At long last, DENOUNCEMENT PYRE are about to unchain their highly anticipated third album, Black Sun Unbound. Three years have passed since the release of their critically acclaimed Almighty Arcanum, which saw these long-running Aussie tyrants evolving well beyond their blackthrashing beginnings and locate a near-perfect balance between aggression and atmosphere. With Black Sun Unbound, DENOUNCEMENT PYRE have perhaps found the balance - between not only aggression and atmosphere, but passion and poison, power and patience, sheer vengeful violence and spiraling night-sky melodicism - in the process delivering a potently BLACK METAL record which emphasizes both titular elements of that genre. In fact, the album title itself bespeaks the brilliance brimming from the quartet here, as each of these ten tracks spills forth a blinding sensation of absolute occult energy, each distinct track distilled into a greater, wholly diabolical totality. Further evidence of such is compounded by the song titles, as well: among them, "World Encircler," "Transform the Aether," "Deathless Dreaming," and the telltale "Revere the Pyre." Fittingly, the production is clear and cutting without sacrificing an ounce of grit on which DENOUNCEMENT PYRE have built their throne these past 13 years. With the band set to perform their first North American live ritual at this year's Maryland Deathfest, there's no better time to behold Black Sun Unbound!

DENOUNCEMENT PYRE "Black Sun Unbound"

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"ILL OMEN - Decrepit Heart of the Shadow-Sun" from the debut full-length album "Divinity Through Un-creation" released by: www.adverseordermusic.com

ILL OMEN - Decrepit Heart of the Shadow-Sun

Transform the Aether

Black Sun Unbound

Scars Adorn the Whore in Red

World Encircler

Wounds of Golgotha

Deathless Dreaming

September Malevolence - ...Accidents Happen So Fast

I fell upon Black Sheep Wall’s first record I Am God Songs by merely perusing Bandcamp. I was pleasantly surprised by their filthy sounding sludgy grooves and towering intensity. So of course I have been anticipating the release of their sophomore LP No Matter Where It Ends for some time now and I am sure a lot of you have been too. But does this new record hold up to the band’s debut offering?


The album opens up with dirty feedback that makes way for earth shattering sludgy guitars and completely filthy basslines on “Agnostic Demon”. This track is eight minutes of pure sonic intensity that will rattle what little brains you have left. The band definitely starts off strong. No Matter Where It Ends features some of the most ungodly heavy riffs known to mankind and combined with low end growls, it can be pretty terrifying. “Virtruvian God” is the only track on the record that is less than five minutes long and in its short one and half minute duration it pummels you with dissonant, slow building riffs that are sure to give you a heart attack. “Torrential” also features some deliciously nasty riffs that Neurosis and Eyehategod wish they would have written. But the album does feature some melodic moments to my surprise. “Liminality” and “Black Church” are extremely heavy and foreboding but they feature a lot of post-metal esque melodicism that make the tracks oddly beautiful at times. But let’s be honest, you’re not listening to this band to be lulled by gorgeous sounds. No, you’re listening to Black Sheep Wall to be wrapped in a rug of sludge metal and beaten to death with a hammer of pulse pounding, blood pumping riffs that can scare young children. No Matter Where It Ends provides all of this and more.

Great riffs aside, by the time I was half way through with this album I was drained. Six to eight minute long tracks of pure sludge can be extremely rewarding and cathartic. But some of the tracks on this thing become so repetitive and uninspired that they bored me to tears. “Personal Prophet” for is six minutes of spaced out chugging that leads nowhere and just sounds like the product of lazy, run of the mill sound writing. “Flesh Tomb” is another one that irked me to no end. It starts of pretty strong with these ridiculous heavy, dissonant grooves but around the halfway mark the band begins to repeat the same chugging section over and over for the rest of the song’s duration; which is twelve minutes by the way.

No Matter Where It Ends vomits a plethora of vile, thunderous riffs into your ear canals. Black Sheep Wall makes The Acacia Strain and similar bands look like a bunch of hacks. But while this album has a lot of delicious heaviness to offer, it fails at times to repetitive song structures and apathetic riffs. But this is just my opinion. What do you think? via: americanaftermath.net

Black Sheep Wall - Torrential

With Vision is the second full-length album release by Place of Skulls. The album was released in 2003 on the Southern Lord Records label. The recording of this album was marked by numerous personnel changes before the final staff was assembled. This is the only Place of Skulls album to feature Scott Weinrich (of The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan fame) on vocals and second guitar, as he left soon after to concentrate on The Hidden Hand. Writing credits are far more distributed among the band members than its predecessor, wherein all songs were written solely by Griffin.

Place Of Skulls - Nothing Changes

I have been a Dark Castle fan for a minute, so when I heard they had a new record coming out I was stoked, but at the same time I had very high expectations. With the release of their new album Surrender To All Life Beyond Form, out now via Profound Lore, they fucking blew my mind. Dark Castle has stretched what we call doom & sludge to encompass many more layers that are not usually associated with these genres. I knew something was different by the way the first track, “Surrender To All Life Beyond Form,” started. It begins with this killer dirge bit, then this almost 1st Nations chant comes in, and then on a wave of strange feedback, super distorted blackened vocals kick in – from that point, they had me. Surrender To All Life Beyond Form is a real dark tapestry of sonics, so you will hear something new every time. At certain points when I listen to this album I get the sense as though the songs are alive & breathing, & are trying to tell me something. Dark Castle is heavy as ever on this album, but they are using space as an effect unto itself – they allow the effects they create to transform many times before they introduce another effect. The song “Learning To Unlearn” is haunting experimental doom that explores the textures of bleeps, piano & cavernous vocals that manifest their apocalyptic visions. The emotional impact that the song “To Hide Is To Die” has is fucking transcendental, & Stevie’s singing voice on this track is sublime. With this album, Dark Castle have done what I like to hear bands do – take chances & develop their imagination outside of their comfort zone. The next time I see this band in person I’m going to walk up to them, give them a huge hug & say job well freaking done! It gets better: they are hitting the road this summer with YOB. So after the jump, get all of the tour details & some other surprises. (via cvltnation.com) 


Transform the Aether

HELLS HEADBANGERS