Of Feather and Bone - Sulfuric Disintegration (2020)

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I was pretty content with how 2018's 'Bestial Hymns of Perversion' sounded and find myself dipping back into it every once in a while still, but I think 'Sulfuric Disintergration' is an even better attack on the banality of standard death metal. Meat and Potatoes with a lot of bulk but staunchly invigorating and zealous in its approach: Bestial with a nations worth of ire and grime caked throughout it with an emphasis on speed a la grind. Profound Lore doesn't often disappoint, and I hope it stays that way!

Sulfuric Disintegration (bandcamp)

Lure - Morbid Funeral (2020)

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This was just unearthed on Halloween and I don't think it's too early to call this one of my favourite purely black metal records of the year. Lure consists only of Pierre Perichaud, an accomplished illustrator and tattoo artist within France and evidently knows his way around writing frigid forward-thinking black metal. I know this is technically supposed to be a demo and all, but this is 45-minutes of some of the best black metal you'll hear all year. I want to say the last time I enjoyed a purely black metal release this much was when Akitsa released 'Credo' in 2018… or maybe I'm just being obstuse.

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This is exactly what I'm looking for in black metal today, which might lend itself to the fact that I'm pretty tired with most things passing under the banner of black metal these days. I don't think myself some jaded purist who is stuck in the past of a genre spinning its wheels, it's just that when it comes to something as down-trodden as black metal or death metal I want to hear something straddling the line of paying homage to the intended essence of the genre while simultaneously finding new ground. Lure's 'Morbid Funeral' does exactly that for me with absolute poise. The production is spot on, murky enough to still sound good but it's sure as shit cold, raw and feral sounding. The vocals are another really strong point of what make this record so great, shrill and dismal as they battle through a wall of churning guitar riffs and drum fodder… It feels lame and trite to dig into the details of vocal-work, but really, just listen to the range of emotions being summoned by Pierre here, it sends shivers down your fucking spine.

Only 250 copies of these were pressed and sold out pretty quickly and I'm seriously bummed I missed out on this limited run. If you snagged one, lucky you. If you snagged one and want to trade though, let me know. This album is 'Name your Price' on bandcamp right now, you'd be out of your skull not to shill out a few bucks to support an often thankless gig. Dig in!

Morbid Funeral (bandcamp)