go again.

  • Civerous- Maze Envy (US) Death metal- I wasn't sure how to classify this record. I went with death metal because it's definitely the most prevalent component of this release. It fits in with the rest of the 20 Buck Spin catalogue pretty well. There's doomy moments. Some black metal adjacent parts. I've seen it called deathcore too, I think that's because of the vocals. There's a lot of things going on here, lots of twists and turns, some interesting instrumentation. Atmospheric at times, caveman brutal at others. I'm still not really sure what to think of it yet? I don't dislike it, and I'm fascinated enough to have given it a few listens.

  • Brodequin- Harbinger of Woe (US) Brutal death/slam- Holy fucking fuck. These guys are my favorite in this genre, one of my big four of brutal death (with Devourment, Defeated Sanity, Putridity) and this is their first record in 20 years. The production is incredible. The drums sound great and the guitars are stupidly tight. This is a whole new level of songwriting from these guys though. We get some atmospheric moments. Not as reliant on the slams as some of their earlier work. It's not Defeated Sanity level of technical complexity but this isn't easy stuff to play. It hits me exactly in the right spot. Maybe my favorite Brodequin record.

  • Coffins- Sinister Oath (Japan) Death/doom- If you've listened to Coffins before you know what you're getting out of them. Some fun, hardcore influenced death metal with glacial, heavy doom chunks mixed in. I found the doom parts to be a bit more abundant on this record which obviously, I'm a big fan of. Felt more of a d-beat influence too, especially on the drums. I found the first song (Spontaneous Rot) to be boring and derivative but enjoyed the rest of the record. My only gripe is that the vocals sit a little low in the mix... With gutturals that low you need to put them just a little higher.

  • Cancervo- III (Italy) Stoner/doom metal- The vocals took some getting used to for me. I don't love them but they fit the vibe well. Particularly hypnotic, riffy stoner doom here. Kind of slides into that Electric Wizard niche for me. We get some psychedelicish moments and the second song has some quite unexpected black metal breaks, nice little change from the monotony that can emerge in this genre.

  • Bongzilla- Dabbing Rosin in Europe (Live) Stoner/sludge metal- Nothing new here, just some live selections from Bongzilla's recent European dates. Mostly cuts from their two newest records but we still get some classics mixed in. On point vocals from Muleboy, locked in drumming, possibly the heaviest guitar tone I've ever heard from Spanky. That intro on Hippie Stick is stupid, I aspire for that tone. Just a fun listen, I love a good live record.
See you next month. Should be a fun one, I believe.
 
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