Vassafor - Vassafor III, To the Death (2020)

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New Zealand's soil is no stranger to dredging up some filthy and uncompromising death metal over the last few decades and Vassafor has always been at the forefront of this auditory barrage, along with the likes of Heresiarch, Diocletian, Witchrist, and Vesicant to name a few of the prominent forces within the Kiwi stratosphere.

Vassafor is one of my favourites out of the bunch, consistently being a barbaric force within the arena of death/black metal and with the newly released Vassafor III, To the Death I'm even more bullish. This album is a big breath of fresh air in a genre that sees a lot of futile attempts at invoking any real atmosphere, which Vassafor has done in spades on this record, giving lengthy songs ample room to move around a cavern of densely layered guitars, mollifying and calcified under the weight and plod of the drumming. Everything is recorded and produced perfectly, harkening to a much more underground sound, nothing plasticky or over-produced to be found on here, pure old-school filth and sonic evisceration that lends itself to be one of the better death metal albums of the year by my count. Absolute penetration!

Vassafor III, To the Death (bandcamp)

Spike Fuck - The Smackwave EP (2019)

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Here's a really janky one for this blog, neither touching the spectrum of genres I normally post up on here but hey I have a taste that goes much beyond the borders of what's baked into the DNA of Severed Heads Open Minds since I created this blog 10 years ago…

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A good buddy of mine turned me onto this one knowing that it would be something I'd be into and he was perfectly right and I revere him for it. The EP's title is a direct nod to the type of genre Spike Fuck of Australia is championing, which she has described as an impersonation of a washed-up middle aged rock star attempting a comeback in the 1960's or 1970's. Seems accurate, straddling the line between personification and uniqueness, of the halcyon days smothered in fog machines, fluorescent lights and clubs that smelled of sweat, semen and cigarettes and half-shut eyelids. This music is absolutely infectious, coming across at times like Jonathan Richman of Modern Lovers, or floating around Lou Reed's deadpan delivery and structures that nod to the Velvet Underground & Nico, or a more minimal Joy Division playing through Duran Duran songs with Rowland S. Howard's dismal driving guitars.

This might be something for you to get into, or it might not. Doesn't matter, your loss, pal.

The Smackwave (bandcamp)

Primitive Blast - Animalistic (2020)

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Primitive Blast as a name for the band really shows total awareness of ethos, even moreover that the name of this EP is 'Animalistic', which it is. These Aussies know exactly what they're going for, a clear vision of an almost primordial sounding mix of Mental-era hardcore with a stripped-down and raw punk sensibility, delivered in an almost stomp like cadence a la bands like Judge, Close Shave or even Unified Right. A primitive blast it most definitely is and just another very sharp arrow in the quiver of the Australian punk scene… I don't understand what's in the drinking-water down there but it's been a consistent hotbed for a plethora of good bands. And I mean good as an absolute understatement. Give this a try, and if it doesn't click you're probably just soft… and that's okay too.

Animalistic (bandcamp)

Drown - Subaqueous (2020)

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Here's an album I could hardly find a flaw in even if I were to be truly vicious, truly picky and up my own ass in a tizzy of pretentious elitism. It's very well devoid of any faults as it sets out to do one thing and to do that thing very well: To create a sonic representation of what it would feel like to be crushed by the oceans weight through virtue of glacially placed funeral

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It's heavy and it's bleak despite its penchant for dipping into very thoughtful and melodic passages, but alas never quite sacrificing any of its crushing weight, a death grip of floating guitars bounce around a vast expanse of atmosphere created through plodding drums, the space between and a bellowing vocal delivery as heavy and desperate as the music itself. It's production is bang on, so thanks for that. I don't know if I've cared this much about a straight funeral doom record since Ahab's 'The Call of the Wretched Seas' and I commend its ability to simultaneously pacify and stimulate. Get into it or just flounder, punk!

Subaqueous (bandcamp)

Divide & Dissolve - TFW (2020)

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Divide & Dissolve are a two-piece – Very loud and supremely glacial doom and drone encompassed of Takiaya Reed and Sylvie Nehill of Melbourne, Australia, who met and united under the bond that they are both of indigenous background and began to create music, pounding and hypnotic, as a means to lay down the bedrock of their creative outlet, beliefs and messages. All of this is accomplished through a dense wall of sound that utilizes Takiaya guitar and saxophone drone over top the churn of Sylvie's drums, it's powerful and transporting and I'm eager to hear more than just this one song off of TFW.

I don't know where it's going, but I'm all in…

TFW (bandcamp)

Bloodshot Bill - Get Loose or Get Lost (2020)

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Montreal's legendary Bloodshot Bill strikes again and can still cut the mustard better than almost anyone else in the genre out there, the nostalgia in a bottle jukebox rockabilly croon of Bloodshot Bill is about as authentic as it gets, and his guitar is sounding so good on this one. This album just came out, but it resonates with a certain potent accuracy the sounds of 70 years ago with flourishes of modern panache within the frenzied minutia. Can't wait for the days when I can watch this man pour his sweat and heart out on some dingy bar stage in Toronto and maybe even catch a rare cover of Hasil Adkins 'No More Hotdogs'. The idea is simple, accept no substitutes and get loose or get lost!

Get Loose or Get Lost (bandcamp)

Ruin Lust - Choir of Babel (2020)

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Another 20 Buck Spin release to lay at your feet, and it's another begrimed mixture of tonal ferocity and sonic dissonance via the mode of fusing together equal parts death, doom and black metal with overlaying tinge of crust wrapped around the carapace of reverb. I hate to draw another comparison to punk or hardcore, but the overlapping sound and feel sounds like all those old metal bands that worshipped and embraced the raw and sloppier aspects of the early thrash/punk/hardcore production styles a la Slaughter, Bolt Thrower, Obituary, Carcass, Terrorizer, etc. Ruin Lust aren't really pushing any boundaries on Choir of Babel, but it is succeeding excessively in where it's meant to, it's ferocity and heft, and the right choice in production is what sets it apart from weaker links within this ilk.

Choir of Babel (bandcamp)

Skeleton - Skeleton (2020)

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The formula on this self-titled is an easy enough one to pin down, a grab bag influence of first wave black metal riffs and vocals with early thrash and hardcore passages a la Venom and Bulldozer and tempo shifts with a barebones structure of early Entombed death metal and a fraction of the meatiness that Bolt Thrower had with some of the rough around the edges punk of all those bands. I was healthily skeptical of this debut release from Austin, Texas, but the more spins I inevitably cycle through, almost out of compulsion, the more I accept its unavoidable filthy and unrefined charms. it's hard not to be a sucker for an amalgamation like this, and it's done well to boot. Dig in, creeps!

Skeleton (bandcamp)

Ars Magna Umbrae - Apotheosis (2020)

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It's a bit early on this one, as its set for release in late August and as of now there's only one song up on the bandcamp page, but Ars Magna Umbrae released an uncompromising slab of slavic sounding black metal back in 2018 called Lunar Ascension and it was mostly overshadowed and or overlooked. Polish black metal that's built up on layered dissonant riffs that wade through an icy terrain of ambient passages and a crude and cosmic atmosphere, very little to not like here. I, Voidhanger Records continues to be reliable!

Apotheosis (bandcamp)

Convocation - Ashes Coalesce (2020)

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Convocation's debut record 'Scars Across' was one of 2018's best in the arena of metal, without question, and a lot of people got that wrong last year but what can you expect a from a flock of dorks that put Sleep before Thou in the same year… Has everyone lost their goddamn skull? "But Chris" you tell me "opinions are meant to be subjective, that's what's so beautiful about them, kumbaya and Hakuna Matata, my man." and I'll simply look at you and say "No."

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Finland's Convocation released Ashes Coalesce a few days ago through Everlasting Spew Records and it stands firmly as another staunch example of how to craft a song that feels heavier than a dead dog and how to adeptly maneuver around lengthy tracks without becoming frivolous and tedious through use of some impressive range. I'm purposely trying not to delve too deep into this as far as praise (or critiques) go as I have only listened fully through the one time, but through the merit of how good 'Scars Across' I am putting this one out into the ether. I will say this: In comparison to 'Scarss Across", the way in which 'Ashes Coalesce' was produced, in particular the prominence of the vocals in the mix and the omission of weight behind the kick drum in favour of clarity is something that might be too lofty for its own good, with an album cover matching in grandiosity. OF course this is more a matter of personal preference but…Gut instinct, I prefer the more primitive aspects of the former. See, I can be critical too.

How about Drown though? Holy shit.

Ashes Coalesce (bandcamp)