🌶️ To The Teeth: neoclassical beauty, ecstacic black metal and thick prog

Plus: Draugnim, Nokturnal, Dauþuz, Ancst, Hyperdontia, Sarke, Lifvsleda, Árstíðir lífsins and much more!

May 03, 2024

Welcome to the To The Teeth newsletter! Your weekly update of new heavy music. You can listen to (most) everything in the playlist on Spotify. If you like what you read, go to Patreon (receive a patch!) & Bandcamp (buy a patch!). Peppers are hot 🌶️!

New Albums

🌶️ Aquilus

Neoclassical black/folk, Australia (Northern Silence)

FFO: Opeth, Obsequiae, Agalloch

One of the best bands too little people know about. There are no other acts who blend classical elements with harsh music as well as Horace ‘Waldorf’ Rosenqvist with Aquilus. It just all flows so beautifully, with stunning melodic parts and crushing heavy sections. It’ll be hard to ever top debut Griseus, but on the two Bellum’s Rosenqvist comes close.

🌶️ Agriculture

Post-black, USA (The Flenser)

FFO: Liturgy, Deafheaven, joy and fun

Happy metal! Agriculture makes what they call ecstatic black metal and it sounds exactly like that: fearless, beautiful black metal. They take everything they do and add a little extra on the new songs on this ep and I am all for it.

🌶️ Wheel

Prog, Finland (InsideOut Music)

FFO: Vola, Leprous, Soen

I didn’t include them in the FFO’s, but Tool is a reference point when talking about Wheel. It’s a sound they can’t shake and they don’t have to, because songwise they don’t sound anything like Tool. But there’s a certain kind of thickness to what Wheel does, that reminds me of them. Anyway. Good band, good album, check ‘m out.

🌶️ Draugnim

Pagan black, Finland (Naturmacht Productions)

FFO: Moonsorrow, Primordial, Winterfylleth

My surprise of the week. I didn’t know I knew this band, but I followed them on Spotify and got their new release in my Release Radar. It’s layered, intense black metal with great riffs and awesome synths in crispy production. What else do you want?

There’s more: Dauþuz (🌶️ black, Germany), Ancst (black/crust, Germany), Lifvsleda (black, Sweden), Profanation (death/grind, France), Naxen (black, Germany), Nokturnal (🌶️ death, Indonesia), Hässlig (raw black/punk, Spain), Effluence (🌶️ avantgarde brutal death, USA), Ossilegium (black, USA) and Unearthly Rites (death, Finland). The rest is in the playlist!

Four new songs

🌶️ Hyperdontia (death, Denmark/Turkey)

🌶️ Sarke (black/thrash, Norway)

🌶️ Árstíðir lífsins (pagan black, Iceland/Germany)

🌶️ Wormed (brutal/tech death, Spain)

The rest is in the playlist!

Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: Willow (pop/r&b, USA)

I’m looking forward to next week because of: Unleash the Archers & Bossk.

What is your favourite? What did I miss? Let me know!