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Hell Awaits is a column by Kim Kelly and Andy O'Connor that shines a light on extreme and underground metal. This time, Kim sizes up new releases from Churchburn, Kvlthammer, Rome and more.
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Churchburn: “V”
Churchburn is one of the most promising new bands on the Eastern Seaboard, and I don’t say that lightly. The band (comprised of current and former members of Vital Remains, Grief, Sangus, and Sin of Angels) masterfully combines nihilistic sludgy doom with deft death- and black-metal touches, and the end result is so heavy it hurts. Prolific guitarist and vocalist Dave Suzuki shreds and snarls with diabolical intent, and drummer Ray McCaffrey lays down beats that crash and roll like thunder. This kind of coal-black doom is often attempted but hardly ever done half this well. These extreme metal veterans make it look easy, though, and I’d be surprised if the rights to their first full-length don’t get snapped up by one au courant label or another. Until then, check out a sneak peek from their next move forward. The brutally brilliant “V” is taken from the band’s upcoming new EP, due out soon via New England stronghold Armageddon Records.
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Kvlthammer: "Hounds"
With a new Midnight album still on the horizon and Shitfucker still coasting on their 2013 LP, the world of sleazy black rock’n’roll has been in dire need of a new fix. Luckily for us, Indianapolis foursome Kvlthammer have just dropped a filthy new full-length, and it’s everything anyone with a healthy appreciation for Motörhead, Sodom, and Venom could ever want. The band features members of Skeletonwitch, Lair of the Minotaur, Coffinworm, and Demiricious, but despite its pedigree, Kvlthammer is 100% mongrel. The self-titled LP sucks in black metal, speed metal, ugly punk, and a gnarly Celtic Frost-honed stomp to create a crude and satisfying blend. These tunes are catchy as the plague and twice as deadly; soak in the sleaze with “Hounds.”
Kvlthammer: "Hounds" on Bandcamp
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Rome:"The Ballad of the Flame Lily"
Martial folk act Rome is the brainchild of Luxembourg-based musician Jérôme Reuter, and has long been revered for Reuter’s dark, emotive, and inventive approach to post-industrial music. August 2 will see the release of the project’s tenth album, A Passage To Rhodesia, via the German label Trisol with COP INT handling US distribution. The album itself is as weird and wonderful as fans have grown to expect, rife with glistening acoustic melodies and narrated by his deep, calming baritone. “The Ballad of the Flame Lily” sports an almost trip-hop sound thanks to its punchy electronic backbeat and Reuters’ droning delivery, but his neoclassical leanings aren’t far behind thanks to the appearance of a beautifully fragile melodic riff. It’s not metal, but it offers a new perspective on darkness.
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Symptom: "Omen of Crypts"
Portland, OR death cult Shroud of the Heretic released one of 2014’s most interesting extreme metal albums back in March. Before that, guitarist JT Gilmore somehow found time to release a new record from his solo project, Symptom. Gilmore began recording desolate, murky death/doom under the Symptom moniker in 2010, and so far has two EPs, a compilation, and two full-lengths under his belt, proving that if you want something done, it’s quicker to do it yourself—even if it means handling all the guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. “Omen of Crypts” is a doomy dirge that owes as much to Demigod as it does Autopsy and is drenched in a lethal combination of bass, reverb, distortion, and Gilmore’s perfectly ungodly guitar tone.
Symptom: "Omen of Crypts" on Bandcamp
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Misþyrming: "Söngur heiftar"
I recently traveled to Iceland for Neskaupstaður’s annual Eisnaflug festival, and in speaking with one of the bands that impressed me most, discovered just how small the world really is. Fallen Empire, a label with which I’m very familiar, has signed on to release Söngvar elds og óreiðu, the new album from Reykjavik solo project-turned-band Misþyrming later this year (Carpe Noctum drummer Helgi Rafn Hróðmarsson recently joined original member Dagur in order to begin playing live). The band is very young (formed in 2013), but very, very good. The preview track currently streaming on Misþyrming’s Bandcamp page, “Söngur heiftar”, is an excellent harbinger of what’s to come: innovative yet resoundingly raw, haunting, and ultimately cathartic black metal.
Misþyrming: "Söngur heiftar" on Bandcamp
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Do Skonu: “Всепожирающий Огонь Вожделения / Omnivorous Flame of Lust”
Do Skonu has yet to achieve the name recognition of their countrymen in Drudkh or Hate Forest, but the Makiyivka two-piece has proven itself utterly adept at conjuring the kind of raw, atmospheric black metal that the Ukrainian scene is best known for without adding any of the political undertones that marr other such bands’ output. The music is repetitive and engaging, built on heavily distorted hypnotic riffs, minimal drumming, and Varagian’s strangled croak. The duo’s 2012 album Cold Streams of Death will be resurrected in cassette format by UK label Exitium Productions, and features the freezing malice of “Всепожирающий Огонь Вожделения / Omnivorous Flame of Lust.” The band also recently released a new full-length, Великое Пробуждение Среди Великого Сна (The Grand Awakening Among the Great Sleep) via Thou Shalt Kill! Records, which can be streamed and purchased on Bandcamp.
Do Skonu: "Всепожирающий Огонь Вожделения / Omnivorous Flame of Lust" on Bandcamp