🌶️ To The Teeth: the unhinged focus of Vórtize

Plus: Thy Catafalque, Solar Wimp, Djevel, An Autumn, Tribal Body, Deadgaze, Alkymist, Poppy, Mantar, Epica & much more!

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 🌶️!

How do you like your Cornflakes? Crispy?

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New Albums

🌶️ Vórtize

Heavy, Chile (Nube Negra Productions)

FFO: Blind Guardian, Demoniac, Latin American heavy metal

I lóve Vórtize. Their sound is as unhinged as it is focused, and it kind of sounds like it exists in a vacuum. Of course that can’t be true, and it isn’t. And to educate us all, Vórtize (essentially Javier Ortiz’ one man project) made this covers record. It’s wall to wall bangers from South America, all from bands that I had never heard of. As on his previous two albums of original material, singer Romi Huerta Núñez really shines here, with her great voice and performance. Killer album.

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🌶️ Thy Catafalque

Avant-garde, Hungary (Season of Mist)

FFO: Solefald, Ihsahn, Dødheimsgard

This band manages to surprise me after 12 albums. Never been a Thy Catafalque guy, although I love the weirdo black corner they’re in. This album really hits right: agressively melodic, folky and still super riffy. The vocals take most of the spotlight, but goddamn there’s some righteous shredding on this one, too.

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🌶️ Solar Wimp

Progressive thrash, USA

FFO: Oranssi Pazuzu, Voivod, Pyrrhon

I got an email from drummer Mark about this release and I’m happy he did, and immediately sad because this seems to be their final album. Like looking at a star who’s light is reaching us while it might have exploded thousands of years ago. Great, inventive stuff for people who are not scared for a little syncopation in their thrashy prog metal. Or saxophones. Or violins. This is just music for people who aren’t scared easily, period.

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🌶️ An Autumn

Blackgaze, The Netherlands (Bölverk Records

FFO: Alcest, Lantlôs, Deafheaven

Fuck those crippled children! No, ehm, I don’t know why An Autumn For Crippled Children have changed their name. I mean, it was long, but also quite distinctive. The new one is just a season. The music is still as good though: dreamy post-ish blackgaze with screamo vocals, and a very well chosen album title for the sound (even as a title is almost as forgettable as the new band name…)

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There’s more: Djevel (🌶️ black, Norway), a split from Tribal Gaze & Deadbody (🌶️ death & death/hardcore, USA), Alkymist (progressive sludge/doom, Denmark), Poppy (🌶️ nu-metal/industrial/alternative/pop, USA), Furze (experiental black/doom, Norway), Monolithe (death/doom, France), Mammoth Grinder (death/hardcore, USA), The Mosaic Window (melodic black, USA), Spider God (melodic black, UK), Veilburner (black/death, USA) and a compilation album from Thanatos (death, The Netherlands - I was at their very last concert, very cool). The rest is in the playlist!

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Six new songs

🌶️ Mantar (sludge/black, Germany)

🌶️ Epica (symphonic, The Netherlands)

🌶️ Destruction (thrash, Germany)

🌶️ Imperial Triumphant (avant-garde technical black/death, USA)

🌶️ Scour (black, USA - w/ members of Pantera, Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed)

🌶️ Machine Head featuring In Flames & Lacuna Coil & Unearth (FFO Roadrunner United)

The rest is in the playlist!

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Not-so-heavy & next week

Not-so-heavy album of the week: I dunno, again..

I’m looking forward to next week because of: Opeth, Ante-Inferno, Opeth, Defeated Sanity, Opeth, Golgothan Remains, Múr, Xandria & Opeth.

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