The Nine Circles Audio Thing

A micro-genre/movement/what have you that I've been doing my hardest to champion this year at Nine Circles is "castle metal"; melodic black metal rooted in the sound and aesthetic of Obsequiae while incorporating a multitude of other influences. There is an ever-growing roster of bands that have taken up the banner in similar yet distinct ways, and three released full-length albums this year: Mork...

Discovering and giving exposure to brand new artists is one of the greatest privileges when it comes to writing about music. And when a fantastic musician you're already familiar with announces something completely new, it's hard not to set your expectations high. With Weft and debut LP The Splintered Oar ( Bindrune Recordings ) I can say with confidence that these expectations were not only met,...

Joining together the righteous forces of Obsequiae and Inexorum for some Gothenburg-style melodeath throwback, it's been nearly two and a half years since the release of Majesties ' debut album Vast Reaches Unclaimed ( 20 Buck Spin ) and it's still a favorite amongst some of us here at Nine Circles. A follow-up may not (yet) be upon us, but myself and a couple others had the utmost privilege of ca...

Another year down -- okay, another year and a couple of weeks, give or take -- and that means another whole buttload of new music released in genres other than our beloved metal. Just sit with that for a second and ponder. There was punk! There was indie! There was shoegaze! And that's just in the rock sub-categories. What about jazz? Hip-hop? Electronic? "Whoa. I need to sit down for a minute," y...

Once again the gang comes forth with candidates, this time under the watchful gaze of Ian.  But although strong arguments were put forth for the raw black metal conceptual piece by Ungfell , the morose progressive post-doom of Crippled Black Phoenix , and whatever insane caterwauling The Body did in the month of American Thanksgiving and apocalyptic elections, the rose could only be gifted to one....

The Nine Circles Audio Thing is back with our Album of the Month for October! Once again the gang comes forth with candidates, this time under the watchful gaze of Angela.  But although strong arguments were put forth for the avant-black metal of Doedsmaghird , the exploratory and modern melodic black metal of Gaerea , and the ripping, quite possibly AOTY contender Blood Incantation the rose could...

The Nine Circles Audio Thing is back with our Album of the Month for September! Once again the gang comes forth with candidates, this time under the baleful glare of Hera.  But although strong arguments were put forth for the Brazilian prog of Papangu , the icy cold black metal of Marrow of Man , the might return of melodic death metal giants The Black Dahlia Murder , and the woeful fragile beauty...

A month to the day the Nine Circles Audio Thing is back with our Album of the Month for August! The staff approached, their pitiful, mewling offerings raised with trembling hands in full view of the gnarled stonework to vie for the attentions and affections of the new Judge.  But despite Hera's impassioned plea for the acidic sludge post metal of Norna , Angela's sadly tossed asides poetics to the...

It may be a week or so later than we intended but – as promised – the Nine Circles Audio Thing is back with our Album of the Month for July! Candidates were offered up on the gnarled stonework that is the 9C dais, and despite strong arguments by Ian for the storming dissonant fretwork of Occulta Veritas , Colin’s impassioned please for the frigid and beautiful Finnish black metal of Autumnfall , a...

It's been a hot minute, but the gang returns along with a new intro to celebrate the return of the Nine Circles Audio Thing!  We're going to get back into the Album of the Month starting with July, but for now Chris returns to the mic for the first time in forever to gather the crew and talk about a few select highlights from the first six months of the year.  Colin, Vince, Ian, Hera and...holy sh...

Of all the death metal currently burbling in the cauldrons of 20 Buck Spin, SLIMELORD might be one of the most peculiar...and that's saying a lot! Mixing vicious cavernous death metal with forward thinking technicality and hints of psychedelia in their brutal attack, the band released their debut full length Chytridiomycosis Relinquished in March.  Guitarist Alexander Bradley sat down with Nine Ci...

What do you get when you combine members of Generation of Vipers, A Storm of Light and Intronaut, then get their collective creative juices flowing about, well... a lot of really heavy shit? (Think global warming, AI, the slow decay of human society in real time... you know! Fun stuff!) Well, you get GUILTLESS ! (And also, you get one hell of a heavy listen.) Back in February, the intranational qu...

Hard to believe it’s been a decade since Job For A Cowboy graced us with Sun Eater yet here we are on the eve of Moon Healer ( Metal Blade ) and we couldn’t be more stoked for it if we tried. This band occupies a special spot for most of here on staff as they exemplify our varied tastes in death metal and all things extreme. With this album that statement couldn't be more true as it is wildly all...

It’s a well known fact that Vitriol slap, as they say. But did you know that they are one of a very few and select bands pushing death metal to new heights? That’s kind of a rhetorical question…more of a fact tidbit for you than anything since their latest effort Suffer & Become ( Century Media ) is somehow better than anything they’ve touched to date and blows everything out of the water thus far...

Yep, we’re strongly and firmly in 2024 annnnd late with this by just a bit. But hey, you guys know that‘s our way by now and if not, now you do. Anyway, 2023 was huge for metal and if you’ve followed along on the site, we’ve all plastered our picks for you to peruse, enjoy, and maybe find something new or a nugget you missed. We love list season and that’s whay our normal cast of fam (Angela, Hera...

Welcome back everyone! As is customary this time of year, our resident NOT-metal heads, Dan and Chris, are back to discuss their favorite music of 2023. Tune in for a sprawling, but not overly rambly discussion of all things NOT-metal, including country, jazz, Canadian punk, and everywhere in-between! Timecodes: (00:00) - Introduction (04:18) - Shared Picks / "Top Two" (16:50) - Chris: "We're in t...

Welcome back one and all to the final AOTM (Album of the Month) pick discussion for 2023 with Panopticon ’s The Rime of Memory ( Bindrune Recordings ). It’s safe to assume our regular readers, and listeners, know our feelings on Panopticon at this point but to cut to the chase, we love the project and everything that has come from it. And The Rime of Memory is no different, hence why it ended up h...

By now, and as one of 20 Buck Spin ’s longest running acts, the death metal institution Vastum needs zero intro from us, or you for that matter. Album number five, Inward To Gethsemane , continues the stomach churning filthiness they’ve so readily displayed but this time the songwriting and delivery has some incredible punch to it. The band has been long time favorites of most of us on staff but n...

This was the first time of 2023 that we picked a favorite the fastest and the most solidified. We've all been fans of Wayfarer 's Wild West black metal since their debut and with American Gothic ( Profound Lore ) this love has grown deeper. It's a fantastic album but I'm sure by now you already know this so we won't bore you with frivolity here. The fam got together with our man on the mic, Buke,...

For anyone following along in the Nine Circles universe, it comes as no surprise that Autarkh is a huge favorite pretty much across the board. Form In Motion was, and still is, very high on our revisit list as it was unlike anything out there in the metal spectrum at the time. Progressive, epic, monumental, challenging are but some of the words to describe that first effort but even those barely s...

One might think that with an album name such as Drudge To The Thicket ( Profound Lore ), California’s Fabricant plays around with sludgy doom. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth as this debut is squarely in the death metal camp and is technical throughout, brutal at times, charred around the edges, and savvy beyond its years. So yea, you need to get in on this while things are gettin...

If you've been following along, The Enduring Spirit ( 20 Buck Spin ) by Tomb Mold is an all encompassing hit for the Nine Circles crew and we pretty much blew our load talking about it on this interview right here . But, we're back in crowd format to blow the last bit of load we have left on it since it truly is that good of a death metal album. You know how these things work: the team picks an al...

2017 saw the debut full length release, Primordial Malignity , of Ontario’s Tomb Mold and without knowing it changed death metal forever. It basically made everyone take notice and up their games. Now, with their fourth full length The Enduring Spirit ( 20 Buck Spin ), they do the same thing yet again. It’s challenging and fluid yet melodious, brutal and unforgiving yet accessible, wildly technica...

TesseracT are as essential for progressive metal as blood is to most living organisms - some may say they are the grandfathers of the term ‘djent’ but that’s for another day. They’ve been the lifeblood of the genre since their debut landed in 2011 and have charted their own unique path ever since. Each album finds the band exploring their capabilities and possibilities but none so far has been hea...

Crow Lotus and Capra are no strangers to Nine Circles or this podcast. Their frenetic and damn captivating energy is second to none and with new album Errors ( Metal Blade / Blacklight Media ) they slam the door shut on any doubters and seal the deal that was inked in blood with their 2021 debut In Transmission . Any of you can find that album on tons of year end lists and this one will leave a bi...