Ulthar impressed me mightily with the release of Providence in 2020, an album that felt unhinged and slightly chaotic but that still kept the momentum up with plenty of ideas. Fast forward to the current year and Ulthar announces that they are releasing not one, but two follow-ups to their sophomore album. Was this bold decision worth the wait?
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Ulthar – Anthronomicon
Ulthar embrace chaos in their songwriting, which can manifest as a sound that’s creatively unhinged or a sound that’s flailing without direction – sometimes all at once. Anthronomicon follows the same path as its sister album Helionomicon, only in shorter segments.
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Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars Review
“Austerity” opens the album with some rhythmic fuckery that is unlike Katatonia but it settles comfortably into their usual style. The following songs “Colossal Shade” and “Opaline” add some unusual groove and a kind of sad, almost Jazz-y sound. It makes the first half of the album flow by as a breeze.
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Esoctrilihum – Funeral Review
Esoctrilihum, to Gator, has always been one of those bands that are intriguing but never fulfilling. Will Funeral change that, or will it result in a funeral for our friend?
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Sagen – Roots of Proctor Review
While Deathcore in expression and production, Roots of Proctor is more Death Metal in technique. This might not seem like much but this marks a crucial difference in that Sagen show that they are not one of the Deathcore bands that rely on breakdowns to save every song. So in the absence of many breakdowns, what makes it worth your time?
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Рожь – Всё Review
Рожь (pronounced Rozh) certainly seem competent enough instrumentally and strive to make mood music with some swelling builds. The intent is not to rip and tear like regular black metal but rather to present something that is either epic, sorrowful, atmospheric and/or ethereal.
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Hammers of Misfortune – Overtaker Review
Overtaker, true to its name, sports an aggressively overpowering sound. From the first second to the last, it uses unpredictable slithering riffs and intensity to create a chaos that is sure to repel a lot of people, whether they’re used to intense thrash albums or not. Thrashed and overtaken, this Gator lives to tell the tale.
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Darkthrone – Astral Fortress Review
I consider late era Darkthrone to be more interesting than most of their career. They have been experimenting a lot lately and to decent results. I might even go so far as to say that Old Star is my favorite Darkthrone album after A Blaze in the Northern Sky. Yes, much better than Transilvanian Munchies.
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Keiji Haino & Sumac – Into This Juvenile Apocalypse Our Golden Blood to Pour Let Us Never Review
Come for the improv, stay for Gator’s fake haikus.
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Crypts of the Unknown: Incubator – McGillroy the Housefly
