š¶ļø To The Teeth: Spectral Lore's very real story of dehumanization, and Liturgy's beautiful leap forward
š¶ļø To The Teeth: Spectral Lore's very real story of dehumanization, and Liturgy's beautiful leap forward
Liturgy, Spectral Lore, Lamp of Murmuur, Ihsahn, Mork, Dawn Ray'd, Immortal, VoidCeremony & more!
Welcome to theĀ To The TeethĀ newsletter! Your weekly update of new heavy music. You can listen to almost everything in the playlist onĀ Spotify. If you like what you read and want help keep this in the air: please head over toĀ Patreon or to Bandcamp: The Taste of Teeth (also for some merch). Peppers are hot š¶ļø!
This must be one of my favourite release days of the year, and not just the heavy sideā¦ What about you? Did you miss anything? Leave a comment!
New Albums
š¶ļø Spectral Lore (black/ambient from Greece. FFO: Mare Cognitum, Panopticon, Midnight Odyssey)
Imagine being so desperate for a better life that youāre willing to cling on to the rudder of a ship for eleven days. Eleven days. Just centimeters above the cold Atlantic Ocean from Nigeria to the Canary Islands, dehydrated and hypothermic. Just, looking for a better life. A future. Thatās the very real story that Spectral Loss tells us on 11 days. The dangers, the loss, the sadness, the humiliation, the anger, the injustice, the pushbacks, the dehumanization - itās all in here and you canāt escape it.
Itās not only refreshing that an act like Spectral Lossā Ayloss poured his heart into something so real, but itās also important. All sales go to pro-refugee organizations. Open borders and free movement for all people. Full support!
š¶ļø Liturgy (experimental black from the USA. FFO: Krallice, Deafheaven, Violet Cold)
Liturgy is all or nothing. You hate it, or you love it. I love it. 93696 is as experimental as it is melodic, as beautiful as it is harsh. You could say that about most of Liturgyās albums, but this is (again) another leap forward for the band of Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Another branch on the beautiful tree that she has been growing over the years. Does it have to be over 80 minutes? You bet! This is an absolute triumph of heavy music.
š¶ļø Lamp of Murmuur (black from the USA. FFO: Immortal, KĆ«kht ArƤkh, Hulder)
Hype darling Lamp of Murmuur didnāt take the easy road and exchanged the gothic leanings for a more straightforward black metal, yet still melodic. The Immortal influence is obvious, but Lamp is still Lamp: riffs for days. (Note: this album comes out sunday 26th)
š¶ļø Dawn Rayād (black from the UK. FFO: Panopticon, Winterfylleth, Woe)
Dawn Rayād is forever pissed off, itās like a riot on music and I wouldnāt want to be on the wrong side of these chaps.
š¶ļø Mork (black from Norway. FFO: Darkthrone, Taake, Sarke)
Classic second wave black metal. No frills, no distractions. Plenty of groove and melody, but with such a sharp focus. I hope Thomas Eriksen picks up his podcast again, too!
š¶ļø Ihsahn (extreme prog from Norway. FFO: Enslaved, Opeth, Leprous)
Thereās not much Ihsahn does that I donāt like. His work with Emperor was pivotal for my musical upbringing, and I love how he kept evolving as a solo artist. His last full length wasnāt my favourite, but I really liked the epās that followed. This new one is another example of Ihsahn not satisfied with the status quo. Only two original new songs, just enough to remind us of his brilliance. No Bandcamp: link.
Thereās more: Ne Obliviscaris (extreme prog from Australia), Keep of Kalessin (š¶ļø melodic black/death from Norway), Acid King (doom/stoner from the USA), Maze of Sothoth (š¶ļø tech death from Italy), Gatekeeper (heavy from Canada), Countess (black from The Netherlands), Hanging Garden (gothic/death/doom from Finland), Angerot (death from the USA), Aphotic (atmospheric death/doom from Italy), A Pregnant Light (post-black from the USA), Gabestok (black from Denmark), a five-way split fom Vile Apparition, Congealed Putrescence, Constant Torment, Horrifier & Goredawn (death from Australia, USA, USA, Norway & Italy), a covers album from Saxon (NWOBHM from the UK) and a compilation of new stuff from Terratur Possessions (black metal from Norway - Misotheist is awesome).
New songs
There are new songs out from: Immortal (š¶ļø black from Norway - just Demonaz now, still rocks), VoidCeremony (š¶ļø prog/tech death from the USA), Thy Catafalque (avantgarde from Hungary), Creeping Death (š¶ļø death/hardcore from the USA - ft Corpsegrinder), The Ocean (prog/atmospheric sludge/post from Germany), Wormwitch (black/crust from Canada), Spirit Adrift (heavy/doom from the USA), Ascended Dead (š¶ļø death from the USA), Gateway (š¶ļø death/doom from Belgium), Supersonic Revolution (heavy from the Netherlands - a new Arjen āAyreonā Lucassen project), Lunar Chamber (š¶ļø prog death from the USA - w/ members of TĆ³marĆŗm), Predatory Void (š¶ļø blackened sludge/doom from Belgium), Botanist (š¶ļø experimental post-black from the USA), Ignea (symphonic/prog/folk from Ukraine š») and (clears throat) Hexakosioihexekontahexaphilia (š¶ļø black from Portugal). The rest is in the playlist!
Non-heavy & next week
Non-heavy albums of the week: Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iver & Shahzad Ismaily (experimental pop, international) and RosalĆa & Rauw Alejandro (latin pop from Spain/Puerto Rico) and Lankum (dark folk from Ireland). I really couldnāt choose!
Iām looking forward to next week because of: Spirit Possession, Aara, Rotten Sound & The Netherlands.
What was your favourite? Do you like the new newsletter? Should I change anything? What did I miss? Let me know!
Very excited for Liturgy, Spectral Lore, Mork and Dawn Ray'd!
A Pregnant Light is always good so I'm curious to hear that as well. The only ones I grabbed that weren't on here were Monoceros by Forcefed Horsehead (the name was too strange not to) and the new August Burns Red, but that's not really heavy enough to fit on this letter imo.
What a week indeed!