Godflesh

Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath Review

Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath Review

“This review almost didn’t happen. As the recently demoted were scraping the last bit of slime off the bottom of the skull pit to prepare for the new haul of Fall promo, we inadvertently found Sanguisugabogg’s third full-length, Hideous Aftermath, submerged in the sludgy remains of two ex-n00bs. Mistakes were made for which we do do not apologize. These Ohio-based purveyors of grimy, gore-inspired brutal death may have a name worthy of the national Spelling Bee and a logo that looks like blood-soaked, tangled string, but these chaps know how to dish out the goods.” Out of the Sanberry bogg.

Author & Punisher – Nocturnal Birding Review

Author & Punisher – Nocturnal Birding Review

“Contrary to the plethora of one-man metal projects out there, Author & Punisher’s mastermind Tristan Shone, has always stayed on this side of innovative, consistently riding the line between apocalyptic/dystopian atmospheres and the heaviest electronics since Godflesh. Much like Igorrr’s Gautiere Serre, Shone’s genius has been just as much in song construction as instrument construction, having put his experience as a mechanical engineer to the configuration of his “drone machines” and “dub machines.” This skill has allowed Shone a flexibility in his compositions, with albums like Ursus Americanus and Beastland boasting formidable anthemic brutality, while the more subdued Melk en Honig and Krüller rely on sprawling atmospheres that feel as fiery as they are dense. Nocturnal Birding takes a unique concept and spins it for a trip down Riff Lane.” Punishment diaries.

Swans – Birthing Review

Swans – Birthing Review

“It’s hard to keep up with Swans. Since 1982, Michael Gira and company have cranked out sixteen studio albums, eight EPs, and ten live albums (not to mention all the compilations and side projects), influencing underground stalwarts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Neurosis, Godflesh, and Napalm Death, as well as more mainstream acts like Nirvana and Tool. No genre was safe, as noise rock, no-wave, industrial, sludge, post-punk, and post-rock were impacted in the process – yet Swans have always had their own inimitable and uncategorizable sound.” Still on the pond.

Meatwound – Macho Review

Meatwound – Macho Review

“I was shocked when my helmet light sputtered out while spelunking some of the sump pit’s darker, less-traveled caverns recently. As I waited for my eyes to adjust to the gloom, I noticed something bright and pink glimmering in a recess of mossy rock. That ‘something’ was Macho, the fourth album from Tampa, Florida’s hardcore sludge noise-mongers Meatwound, and I used its luminescent shimmer to help guide me back to headquarters. Outside of the great band name and cover art giving me strong Warhol meets Boris vibes.” El Macho Borracho.

Skinwalker – Man Walks Backwards into the Ocean Review

Skinwalker – Man Walks Backwards into the Ocean Review

“Alaska bears the honor of being the largest landmass of freedom—larger than even Texas—and also the most sparsely populated space in the union. Separated both geographically from the country and communally within its borders, living in the frozen frontiers can create a profound sense of isolation. Hailing from Anchorage, the industrial hardcore two-man assault of Skinwalker seems to find inspiration (or rather spite) in the kind of loneliness and frustration that a great, open land can bring.” Frozen skin…walking.

Aphotic – Abyssgazer [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

Aphotic – Abyssgazer [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

Abyssgazer presents as the kind of echoing incantation that must ring through ears from first to last note. No mere synthesis of the acts who fed Aphotic into existence, this sometimes blackened, sometimes funeral doom-weighted, always death metal assembly expresses itself in a peerless manner.” Abyss from a dead rose.

Harm’s Way – Common Suffering Review

Harm’s Way – Common Suffering Review

“Power. No, not power in the flamboyant nature of a curl-adorned Italian cosplayer wielding sword to fire-breathing dragon. Power. The fast-twitch response to anticipating joints bearing weighted-iron that engorges relaxed fibers with blood, with breath—this is where Harm’s Way lives. Straight-edge, hardcore, beatdown, just a few of the words that explain Chicago’s own and their method of compressed and concerted attack.” In gainz way.

Godflesh – Purge Review

Godflesh – Purge Review

“Tons of things have been said about industrial pioneers Godflesh. Unrelentingly brutal. Hypnotically trance-inducing. Pairs alarmingly well with Destiny’s Child. Whatever your stance or point of reference, there’s no denying the long-standing Birmingham duo have carved their way into the minds and hearts of the industrial scene since their arrival in the late 80s, and have bludgeoned and captivated over the course of eight highly-influential albums.” Streetcleaning or street cluttering?

Yer Metal is Olde: Blut Aus Nord – The Work Which Transforms God

Yer Metal is Olde: Blut Aus Nord – The Work Which Transforms God

“Before we dive headfirst into today’s induction, I want to address the impressively large, off-salmon-colored pachyderm that’s currently occupying a large space in the corner of the room. Black metal, especially in the late nineties and early 2000s, wasn’t all that terrifying, despite what their chief songwriters would have you believe. Behind all the church arsons, bullshit posturing, literal back-stabbing, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and murder, the music didn’t even come close to attaining a faint whiff of what they were trying to achieve aesthetically.” And then, transformation.