This Week In Metal, 2024 Week 30

Our This Week in Metal post collects our thoughts on music released in or around this week in the music world. We cover mostly metal, but we consider other genres to allow our writers poseur flexibility. Follow us on Instagram too!

Metalligator's Chomping Commentary

Sumac - The Healer 01
Sumac - The Healer Thrill Jockey Willow ~ Sludge Metal / Progressive Metal / Drone / Improvisation

Brian Cook's bass rumbles intently along in "Yellow Dawn", Aaron Turner's howls and screeching guitar solos are caustic, and Nick Yacyshyn's drums regularly steal the show with powerfully precise hits. Sounds like our alligator is hungry for some SUMAC.

Cosmo's Chaotic Curveball

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Ceremony of Silence - Halios Willowtip Records ~ Blackened Death Metal

Opening with a swarm of discordant riffs on “Primaeval Sacrifice”, the listener must adapt to Halios' rapidly advancing tide or give in to the swallow of the maelstrom. Formerly a duo, Ceremony of Silence has now become a trio. And combined with a sleeker, fuller production, Halios sounds a lot more polished and a lot more mean than 2019's Outis ever could.

Scuttlegoat's Curmudgeonly Critique

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Cephalotripsy - Epigenetic Neurogenesis Independent ~ Brutal Slamming Death Metal

Artistic depth has two possible extremes. One extreme tries to express itself with an increasingly diverse set of stylistic ideas, choosing to portray emotions with whatever musical idea suits them best. The other extreme of artistic depth is the exploration of a single idea from as many angles as possible. Robert Schumann once hammered the same a note on his piano until he went mad, looking for possibly the perfect expression of that one note. Steve Reich explored the shifting of rhythms, creating rhythmic polymeters as dense as they were fascinating. Cephalotripsy slam. And they do it a lot.

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