Metal To Go: Under/Current (July 2020)

Welcome back to our monthly segment, Under/Current. Here we will cover the music we currently find inspirational, the music we look forward to in the near future, and what we, J.C.L.and P.S., are currently listening to. 

J.C.L.

Currently Inspirational:

The Ruins of Beverast/Almyrkvi split

This split seems like it has been tailor-made just for my tastes. One of the most interesting Icelandic black metal bands, Almyrkvi, as well as the German juggernaut The Ruins of Beverast has paired up for this monumental split. The latter is still fresh from another split, while Almyrkvi, whose last release was in 2017, consists of members from equally renowned Sinmara and Slidhr. 

Meanwhile, this split shows great promise of both parts, no track is diminishing the whole picture, and it would be a shame to commend one over the others. This is an equal mix of esoteric occultism and low-end hard-hitting brutality, and I can only give it a firm recommendation.

The Secret - Solve Et Coagula

It's kinda hard to go wrong with this album. Imagine if you will the sadistic bastard child of Anaal Nathrakh and Nails armed to the teeth with powertools and a baseball bat. That's the impression you are left with after Solve Et Coagula have mercilessly grinded your eardrums down for 34 minutes. Sure, you have the first 5 minutes of slow buildup, but after that there is only you and a very angry band of Italians. This album goes very well with days where you find yourself pissed off at everything.. fear not, the cure is here! This doctor prescribes blackgrind!

Currently looking forward to:

Selbst - Relatos de Angustia

Originally from Venezuela, but relocated to Chile, this one man band is set to release it's sophomore album on the 7th of August. I have yet to check out his first self-titled album, but coming off the two single releases (Here and here) from upcoming Relatos de Angustia, I am going to check both the old and new material out, as there is a lot of promise here. A very clear and strangely beautiful guitartone (in an Agalloch-like way) as well as some great drumwork is a clear highlight so far. I am genuinely excited to see where the rest of the album will go.

Ars Magna Umbrae - Apotheosis

From Poland, Ars Magna Umbrae is a relatively new one-man project, who in 3 years already have an EP and a full-length to its name. On the 21st of August this will be supplemented by another LP, “Apotheosis”, whose singles already sounds like a promising mix of the chaotic and atmospheric. In the meantime, I myself am going to check their previous full-length Lunar Ascension in preparation. I mean, just look at that cover-art!

Precambrian - Tectonics
Also on the 21st of August comes the release of the debut full length Tectonics from Precambrian. This Ukrainian band is formed from the collective that brought you Drudkh, Hate Forest, Rattenfänger and Blood of Kingu, and indeed the sound is similar to some of these projects. The track Fossilization has been released and it bodes well with it's tremolo riffing and relentless drumming. Get ready for a lesson of geology .

Listened to this week:

Skeleton - S/T

Do you miss the old days? This outfit from Texas have tapped into the rich vein that is 80’s metal, more specifically early Thrash and First wave black metal, and has given their take on it on their debut and self titled album. To say that there is little to nothing original about this album is an understatement, but honestly I don’t care, as it’s obvious these guys had a lot of fun making this music, which translates to a ton of listening pleasure from this little gem. You may find yourself headbanging along to the classic old-school riffs and you'd be hard pressed to find such a good tribute to the old ways.

Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley

Join me on yet another nostalgic trip down memory lane, as another month of summer rolls around. Today's classic is from Kyuss, in the form of Welcome to Sky Valley from 1994. This album is one I like to play whenever I like to chill when it's too warm outside. A very bluesy album with warm and fuzzy guitars, and its probably the most well-renown album of the stoner rock-genre, which you probably already knew. It will remain a favorite of mine for a long time

P.S.

Currently inspirational:

Converge- Jane Doe 

Converge is an American hardcore band out of Boston, who prior to the release of Jane Doe had been titans of the Boston/New York DIY punk hardcore scene. With this release they would reach new heights, as not only would Jane Doe be an instant classic for genres such as metalcore and mathcore, with its relentless speed and aggression, but it also got respect from punk and hardcore fans. In 2017 it was named as the 61st Best metal album of all time it was so highly regarded that the University of Berkeley in Boston had guitarist Kurt Ballou and producer Matthew Ellrad come and give a lecture on how the album was made(The whole lecture is on YouTube). The artwork of the album was done by vocalist Jacob Bannon and has since become an icon image for the band. Bannon has done all of the band’s artwork and works has a visual artist doing cover-art for other bands too. Kurt Ballou works as a producer and is one of the most respected and popular producers to work with, with bands like Full of Hell, Nails, High on Fire and Fuming Mouth (Both of whom I mentioned last month) just to name a few. Bassist Nate Newton play in many other bands like Old Man Gloom and drummer Ben Koller also has an ton of side projects, most notably Mutoid Man. In conclusion this is a masterpiece and one of my all time favorites.

Currently looking forward to:

      
Deafkids/Petbrick - Deafbrick I am sooooo looking forward to this release. The album is a collaboration between Brazilian punk drone band Deafkids and Igorr Cavalera’s band Petbrick. To say that this will be a sonic assault would in my opinion be an understatement, judging from the first single Força Bruta. This song combines the ultra aggressive drumming of Igorr Cavalera with the drone psych chaos sound that Deafkids master like no one else with an insane result. If you need a fix of something, that I am willing to bet sounds like nothing you have ever heard before, this is it! Deafbrick will be released September 4th.

Listened to this week:

Full of Hell - Trumpeting Ecstasy 

This is Full of Hell's first solo album after doing collaboration albums with The Body and Merzbow and was released May 5th 2017 on Profound Lore Records. Kurt Ballou produced it and it has guest appearances from his bandmate Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom) and Aaron Turner (Isis, Sumac) and in their discography Trumpeting Ecstacy was just a taste of what was to come. This band is pioneering mixing all of the most extreme genres of metal, white noise tracks and electronica. My favorite track on the album is the title-track Trumpeting Ecstasy which features guest vocals from Nicole Dollaganger