LIK - Misanthropic Breed

 

I've been looking forward to this one for a while.  Stockholm's LIK play classic Swedish style death metal; nothing new, nothing surprising, just classic Entombed/Unleashed/Dismember style MH-2 buzzsaw death metal and they play it brilliantly.  Great riffs, great songs, loads of energy, and a great clear production that still keeps all the trademark overdriven grind intact.

Drink.  Headbang.  Kill zombies.

Listen/buy here

Ulthar - Providence

 

To my ears this album sounds a lot as if an alternate reality Immortal were a death metal band.  It incorporates classic death & black metal elements with a crisp and clear production while retaining an old school feel.  It's technical in places, chaotic in others, often melodic melodic, and creepily atmospheric throughout.  There's lots to like about this record.

Listen/buy here

Igorrr - Spirituality and Distortion

A truly progressive mix of drum & bass, baroque, extreme metal, and by the sounds of it whatever else was lying around the studio.  Igorrr has been chipping away at this unique sound for a few albums now and somehow keeps finding ways to make it more interesting.

Some tracks sound like Squarepusher playing death metal, others like Diamanda Galás has gotten into a fight with a Nintendo Entertainment System, and all of it sounds absolutely immense.

Listen/buy here

Underdark - Mourning Cloak

I'd heard the name Underdark but had never paid them attention, what a fool I was.  This is an EP of driving, muscular, black metal.  No fluff, great dynamics, a thunderous production and epic material, I'm completely in love.

Fingers crossed for a full LP from this band in the hopefully not too distant future.

Listen/buy here

Paul Catten - The Beauty of Decay

"A musical diversion. Easy listening in comparison" Paul describes this as on his bandcamp page, and it's certainly slicker and less abrasive than a lot of his other work, such as this or this.

Reminiscent at times of Faith No More at their sleaziest or The Jesus Lizard on downers passed through an English filter, or even 90s indie bands like The Lemonheads or Happy Mondays, without ever feeling dated or like anything other than it's own beast. .  This is the sound of a matured and experienced artist and flexing his muscles and stretching out, and the result is something very varied, slick, and assured. Maybe a diversion for Paul, but me it's one my favourite records I've heard thus far in 2020.

Listen/buy here

Today is the Day - No Good to Anyone

I've been a fan of Today is the Day's noisy grind since the 90s, when Mastodon started I was excited because it was the new band of the rhythm section from the amazing In The Eyes of God album, although the band is really a one man project with a revolving door of musicians.

This new record, their 11th, doesn't have quite the levels of bludgeon that many of the earlier albums do (although it's still plenty heavy), but it is a great noisy rock album with a sinister, creeping edge to it that is super effective and to my ears makes it one of the finest TITD releases to date.

Tombs - Monarchy of Shadows

I love Tombs, a mix of black metal, hardcore, and a bit of doom.  Their material always has a lot of energy, very little flab, and varied, quality songwriting.  I think record will be getting a lot of play from me.

Buy/listen here