Strapped firmly into his winter waders Paul Castles steps out into the murky waters fishing for doom, black metal, and death metal to flavor his Chronicles of Eternal Darkness column. As always he comes back with a bulging net full of treats for the discerning extreme metal enthusiast.
Onethium have just released Foreshadowing Oblivion album via Cold Raw Records. This US band hail from the state of Utah which is generally seen as the home of the Mormon religion not black metal. Judging from one of the tracks, ‘Suicide’, from the new release, the times they are a changing.
Philadelphia horror death/thrash marauders Coffin Dust have their debut album out on Unholy Anarchy Records. This Cemetery, My Kingdom is their first full length release. Here they are live in Brooklyn, NY, performing the title track.
Italy has a fine tradition when it comes to black metal. Interesting then to see Profezia have a new album out on March 4. It’s their third full length release but first via US label Moribund Records. It’s called Oracolo Suicida and here’s a video of one of the tracks bursting with moonlit melancholy and spookiness ‘Sacra Tempesta’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5v9Fca-ygpk
Staying in Italy, and there’s news of Fleshgod Apocalypse, who you may recall had to cancel their Euro tour at the backend of last year. The symphonic metal maestros, who have just been on the road across Europe with Kataklysm, have lifted the lid on a video for the track ‘Pathfinder’ taken from last year’s album Labyrinth, on Nuclear Blast.
Anyone who caught Gojira at Bloodstock last year – or indeed supporting Ghost – know that these French musketeers put on one of the most intense live shows around. Their crushing album Les Enfants Sauvages is being repackaged by Roadrunner to include a live DVD of their Brixton Academy gig along with a hardback photo book. It’s out on March3 and here’s the official trailer.
Check out this new vid from Chicago’s brilliant doom deviants Indian. ‘Rhetoric of No’ is taken from their new majestic masterpiece From All Purity, through Relapse which I recently reviewed here. The quartet will be performing alongside labelmates Windhand in Europe but not at the UK shows. The video is not exactly family viewing and is probably best avoided if you’ve got a trip to the dentist on the horizon!
Chimaira’s line-up may have evolved over the years but their reputation for being one of the most hardcore live acts around still stands true. No strangers to the Midlands, Mark Hunter brings his latest band of brothers with him to play the Slade Rooms on March 21. To put you in the mood here’s the video for ‘Wrapped on Violence’ from last year’s Crown of Phantoms album.
Mighty German kings Outrage have been pumping out their teutonic take on blackened/thrash metal for over 30 years. Their seventh album We the Dead is out in April through Metal on Metal Records. Here’s a video of the title track.
Italian death metal deviants Eyeconoclast had their debut album Drones of the Awakening released via Prosthetic last year. They’ve just released a video of the track ‘Rise of The Orgamechanism’, which can be seen below. The band said: “We wanted to give life to our apocalyptic vision of the future. The song is about a time when man will stop being merely human and will give birth to a new, stronger and improved version of himself through genetic manipulation and integration with technology.” Yep, that sums it up!
The Philippines is proving a metal hot house thesedays with a stack of great bands. Take a look at Dogfight. Here’s a video, via Surgery Records, of their song ‘No Pain, No Glory.’
Swedish doom stoner merchants The Graviators have their new album Motherload released by Napalm Records next month. If you’ve not come across them before then here’s a quick look for you.
Sticking with Napalm Records, and the new Conan album is out shortly. One of the heaviest UK doom acts around, the Merseyside monsters release Blood Eagle this month from which we’ve got the video of the track ‘Foehammer’. Prepare to be knocked off your feet and if you like what you hear then get yourself along to the Asylum on March 16 where they will be headlining a day of doom
Final shout this month goes to those crazy German grinders Milking the Goatmachine. These extreme teutonic titheads have a Greatest Hits release, via Noiseart Records, out next month called (what else!) Covered in Milk. It’s time to get messy!
