Do you have a death metal itch? Severe Torture will punch it for you. Spiked knuckles included. Yeah, they're all shiny and clean, but they exact maximum damage, they're designed that way. No new conceptual features, they're simply built from the classic variations that have come before, but with a few subtle, modern touches that push them into an elite echelon of spiked knuckles - wait, I'm actually talking about the band! So anyway, torn from the jaws of death, that's gotta be a... good thing?

This is loscil on his more minimal ambient side, but not to the full extent that he is capable of. These 36 minutes offer layers of textures, shifting of layers, and moods that warp and extend as they drift. Unsurprisingly, even at these slow speeds, the atmosphere is enormous. It's simply what to expect with loscil at the helm of the ship. It is like some of his most minimal work, but with one or two quiet, dramatic layers drawn from his more animated albums. But this is just my hUmbel opinion.

Holy shit. I had doubts, and was unwilling to pre-order this. It's as if Blaze of Perdition sensed my hesitation and opened Upharsin with a raging "DO YOU DARE TO QUESTION US??!!" I did but I apologize please let me back away in peace and continue to listen to your sick new album... The vocals are harsher, the riffs are more aggressive (those uniquely BoP melodic leads seem to have mostly disappeared, or have migrated directly into the main tremolo riffing). This is no doubt a highlight of 2024.

I was a little disappointed at first, as I couldn't help comparing this to Liminal Space, my favorite jazz album of 2021. This just sounded like so much... less. But that's the thing, it is. With no collaborators this time, Ill Considered have stripped back their sound, and while there may be less overall heft to the songs, there's more room to hear the intricacies of the three players. And that's why Precipice is still great, because these guys are great. Drums, bass, sax. Getting it going!

This is metal which is METAL. Mostly black metal - particularly in the melodies that fill the riff-driven songs, as well as the majority of the vocals. And while I have a hard time using the "death metal" descriptor for this, I do understand that there is something more from the wider world of extreme metal that lights up The Swords of Dajjal. There's an edge of attitude that is different here. As with the album cover, this is sick and slick - but you also probably don't want to fuck with it.

This was released on the first day of the year that it was sunny and warm where I live, which basically means it was meant to be. Time to go out and sweat to some death metal and slam into some concrete! Vault of Horrors has me covered. Does that make sense? Well, do all the deathy things that Aborted jam into a song make sense? Sure! Sometimes I can't tell what's actually going on in moments, amidst everything going on, but it works and it's kind of fun. TerrorVision is catchier though.

I tend to gravitate toward jazz that is piano-led, and jazz that has a prominent drum/rhythm presence, so it's no surprise that this is an easy win for me, those being two of The Thousandth Scholar's most distinctive features. The percussionist in addition to drummer is just so much fun. But it's not that simple: the tunes are excellent. The opener sets a great tone and the variety throughout keeps it all fresh. One note to Reggie though, from an amateur listener: I always want more drum solos!

While I loved Misotheist's debut, I didn't get into their second album. As one of the black metal highlights of 2024 so far, Vessels... has me firmly back on board. The title track is uncharacteristically brief and aggressive - it's excellent (although the clean vocals, while fitting, aren't my favorite). The final track is an extended highlight of strengths. The first track ends on a repeated, simple but massively expressive and perfectly black metal riff, one of the best I've heard all year.