Just over a year since the Abyss Of Longing Throats full-length was released, Dutch experimental/black metal act GNAW THEIR TONGUES — the work of frontman and demon channeler Maurice “Mories” De Jong, also of Aderlating, Cloak Of Altering, De Magia Veterum, among others — has declared the December release of the band’s latest LP, Hymns For The Broken, Swollen And Silent.
Last month, Swedish blues rock collective CAPTAIN CRIMSON released their delightfully riff-laden Remind full-length via Small Stone. A genuine testament to the timeless power of groove and of memorable choruses that take you back to when you felt such things deep in your soul, CAPTAIN CRIMSON manifest the kind of rock and roll that speaks to the essence of the form. In commemoration of its release, Decibel is pleased to bring fans the visual companion to Remind; the super boogie, road rager “Love Street“.
It was roughly two years ago that Saor became a landmark band in the underground scene. Blending atmospheric black metal with a heavy amount of orchestrated folk metal, Saor was the topic of discussion after releasing 2014’s Aura. The studio-only project briefly took a turn to playing live, but has since returned to its original status, allowing founder and composer Andy Marshall to focus heavily on songwriting. Thus, we are given Guardians, the project’s third album that builds off of everything that came before it, and delightfully so as it is shaping up to be a bigger album than its two predecessors.
Is it just me, or is death metal just stupidly great this year? The underground scene for death metal seems to be in full effect this year, and with it bands are bringing this extra degree of darkness to the mix, creating something really awesome atmospheres, pummeling riffs, and quality albums from start to finish. With plenty of music in the genre being released this year, let’s take note of some of the best the genre has offered in the past ten months.
It’s not very often, but some weeks there’s just too many albums to come out with and they’re so to-the-point that you need to give blunt, direct commentary on each one. Running with a snake theme, Testament, Crowbar, and the new super-group Serpentine Dominion all released albums, and depending on your flavor you might have something worth picking up! Ranging from ballistic death metal to crushing, doomified sludge metal, this past week had more than enough to appease your varied or particular taste.
I have something of a love-hate relationship with Avenged Sevenfold. Arguably one of the bands that was present in my transition into more extreme metal bands, (City of Evil and their self-titled circa 2008) I did not find myself a fan of Nightmare or Hail to the King upon their release. I still don’t hold a place in my heart for either albums, but at the very least, it was great to see the band grow bigger with each and every release. When people claim there’s never going to be another Metallica or Iron Maiden, look at Avenged Sevenfold and you’ll be proven wrong. That idea, though, is what makes this surprise-release album, The Stage, so interesting.
