Greetings, Decibel readers!
You’ll want to stay on top of the new releases for this week. There’s at least two here that will end up on a lot of end-of-year lists, and not just because of all the hype. After all, Hulder and Spectral Voice wouldn’t be so hot so much if there wasn’t a blazing fire behind all that smoke. If you want to find where the best black and death metal are coming from, I try and elevate it as much as I can every week here. And these two bands made it very easy today.
But that’s not all. Don’t skip over the other three bands either. Take your time with all of these.
See below.
—
Hulder – Verses In Oath
The most well-produced an album could possibly be and still bear the moniker, “raw black metal.” On this album, Hulder continues her triumphant reign across barren soil, with an album that delivers riffs, atmosphere, synths and so much more. It’s an album that shows true progression of an artist’s craft without sacrificing its cold, grim essence.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Necrowretch – Swords of Dajjal
Pure mid-90s Swedish-style excellence. Yes, this still has been played to death, but Necrowretch always animates that corpse with such panache you have to respect it every time.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Raw War – Total Raw War
Harsh, abrasive, deliciously violent crust. Raw War blend their devotion to the British and Swedish greats with so much enthusiasm that they sometimes veer toward powerviolence territory. It’s a joy to listen to a band bang away and wait to hear just how unhinged they can get.
Stream: Apple Music
—
Spectral Voice – Sparagmos
“uuuuuuuuuuggghhhhhhhh!!!!!”
::reverb::
“UUUUUUUGGGGGRRRRHHHHH!!!”
(It’s really good.)
Stream: Apple Music
—
Spiritual Deception – Semitae Mentis
If you like your death metal extra-techy but want to delivered with hooks and lots of atmosphere, this is for you.
Stream: Apple Music