Vrtra – My Bones Hold A Stillness
The rather vivid imagery in my head every time I listen to these roughly 30 minutes over three tracks is of being lost in sea. At night. In the eye of a brewing storm.
Sumerlands – Sumerlands
They remind me of the better bands of that generation before it went full hair metal, with even a touch of NWOBHM in the mix. Instead, they are really the new wave of American heavy metal.
Minenwerfer/1914 – Ich hatt einen Kameraden
As a historical album, really as an album in general, Ich hatt einen Kameraden (I have a comrade) is a masterpiece.
Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection
The final track on the album, His Reflection, is not only the best track on the album and the best work by Wildspeaker, but stands up well to any other crust track you care to name.
Sea of Bones/Ramlord – Split
The band plays a nasty blend of crust, hardcore punk, and black metal, creating a hybrid all their own. The sound is filthy, rotten, and drags you bodily into the void, caring nothing for scrapes and bruises inflicted on the way down.
Iron Gavel/Black Tar Prophet – Split
These beats drive the destructive feeling of their music along with their deep tones and overall style of playing.
Disevered – Hammers of Blasphemy
The six songs make you feel like you’re in the middle of street fight.
Surgeon – Beast of Light
Surgeon is a different animal entirely, a feral hunting creature of controlled savagery.
Death Requisite – Second Death
Sarasota, Florida-based Death Requisite offer up a 20+ minute EP of symphonic-blackened death metal that shows a lot of promise for their future.
Swamp Witch – The Slithering Bog
While listening to the music, you find yourself taken on a journey through the lair of a witch. The bass lines within the songs are haunting and lure you deeper into the lair of the music and make you curious as to what is to come.