Keeping It Short and Sweet
Black metal is back in stunning form this week
After a shaky start, May has finally kicked off with some of the best metal this year so far. And there’s even more to come. This week we’ll dig into some of the best stuff from the past week, and see what made it all so exceptional. In the interest of time and making sure y’all get a newsletter this week there’s no subgenre dissection in this edition.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Panopticon - ...And Again Into the Light
If you’ve been staying up to date with metal on the whole, then some alarm bells probably rang when you saw that Panopticon was releasing a new record. Well those alarm bells sounded at the correct time. This latest record by Panopticon matches, and at times surpasses, all of the band’s previous efforts. Its valleys are cooler and more isolated than ever before, which only makes the peaks more threatening. When the record finally kicks into full gear on the second track, I guarantee you’ll be blown away. Few albums match this level of intensity while keeping the structures and instrumentation so interesting, and with songs this long, the achievement is all the more miraculous.
Great Metal from this Week
A lighter week from a volume standpoint but each of these records are well worth your time. Albums in bold were scored with an 8/10 or higher.Â
Gateway - Flesh Reborn- Big heavy doom metal with just enough death in its soul to keep it moving.
The Ember, The Ash - Fixation - A bit of melodic death metal and a bit of technical death metal make this flashy album a thrilling experience.
Hirsi - III - If Panopticon has you craving some trve cvlt black metal then Hirsi has you covered with III. It was even recorded in a cabin in the Finnish wilderness.
Hear selections from these albums and other great metal tracks on our Fresh Kills playlist on Spotify.
Non-Metal AOTW
Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future
We are certainly not lacking for political records in the current moment. But even in this moment of political necessity, few records are as essential as Black to the Future. Sons of Kemet explicitly highlight the struggles of black people the world over, and spend the duration of the record grappling with the emotions and suffering that black people have felt the world over. At the same time, this outpouring of emotion is full of beauty and power, it is a multifaceted creation that is not content to languish in suffering, though it does acknowledge it. Beyond the political, the sounds of the album are remarkable. The jazz is expertly played and the vocal performances compliment it perfectly. Whether you care for jazz or not, this is an essential musical experience in 2021.
Runners-up
21 Savage - Spiral EP - Even if this EP is for a horror movie and the lyrics aren’t always great (e.g. “I’mma let em’ spin like a spiral) but the beats go and the flow is undeniable.Â
Bigmutha - Bastard Tapes Vol.3 - Bigmutha, a local rapper from Chattanooga, also has quite the ear for beats and is someone I suggest keeping tabs on in the coming years.
Buried Treasures Farther Down the Mineshaft
Solid set of records coming up this week in both the metal and non-metal worlds. I’m particularly excited for Mannequin Pussy’s new EP and An Autumn for Crippled Children’s extremely melancholic interpretation of black metal.
Metal Albums
Non-Metal Albums
Shrinekeeping
Short newsletter this week, but hopefully next week I’ll be able to get something a bit more lengthy put together. Keep your fingers crossed for a light work week and a great music week. In the meantime, share this to a friend who could use some more metal.
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