Tides of Sulfur - Apathy Chasm

 

This one is a crusher. Tides Of Sulfur first came on my radar in 2016 with Extinction Curse, now 7 years later they give us a follow up full length, Apathy Chasm. The bands approach is unique, while the core is certainly evil black metal, there are some really tasteful sludge and death metal elements that help to beef up the record and give Apathy Chasm a flavor all of its own. These Welsh crushers have found a sound that is on the intersection of their influences, and it makes for a record that feels wonderfully authentic and very real. 

Apathy Chasm is at its best when its crushingly heavy and delectably evil. Tracks like the nicely named "Blame Thrower" sum up this approach, with surprisingly groovy riffs slotting in nicely to black metal soundscapes and leaving listeners eager for more dark visions of a twisted world. There is a sense of torment that runs throughout this album that makes it compelling and fascinating. The way the band harnesses chaos on these songs and finds a way to make their own voice feel specific and powerful is addictive. It speaks to a group who have continually found a unique path forward that can't help but to thrill. 

It may have been nearly a decade since the last full length, but Tides Of Sulfur have made the wait worth it. Apathy Chasm is an absolutely domineering record, a release that can't help but to impress with its breadth of vision and what has been accomplished within. If you let yourself get lost in the vibes of this record it becomes hard to pull yourself out. Tides Of Sulfur have a clear and deep understanding of what it means to get loud, heavy and evil. Their take on blending genres is exciting and I hope we can hear more new music soon!

Pre-order the album!

https://tidesofsulfur.bandcamp.com/album/apathy-chasm-3

Witching - Incendium

US black metal is back and Witching are at the forefront. These Philadelphia underground freaks are back with some of their most aggressive, abrasive and skull melting work to date. Incendium thrills because of the wonderfully bleak nature of the music, stripped back production and sense that there is new hope to be found in the underground in America. Incendium is an ambitious album and one that clearly moves the band to a new place. Now as they gear up to tour Europe, Incendium seems like the perfect war cry and announcement of intent. 

The sludgy black metal stylings that define Incendium are a dramatic step up from the bands debut album Vernal. In three years Witching have clearly done a ton of maturing and now come across as a vicious and visionary group with a passion for crafting some of the grimmest possible sounds. The inhuman howls that ring out over monochromatic riffs on "A Grave Mistake" are emblematic of the album as a whole, which balances tortured screams with full throated clean vocals. The end result is a record that clearly pulls from old school black metal and sludge influences but manages to find a path to be its own thing and create a path that is wholly their own. 

I deeply enjoy the raw nature of Incendium and the way that the band has been able to express their frigid, unrepentant vision time and time again. This is a record that has a clear vision and finds ways to execute on it that remain fresh and interesting. The stripped back sounds and bleak nature of the music only serve to entrance listeners and speaks to the power of what they've cultivated here. Immerse yourself in these darkest of sounds and you will find there to be strangely rewarding sonic blasphemies aplenty. This is Philadelphia's sickest metal export in years.

Pre-order the album!

https://orcd.co/indenciumalbum

Cerbere - Cendre

Cendre is a crusher. The French sludge scene has always been surprisingly rich, and it feels like the scene has only continued to mutate as the years condemn. Cerbere is one of the most interesting newcomers to emerge from the Paris scene, and their unique brand of blackened sludge is addictive and borderline terrifying. They have a really deep sense of the glorious darkness that this music can have and garnish a monochromatic black metal aesthetic with streaks of stoner doom green. It's a thrilling blend of ideas rarely done these days. 

Cerbere shine because of how bleak their music can get. Cendre is three tracks playing out over 45 minutes, but the music rarely feels boring. Instead when the band really start grooving, as they do on "Sale Chien" they have an almost Yob-esque ability to rock with it. The end result is music that is thrilling, dynamic and emotionally pulverizing. It's hard not to be charmed by the breadth and vision that they bring to the table and stun listeners with time and time again. Cendre bring a depth of knowledge and power to the table that is going to keep you engaged, simply because they are masters of their craft and not afraid to let you know it by using crippling volume. 

The blackened sludge scene may not have had a lot of movement in recent years, but the pained utterances of Cerbere are guaranteed to invoke your curiosity. The band leans into an older idea of what doom should be, kvlter than kvlt and unapologetically dark. By bringing in the black metal elements they are able to keep these grim invocations true to their roots and have listeners reveling in the murk, desperate to hear more and thrilled by the titanic darkness that Cerbere so flawlessly use in order to keep the darkness alive in our hearts. 

Pre-order the album!

https://cerbere666.bandcamp.com/album/cerb-re

Erdve - Savigaila

 

Erdve are a blackened experimental hardcore band whose approach is significantly less pretentious than I just made it sound. Their music, as it splays out across their new offering, Savigaila, is emotional, powerful and full of wonderful twists and turns. The rising and falling action that dances across this record is impressive and speaks to just how talented Erdve are. Savigalia showcases a band who are immensely talented and find a way to bring their vast skills across a whole range of genres to stun listeners of all sorts. 

The moment this record really clicked came on the more downtempo "Pragulos" where open throated cries and unplugged guitars come together to craft a sort of emotional pause before diving right back into the heaviness with the title track, which also happens to be one of the heaviest on the record. Erdve have really found a way to craft a unique set of rises and falls throughout their music that continually impresses and speaks to their ability to really mesmerize and impress the listener. The pummeling riffage of these tracks with their shrieked vocals and fits of senseless violence is delicious. It speaks to a project that is one of a kind and eager in its willingness to crack your skull. 

Savigaila is a crusher of the highest degree. It's a record that gives you moments to breathe before cracking your skull in with riffs upon riffs upon riffs. This band consistently proves that they are phenomenally talented and that very little is beyond their musical scope. Immersing yourself in this and really getting overtaken by the power of this composition is exciting and speaks to a band who are going to keep on growing and evolving. Seriously - press play on this monster of a record, you will not regret it.

Pre-order the album! 

https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/ErdveSavigaila